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In the undying complexity of our lives, one constant remains: us humans are and always will be tied down by our own sense of morality. It is the exact reason why we invented the concept of justice: to enact and enforce what we established to be right and wrong. Racism, wars, murder, discrimination, hate, maybe even the simple act of being caught spreading a nasty rumor about someone. Every single dilemma we face in the short amount of time we live in this world could be summarized by two questions: Was I wrong? Or was I wronged?
"Tied down" is such a definite way to phrase things, and yet it accurately describes the significant role morality plays within our lives. The question of whether or not it's inherent or merely a social construct is irrelevant. The fact of the matter remains that the morality we uphold within society has irreversibly painted the reality we now live in.
Which is why it surprises me time and time again how easy it is for the vast majority of people to accept a reality in which a benevolent God and an eternity of damnation can coexist. The basic concept of hell goes against human morality in every shape or form. Despite the apparent flaws behind our ideas of law and justice, we have always recognized the importance of proportionality. The importance of matching the weight of the crime to the weight of the punishment. The idea of hell- no, the possibility of it, terrorizes me in most of my waking moments. But more than that, it enrages me with its injustice.
Religion was created to weaponize our fear of the unknown. It has nothing to do with teaching us about right and wrong because we already had the capacity for it from the moment we were born. How can we trust religion to dictate our ideas of morality if it lacks the capability to understand the complexity of human life? The "free will" God has given us is a scam because it depends on the idea that we have a choice, when in reality, most of us don't. Someone who was lucky to be dealt a fortunate hand in life will never understand the desperation that drives someone to sell their own dignity. They will never understand the hopelessness that urges someone to harm another. Being able to die while remaining holy in the eyes of religion does not reflect how "good" you are, it reflects your privilege. If hell is real and the teachings of the bible are true, then in the eyes of God, a sheltered child who grew up in a rich christian household has more capacity for "good" than a child living in the slums, who's greatest wish is to not starve to death by the end of the month.
God has simply not given us enough free will to avoid the shackles of determinism, and has instead left us vulnerable to sin. I am not here to justify the wrongdoings of mankind. I am simply pointing out the falsity of God's benevolent nature. I am tired of hearing the same script over and over again from the mouths of religious people who have embraced the teachings of the bible. I already know what they would say to me if I shed some light about this doubt of mine, "God works in mysterious ways" or "God has bigger plans and has no time to stoop down to our level." If that's the case, then what happened to us being created in the image and likeness of God?
When our parents forgive us after doubting them and doing things wrong, where is that same mercy when religion condemns us to hell because we were too busy finding ways to survive to attend church every week? We have given killers and thieves more mercy by giving them a chance to change inside prison cells than God has to the innocent people he sent to hell for living their lives in the absence of faith and worship. If it was true that we were made in the likeness of God then we wouldn’t have this much capacity for clemency.
I wish I was making this up, I wish it was true that God really is forgiving and merciful. But I also once believed that it was impossible to go to hell for the simple act of doubting, I used to believe that as long as I lived as a good person, God would forgive me for not going down on my knees enough times to please him. And yet, as you guessed it, I was wrong. Religious people have become too comfortable with the idea of eternal damnation. Ask them what would happen to a gay person, they'll tell you that person will go to hell. Ask them what would happen to an unbaptized child who died before even stepping foot inside a church, they'll say that child will go to hell. Sometimes I wonder, do these people just not realize the meaning of the word eternal? Maybe they forgot that the meaning of eternal is forever? Sometimes I force myself to say yes, maybe they really did forget or maybe they just don't know. It's better than thinking that there really are some people in this world who would wish that upon someone else. How much hate and ignorance would you even need to be able to do that?
We were taught that religion exists to teach us to be good. And as painful as it is to admit, it has worked far too well. There are some parts of the world where people think humans would be immoral without God. Some accuse atheists and people lacking faith to be the devil. To this day, I still believe that to be wrong. I have no other choice, because the alternative would be to forget the good in humanity for the sake of worshipping a being that doesn't know what it's like to be human.
It's true that we're small in the scale of all things. We're insignificant and we don't matter. In the perspective of another being, maybe it's true that we don't see what reality truly entails. And yet, despite that, I've felt more hope talking to a child than I did when reading a book containing the word of God. I hope a time comes when people realize that our morality does not depend on an all-knowing being. Our morality is our own, and it's better than anything religion can offer us.