The degree to which any one of us affects the lives of those who follow us certainly seems to follow a bell shaped curve. The great majority of us muddle through our lives, somehow managing to get along until the time of our demise. We make it through our marriages with a reasonable amount of… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Editorial
Which Came First
To those millions of you who are wedded to your religions, this is an insoluble question. It is probably to you, akin to that same venerable question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” There is probably no doubt in your mind that your morals and your religion are inseparable companions. In your thinking,… Continue Reading
The Copycat Religion
Without using specific names, the following is an accurate brief description of one of the world’s major religions. This accounting contains the major features of this religion, in relation to the time in which it flourished. Let’s see if you can name that religion by this description. The hero of this religion was born on… Continue Reading
God Help Us
According to the religions of Abraham, we are such powerful creatures. We were placed here on earth in the image of the Grand Good Creator, for a magnificent purpose, were given command over all the earth and its creatures, will be granted an eternity of pleasure if we behave, and, moreover, have a direct line… Continue Reading
Made in the Image
A deeply embedded myth common to the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is that we, as humans, were made in the image of this Grand Creator of the entire Universe. This belief is firmly embraced by the Abrahamic religions. It may be even more cherished than the mistaken concept that we were placed here… Continue Reading
A Grand Creator
We cannot deny that this Universe was created. We are here and this planet is here. We see magnificent snow covered shaggy peak mountains, beautiful blue lakes, lush green meadows, vibrantly gorgeous colors, violent storms and erupting volcanoes. We see an abundance of life in myriad forms and species, all of it in a dynamic,… Continue Reading
A Mysterious Paradise
We think that paradise is somewhere else. At least, that is what some of our religions teach us. We are told that this life is ephemeral, and that it is only used as a measuring stick to determine if we deserve to live for an eternity in peace and happiness – or not. We are… Continue Reading
Give Anyway
The following sign exists on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children’s home in Calcutta: ANYWAY People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered LOVE THEM ANYWAY If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives DO GOOD ANYWAY If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies SUCCEED ANYWAY The good… Continue Reading
Reality Morality
Previous essays have discussed the fusion of religions and morality in multiple different ways. We have made the point that our religions and our morals have been tightly bound together in our societies, as if in a marriage. We have described that as a dysfunctional marriage, in which both partners are cheating on each other.… Continue Reading
Desert Orphan Lessons
Judged by the usual standards, Muhammad did not have a propitious beginning in life. His father died before he was born. That left him in charge of his grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who immediately arranged for the infant Muhammad to be given to a wet nurse in one of the nomadic desert tribes. The reasons for… Continue Reading