No matter what the religion – there is only one way to coexist.
There should be no ‘Vs’ on this issue…if we are a modern, rational society.
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“There is a difference between allowing people to hold their beliefs and allowing those beliefs to shape public policy; and there is a difference between holding beliefs and mocking those who believe differently.”
- Emma Green (Via)
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Faith and spirituality are personal.
Both still have mysteries. But the moment religion is brought into social or scientific debate, it is subject to the rational and critical laws of debate. It opens itself to scientific examination. That is why they must be kept separate.
Religion must never be allowed to affect science or society as a whole.
For humanity to prosper, we must denounce any imposition of religious or personal belief systems onto another human being’s rights. This is most especially important in the rule of law and science.
We must all tolerate everyone’s personal beliefs, so long as they remain personal, free to practice in groups, but do not infringe on, or overtly harm, another person’s rights, nor should they ever interfere with the advancement of scientific discovery – even if another’s beliefs, culture or lifestyle runs completely counter to our own.
We have no other choice, not if we are to live in a civilized world.
Why?
So far, no one on this planet has a proven answer to the most important, fundamental questions that we all face as human beings:
Why are we here?
What initially created all of matter and life?
How? And, was matter and life ever even created?
Some of us, based on faith (or lack of faith), may be completely convinced that we know the truth. Others withhold judgment and continue to search for the answer.
Personally, spiritually, we may find that answer.
Socially, scientifically, we may never find that answer.
So all we are left with is our personal faith – based on what we collectively cannot prove – and with our higher collective sense of morality, and the logic that governs the world that we do know.
Faith is our own. But only logic and morality can be agreed upon by a collective, and so must determine how we will exist together in peace.
We must have a civilized society run on a set of high moral principles. These may be promoted by some religions, but societal laws should be self-evident: an individual’s right to liberty and happiness, to not cause harm to others, to promote civility.
For any standing argument that will affect science or society as a whole – the beliefs we base our decisions on must come from evidence.
Otherwise, we must suspend judgment.
Because to base our world’s laws on any belief – on any belief that is not backed by evidence but is only based on faith – is to deny the logic and reality that this world is (so far) known to operate on.
This doesn’t deny the existence of a higher power, or the personal right to believe in a higher power, or assert that there is no possible metaphysical reality that plays by a different set of rules of matter and physics.
There very well may be. But that has yet to be discovered and proven. There has been no evidence that has taken humanity past the hypothetical, but it is a possibility. Even the most agnostic scientists, resigned to their own personal points of view, must be open to this possibility – if they are truly scientists.
But for now, we live every day – together – in a world that we know, that is governed by this reality’s laws of matter and physics, as proven by evidence.
Humans now understand the basis of matter, the sequencing of ‘life’, have reached into space and are exploring the very questions of how we define life.
The same logic and scientific laws that first allowed us to create fire have allowed us to bend much of this planet to our whim and they have brought us closer to the edges of the universe. This knowledge has been built upon the key, simple principles of science and logic. And we continue to gain exponentially more knowledge every day. Who knows where this can take humanity tomorrow?
Perhaps we will we end up destroying ourselves. Science could play a role, but only if ethics and scientific prudence are not followed. But, as is in evidence today and throughout all of history, destruction of human life would most likely result from our failure to account for science, from ignoring higher moral principles that allow us to fall prey to the inhumanity that we’re all capable of. Perhaps we’ll kill our own brothers and sisters over primitive ideologies. I hope not.
Using scientific logic, we also may one day find proof of a God. Or of Gods. Or discover that we are God. Or cause the universe to exist, by merely observing it. Or that we can develop technologies that allow us to become our own gods. Or we’ll realize that we are merely a simulation. Or we’ll discover that we are something else that we yet cannot fathom.
Or not.
For now, rationality and logic are the only effective tools that we have to move forward, and so we must use those until we have another that is proven to work.
Applying the laws of any other world (that we have no proof exists) to this world is your personal right. That must be respected and protected. But to apply your own beliefs to science and society…is simply delusional.
There is no grey area here.
To govern what we know as reality by rules based on subjective beliefs, with no evidence to support your belief – is the definition of outright insanity.
Humans – according to many major religions – are given freedom of thought to make choices. There are personal choices that affect our inner mind (or our ‘soul’) and our own lives that do not affect others.
Then, there are outward choices that will affect the society we live in, and the other human beings in it.
Your religion is your own choice.
Again, there is no grey area.
We either live in a sane world, together – or we live in an insane world, together.
Our world will either be based on the foundation of religion, superstitions and speculation. Or our world will be based on a set of collectively agreed-upon, rational, high moral principles – and upon the continued learnings of science.
If we are to be a society based on co-existence and equality – that is our only choice.
