Several years ago, probably during my first or second year of seminary, I was studying at a Coffee Shop, Starbucks to be exact. I did that a lot back then. It was late and more than likely I had been reading some required text, perhaps a subject as interesting and important as the intricate and complex differences between the pre-reformation and post reformation views on the transubstantiation of hosts during catholic mass and protestant services and I was very much ready to go home. On my way out the door, however, I was stopped by two large men with long hair, wearing ragged jeans, Harley Davidson t-shirts, and their wallets chained to their belts. These two gentlemen, for they truly were quite gentle in their manner if not in appearance, asked me if I truly believed the words on my t-shirt. I looked down to recall the words on my t-shirts, as I had several back then that I intentionally wore to inspire and provoke, and I said “Yes, I do believe those words to be quite true.” And though I had been very much ready to go home at that point, I ended up in a conversation that required yet another cup of coffee and another hour of my time. I doubt very little those two gentlemen were changed in the slightest by our encounter, but I most surely was changed by the experience, but likely not in the manner intended by the gentlemen in question. 

Before I continue too much farther, I should say that the words printed on the t-shirt were, “The meaning of life is to give life meaning.” And I believe the two men were interested in those words because they in fact believed something very much to the contrary. In short, they believed that the meaning of life is to determine the eventual disposition of our souls for all of eternity. I had not been converted to their way of thinking, which I assume was their intention when they stopped me, but my views on religion in general had been slightly altered. As is the case of many if not most Unitarian Universalists, I have always been, and remain, a skeptic when it comes to all matters religious. Of course, some insist that to fully understand the irrational claims of dogmatic religion, one must first have faith. The gentlemen I met in Starbuck’s that night had such a faith. Boiled down, this was their argument. They believed “A,” and because they believe “A” their lives are significantly better than before they believed “A.” Thus, “A” must be true and based on their experience, I should also believe “A” and by doing so, my life would likewise change for the better. I was not convinced, I had heard that argument before and I rejected then as I will always reject such circular logic. I did gain, however, a new respect for the positive effects of faith.

The two men were brothers. They were in their forties when I met them, and that night I learned how they had been almost systematically physically and mentally abused as children by their relatives. I learned how the men had started using drugs and alcohol at a very early age in the false belief that it would somehow relieve their pain and suffering. I learned how the alcohol and drugs had left their lives in shambles and how their acceptance of certain beliefs much later in life had given them the strength to turn their lives around. As I said, I came away with new respect for the power of faith. Then, as now, I doubt the specifics of that belief matter as much as the conviction of that belief. 

Since that night, however, several things have happened that have caused me to change my views still more. The most significant of those events are the September 11 attacks by a number of faithful believers. Where I was seeing the positive potential of faith in the lives of those two men, the negative potential of that same faith was evident in the lives of those highjackers. While I am sure that believers would generally not accept this understanding of faith, a rational exploration of the influence of the religious impulse through history leads me to certain conclusions about religion and human nature. My first conclusion is that some aspect of the human condition draws us toward seeking meaning and purpose in our existence. Second, dogmatic belief systems, since time immemorial, have served to provide that sense of meaning and purpose for the majority of people. And finally, that dogmatic belief systems have a tendency to cause as much or more harm than good from a big picture perspective.

Though I cannot prove it, and as much as I hate to admit it, more than likely, the abuse my coffee shop companions experienced had at least some roots in religious conviction. I have witnessed too many such cases where individuals were both corrupted and saved by the same irrational devotion to an irrational belief. Because dogma is, by definition, a belief based on some external authority it is often impervious to internal logic. Thus a religious text can both command the believer to not kill for any reason for fear of eternal punishment, and to kill for the benefit of one’s tribe or religion with the promise of eternal reward. A slavish conviction to dogma allows one to believe the universe is only seven thousand years old in spite of the mountains, literally mountains, of evidence to the contrary. 

It has been shown that at the root of almost every modern religion is the moral imperative to love, or at least treat kindly, all people. Yet it can also be shown that the net effect of most of those same religions is hatred of nonbelievers, apostates, heretics, and competing sects. As one who generally likes to look for the positive in all things, I have generally tried to defend even the most non-rational beliefs by pointing to the potential good they can cause in people. However, the events of September 11, 2001 and the resulting religiously inspired violent response to those events have made it more and more difficult for me to defend such irrational beliefs. I used to be able to say that such events as the Inquisition, or the crusades, or witch burning were things of the past.

Now, I still hold that religion, spirituality, etc., is neither inherently good or evil, however I am finding myself more and more inclined to say that dogmatic religion, religion that does not actively promote the use of reason and personal experience in moral decision making, is both morally bankrupt and ultimately counterproductive to human happiness and well-being. Religion, spirituality, however one chooses to name the search for truth and meaning in life, is really nothing more than a tool, a tool conceived of and built by humans for human use in the pursuit of answers to questions of meaning and purpose. The beliefs, practices, and structures of the world’s religions all developed over time to elicit a certain response. The problem, however, is that those beliefs, practices and structures were generally developed or largely based on a time in human history when supreme monarchs ruled the world, the vast majority of people existed in the most abject of conditions, and we had a very limited understanding of the natural world, even seeing ourselves, in the most solipsistic manner imaginable, as being the ultimate purpose of creation itself. 

I recognize that some may find my comments unnecessarily harsh given Unitarian Universalism’s long commitment to religious pluralism. However, As I understand religious pluralism, it is an inherent respect of all religions. But respect does not necessarily mean one must agree with said religions. If a close friend or relative is behaving erratically and in a manner dangerous to both self and others, is one not compelled to, at the very least, to make that friend or relative aware of our observations and offer to help in any way possible. Likewise, out of respect, I feel compelled to point out my observations and offer a potential solution. 

I should also point out that I recognize that while some may find my comments harsh, others may find them restrained to the point of being an absurd understatement of the facts and that any attempt to save religion from itself is pointless and a complete waste of time. Regardless, I find it necessary to point out that in spite of rumors to the contrary, ours is a religious institution, which also serves as the basis for my suggestion. While I in no way claim superiority for our method of religious and spiritual pursuit, we are proof that one can be both religious and rational, spiritual and cynical. 

So, If I were to offer advice to the religions and religious of the world, as a means to separate religious pursuits from hatred and violence that too often are found hand in hand, I would offer these words of Gotthold Lessing, written during the Enlightenment in 1778. Lessing wrote, “The true value of a man is not determined by his possession, supposed or real, of Truth, but rather by his sincere exertion to get to the Truth. It is not possession of the Truth, but rather the pursuit of Truth by which he extends his powers and in which his ever-growing perfectibility is to be found. Possession makes one passive, indolent, and proud.” Forgive the sexist language, Lessing, like all people, was a product of his time. Regardless, though, the words strongly resonate with my own experience. When one realizes the limits of one’s knowledge, that to know the will of god is not humanly possible simply because god either doesn’t exist and is nothing more than an extension of our very human desire to exert control of a world that is ultimately beyond our control. Or, if god exists, is so beyond human understanding as to make knowing the mind of god physically impossible given our very limited and finite understanding of the universe, both seen and unseen. Thus, regardless, we are left with only one real solution, to actively search for truth and meaning we long, not from an external source, but from within, from our own thoughts and experiences. Which leads back to that t-shirt I was wearing that night in Starbucks several years ago, “The meaning of life is to give life meaning.”

Thus proving the point that Truth is just as likely to be found drinking coffee as it is sitting in a religious service, or watching the sunrise over the ocean, the sunset over the desert,
climbing a mountain, or marching in protest, reading a book or walking the dog.