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Comparative Religion-a Personal Experience

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Submitted By vicmanche
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"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment." -Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

I believe that religion, just like judgment, should not be imposed on anyone. Jesus Camp illustrated a radical case of indoctrination on children, but I don't think that it is appropriate to try to 'convert' anyone into another religion. Despite the cultural upbringing I have had through my parents, I am not sure whether I identify completely with their religious ideas. I lean towards science as a better explanation of the unknown and how the universe came to be. Through my experiences in a World History seminar, I gravitate towards the belief that religion has been a historical tool used to control and organize people, and explain the unexplainable phenomena of an age when no one had many answers. The fact that most religions are unchanged in their values since their inception, while many other schools of thought such as science and philosophy are constantly evolving, immediately sticks out as a red flag to their credibility to me.

The above quote struck a chord with me soon after I saw Jesus Camp and Religulous. These religious fanatics, most notably Evangelical Becky Fischer in Jesus Camp, are quick to judge and condemn people for not being of the same faith they are. They proclaim that they are following God's wishes, and that people who do not accept their religion will go to Hell, but in doing so they are taking a Godlike role-it is as though they are playing God themselves and holding other peoples' lives in their hands. Fischer and the other strong religious promoters have no religious power over the rest of the world (save the indoctrinated children). They do not control who lives, who dies, who goes to Heaven, or who goes to Hell. Thus, they should take Gandalf's

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