Trees are Green is back, after a long absence.
I don’t believe in organised religion. I don’t mean to cause offence to anyone who does, as I completely understand people who follow a certain religion. People say that God gave us free will in order to let us make our own choices. If that’s true, then forcing people to follow the rules of their chosen religions seems to subtract from that free will. I’ve studied many arguments for and against God’s existence and not one of them has failed to sway my belief. Indeed, many philosophers have argued that arguments for Gods existence are not convincing to anyone who doesn’t believe in God, and are only useful for those theists who wish to back up their beliefs. I also think its ridiculous that so many people have killed and died for their religious beliefs. In a sense, killing those people who are against your beliefs appears to show a lack of faith in your belief – surely it would be easier and faster to talk to your ‘opponents’, for lack of a better word, instead of trying to exterminate them.
It seems strange for me to accept that human beings are simply creatures in the same way as any other creature on this earth, but also appears to be the most logical conclusion.
The only thing that troubles me about this is the fact that human beings are able to think and feel, to come up with extraordinary concepts, to create masterpieces of literature, cinema, art etc. But perhaps this is merely an evolutionary skill.
I think the fact that I was sent to a Convent school as a child had shaped my beliefs in some way. After leaving the school, it became clear to me in retrospect that throughout my time there I had been told to believe in God but had been given to clear reason or arguments. I never learnt anything substantial about other major world religions until I started secondary school. I think this made me quite bitter towards the Catholic religion and ultimately turned me away from it.
However there is still, for me, something powerful about Churches. I think its the fact that, as soon as I enter a Church I’m overwhelmed by the fact that so many people have stood where I am, and have found solace where I find none. The silence also speaks volumes to me. I would never try and convince anyone to turn away from their religion, and I would never mock their religion by doing something such as speaking in a holy place. That, for me is the height of rudeness. Just because I don’t believe doesn’t mean I should distract other believers.
