Religion is a powerful force that very often shapes human history. It can become a drive to heroic actions for good of other people or incite individuals and sometimes nations to committing the worst crimes one can ever imagine…
These days when we think of the latter, Islamic extremists come instantly to mind but Islam is not the only religious system in the name of which violence and war are practiced. I dare to say that every single religion on earth was at one point or another guilty of persecuting those who would oppose its doctrines.
It is usually done by religious establishment who holds exclusive rights to determine which teachings are acceptable and which are not, so called lay people are never allowed to question the doctrines nor the conduct of their leaders.
This is the very root of the problem in my opinion, when people are thought blind obedience to “authorities” then tragedy always looms around the corner.
On the other hand, the Bible, respected as spiritual book by not only Jews and Christians but people of other faiths as well, describes seeking wisdom as virtue without which no one can know God or attain salvation; the quest for truth is a main part of it.
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”(Jer. 29:13)
As you can clearly see in this verse, God Himself encourages humankind to “seek” and “search” for Him. It implies questioning, reasoning and looking for a proof.
If God regards this as an act of worship and basis for genuine faith, why then religious leaders see it as a first step to apostasy?
Fear of questioning is a characteristic of falsehood not truth because the truth has nothing to hide whereas false doctrines are means of control that is lost when truth is discovered.
I cannot help but think of how much bloodshed could be avoided, if people questioned what they believe. This is really the only way to take the controlling power away from those who use religious doctrines and other ideologies for that matter to cause untold harm to millions of people.
