Tuesday, December 10, 2013

On the Judgment of Religions

Religion is the coordination of beliefs about the nature of existence and practices that are line with those beliefs. That one would judge a religion, for good or for ill, based on one-seventh of those practices is second in foolishness only to those who would judge a man’s devotion to religion, for good or for ill, based on how he performs in one-seventh of his life.

It is akin to ending a hockey match halfway through the first period, a football game on the second possession, or a baseball game before the lineup has batted through. One would not deem The Lord of the Rings to have been read adequately at the Council of Elrond.

Yet we will determine that a religion is good or bad because of weekly worship. We will determine that a person properly represents a religion because they perform well for an hour, or that they fail for not performing in that hour.

This does not make us wise in the evaluation and consideration of belief. Rather, it makes us fools, as the child who answers a question that is not even fully asked yet.

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