Holy Human Misery

For as long as I remember, I have harboured an inexplicably deep resentment towards organized religion. My dislike was not as strong as it is now, not in the beginning. I use to pray five times a day and read from the good book at least once every week (I don't do neither of that now, not because I think they are meaningless occupation of one's valuable time, but because I am just too lazy to worry about the hellfire which is to greet me in the afterlife, as I am told by the likes of my grandmother). I suppose back then, I just found too restrictive, dictating the simple joys of life such as indulgence in music (a brother of a friend, who is a bearded mullah, denounces all form of art, including film and music. The freak won't even allow his infant to be photographed or play with soft toys or kids or even go to preschool! My friend reports that he also ripped some Britney Spears' posters off his wall - for which I am secretly thankful).

Anyway, a few months ago a friend of mine, whom I've previously described as a slimy bastard, gave me a documentary called "The Root of All Evil?", a Channel 4 (England) documentary by Richard Dawkins. I found the two part episode simply enlightening. Not because it strongly vilified organized religion, but because it illustrated, in great detail, the flaws that religion has picked up over the millennia of human history.

Now I don't support abolishing religion like some of you would, I am sure. But I want it to function the way it was originally intended by the Creator. Ever heard this lyrics?
"You gave me life
Now show me how to live" - Audioslave
That's the original intention. As a divine guidance, probably because we humans are too damn stupid to function as proper beings alone, and eventually fall into despair because our thoughts are always somehow mingled with our inevitable mortality. (According to anthropologists, this is how primitive pagan religions surfaced - out of our collective paranoia). Needless to say, religion, like their accompanying holy scriptures, has fallen into the intended dirty hands of Man, who has crafted it to benefit his own needs over time. Dominance, through any means possible; politics, wealth and even warfare. No price is too great to extend our own dominion, to inflict our faith even on those who reject it. Welcome to Organized religion.

The following animation from MapsofWar.com depicts the rise and expansion of all modern faiths. After viewing it, I realized that the ancient world remained in relative tranquility, even with a handful of different faiths. (Most are obviously not shown here). Only in the last two millennia did religious conflicts arise, which I imagine must have lead to a lot of human suffering. Human Suffering. Just two words to most of us. Its hard to grasp a full understanding of this concept unless you are starving for three days because of some religious war or just had both your parents beheaded right in front of you by a heartless crusader. If you do understand it, you would share my contempt too. All in the name of God, right?