Religion in our World

Here I am on this Sunday evening one day before the second most holy day in the Christian religion. I am watching a documentary about god and religion in our world. I am listening to religious leaders from the different religions in our world say that there is no evil in religion. I don't understand how these learned men can say such things; they are blaming violence on men not religion. But religions are man made institutions, with all of the fears, prejudices and insecurities that come with men. I have always been a firm believer in treat people the way you would like people to treat you. So if your neighbour believes in a different god then yours, you should stand up and fight with every fibber in your body for his right to worship that god. And only then will we start to be able to say that as people we are making strides towards being a tolerant world. As I watch this show I am reminded how beautiful our world is. This beauty stems from our differences. Religions are the root of our greatest triumphs and our greatest failures, as humans. Today as I sit here watching this show, I understand that the human animal needs to believe in something and that belief whether in god or in ones self, belief is the one thing that keeps us going. But we should not let our beliefs trample another's. As I sit here my friends Nath and Radu are having their first child, I hope that this young man will be able to grow in a world where his beliefs guide him down the right path for him and that his beliefs lead him to happiness. I can't say that I am a religious person, because that would be a lie. But I do think that what people call god is not a spirit watching over us, but the spirit in each of us. In my mind this spirit is the most beautiful thing we can offer one another in this world. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy life not just a new year and I wish us all peace within.