I have a voice

I got an email railing about love, acceptance and interpretation of the bible.  Included in the email was a “Science Must Destroy Religion” editorial published on the Huffington Post in 2006.   The email evidently hit the right button for me to get wordy.  First of all, anyone who wastes time reading HuffPo seriously needs their head examined.

I am not a conversationalist. I don’t find history, the weather, whose having a baby, whose getting married, divorced or is filing for bankruptcy interesting for more than 30 seconds. Okay, I lied. I don’t find it interesting for longer than 10 seconds. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating . . . not that long either. It’s genetic. Most of my family is the same way. If somebody’s hurt or in need, I want to know, but even well intentioned gossip or idle conversation . . . yeah, so not me.

I can embrace a very short discussion on science and religion as long as we don’t have to talk it to death.  With that in mind, here’s my take on science and religion.

Religion is heart/soul (inside us) and science is the world we live in (our environment). Science has no power to invalidate religion. People who attempt to use science to attack religion are stupid or evil, usually both.  The spin employed in the attempt is enormous.

In working to minimize or destroying religion, detractors are trying to vacate moral constraint and personal responsibility. They don’t want to live within the parameters imposed by religion. They want whatever they choose to do to be morally okay and they scream and cry when it isn’t.  Some people even switch their religion in an effort to get a better fit for their personal moral compass.  Some people vacate portions of their religion’s standards to suit their personal need or viewpoint.   The not so Catholic “I’m Catholic but support abortion” Nancy Pelosi is a great example.  Others reinterpret the bible to suit their own view.  This is spin, pure and simple.

The Bible should be treated like our Bill of Right and our Constitution.  These writings should be interpreted from the viewpoint of the way things were at the time they were written.  They should not be reinterpreted based on how things are today.

The reason science can’t be used to disprove religion is because it’s not always so scientific. Science can look at one tiny thing at a time but when scientists step back in an attempt to establish a more comprehensive view, they make connections between facts based on speculation and extrapolation.  The resulting “understandings” are very often flawed in a fashion that may not show up for decades.  As a result, science’s perspective/reality/understanding is always changing.

In contrast, religion is a constant. The 10 commandments don’t change. Doing the right thing doesn’t change.  Time has shown us Ghandi had it right.  If you need a good example, be Ghandi.

That’s it. Enough about science and religion.

I want to leave you with this one final thought. If each of us is at peace in our heart, how other people view us is irrelevant. If you aren’t happy with who you are, how everyone else feels about you has the power to be a millstone on your heart.  You don’t have to love/like someone to treat them kindly.  Accept them for who they are and keep them in your prayers.

Slow down and enjoy life.  Do what makes your heart happy.