How Do Our Historical Teachings and Religious Beliefs Effect Our Ability to Grow As a Society?

I recently read the award winning books, “Ishmael,” and  ”My Ishmael”, by Daniel Quinn.  They are part of a series of fiction books about a gorilla named Ishmael who teaches those with “an earnest desire to save the world.”  The idea is that it takes someone from outside our culture to view it clearly, without bias.  What I liked about these books is that they pose questions that introduce the reader to an entirely new way of viewing the human race and world.  The author’s focus is on the effect of humans on the environment, but its general principals hold true to all aspects of our culture.

One of the questions raised by Quinn is, Why do we perceive the human race as deprived of the essential knowledge of how to live right, and feel it can only be accessed through religion or supernormal means? Quinn writes that when something falls outside of the range of human curiosity, (meaning, when we rely entirely on religious or historic teaching for our understanding) we do not allow ourselves to question it, and it exists as a blind spot to us.

Religion is dangerous when it is used in a way that discourages critical analysis, common sense, and independent thinking.  Historical or religious teachings are not, and should not be considered the only sources of our morality.  People generally have a natural ability to empathize and an ability to predict the likely consequences of their actions, so common sense and logic can and should be used to guide our behavior.

Religion is one of the few instances in which intelligent, analytical people are asked to put aside their skepticism and have blind faith.  This is dangerous way to treat religion.  Religions were created by men in positions of power who sometimes had very personal and selfish motivations for their decisions and actions.  Historically, there was little or no separation between church and state, there were corrupt leaders, and one of the easiest ways for the government to gain compliance with what it wanted was to make rules in the name of religion.  Even the bible was put together by a group of powerful men who decided how to interpret it, what went in, and what stayed out.  Although Jesus was known to have treated all people as equals, people have always used the bible and religion to support prevalent forms of inequality and oppression, including slavery, racism, sexism, and prejudice against gays.

Another interesting concept raised by Quinn is his first book “Ishmael”, is that our culture is the aggregation of the cultures of all prior generations.  Each generation tweaks it, adds a little, and throws some out, but we never start with a fresh slate, not even close.  Looking at it this way, it’s no wonder that change takes so long to occur.

So much of our world today is affected by our history.  The more I read about history, the more I notice how long it takes the human race to overcome any problem.  It’s amazing how many of today’s societal problems originated at the beginning of time.

The world has never been changed by people who are unwilling to question and challenge the conventional wisdom of their time, and throughout history, all prevalent forms of oppression have been explained as due to the innate superiority of one group over another and in the name of relegion.  To live a life of true morality, one cannot blindly follow historical teachings or religious belief.

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