Ask Pastor Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.
Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.
Dear Pastor Paul,
Why should anyone be religious when so many of the wars and prejudice have been based on religion?
Dear Friend,
Of course I am biased, but I believe that religion is a good thing. Religion can be used to create and fuel prejudice and division. but then, so can race and nationality. Like race and nationality, our religion is one of the things that make us who we are. Wars and prejudice are started because of fear, greed and ignorance. They can be fought over resources and land, and inspired by the will to dominate another. Those are the real problems, not religion itself.
You don't need to shed your religion to stand up against war and prejudice. In fact, religion can help you to stand up against war and prejudice as many religious people have found that it is their faith that leads them to non-violent efforts to change the world to end war, oppression and prejudice - take Martin Luther King, Jr and Mahatma Gandhi for examples.
Part of the problem can lie in scripture that was written at a certain time and place and can contain passages that point to other religions in a negative way. We have to recognize that all religion's have essential message of compassion and redemption which must trump any hostility that may have been recorded in ancient texts.
My suggestion is for all of us try to meet someone who practices a faith different from our own, including those who have no faith, and get to know them as people and friends and to learn about their beliefs. When we know someone of another faith personally, we are less likely view any one religion as "bad" or the "enemy."
The 21st century requires that all people -- no matter what they believe -- learn to share resources and show generosity towards one another, we are all in this together.
Every religion has some version of the golden rule of treating others as you would like to be treated and I suggest we use that as our common ground to start the conversation.
See slideshow of Golden Rule below
Dear Pastor Paul
I am a sports fanatic and watch ESPN all the time. These days I see a lot of teams praying before a game and it makes me uncomfortable. I mean, does a team win because God wants them to? And if both teams pray, does God hear one team's prayers more than the other's?
Dear Friend,
Prayer does not make me uncomfortable and I do believe that one part of prayer can be petitioning God to answer our individual concerns.
However, it would be wrong if a team prayed to God as a trump card to win a match. Prayer should witness to the world that even though these athletes are at the top of their game, they still know that the ultimate power is in God's hands.
I'm pretty sure God does not care which team wins, as long as both teams exhibit good sportsmanship and play to the best of their God given abilities.
Of course, if athletes are praying to show the world how pious they are, then that is explicitly frowned upon in my Christian tradition. Jesus directly tells people not to showoff their prayer in public but rather to go into a private place and pray there, and then God will reward them.
Whether Tebow passes this test is between him and God.
Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.
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These answers have been adapted from Teen Spirit: One World, Many Paths by Paul B. Raushenbush
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2. Large subsets of religious people still take these scriptures literally
3. All things being equal, religion causes more war than would otherwise be caused
Nope. But it is people under their OWN beliefs that bring forth wars. There have been wars over religious reasons. There have been wars over land and riches. There have been wars for state-based governments vs. federal based government rule. There have been wars over mistreatment and other slights. There have been wars fought over ousting unfavorable rulers. In short, it is just not religion or for religious reasons that wars have been fought.
Does God Like One Sports Team More?
Yes. Who ever won the game.
So does the Declaration of Human Rights, which has been a cornerstone for the EU and foreign policy, (towards Iran, Belarus, etc...), which in a few Western EU countries promotes various policies of secularization to promote integration and multiculturalism.
Pro-active towards human rights, and it is a secular institution.
Regardless of religion, I find that 'nationalism' plays a bigger role in war and conflict - albeit that sometimes one's "identity" may include religion... it is not the religion that plays the bigger role, it's the collective identity of a culturally homogenous group. Nationalism.
Allows a group of people to come together for whatever reason, religion is a big one, but then homogenous solidarity can also be achieved ethnically, culturally, etc. Jews and Muslims were expelled from Spain, and it wasn't just because of religion. In fact, Jews and Muslims who had actually 'converted' to Christianity were also expelled because of their ethnicity.
"Woe to those who come to Jerusalem who say they come in the name of God, and remain to kill those they find there."
Kind of a mystery to me. I don't live anywhere near the place. Why Me? Don't know.
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls.♫
♫But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.♫-Dylan
This is pretty much what you have described.
As long as people insist upon giving the Bible, or Qu'ran, or any religious text, some sort of moral authority, then the "True Christians (Muslins, Jews, whoever)" will always be those who can find textual support for their arguments.
This includes people like Khalid Sheik Mohammad, Ayaman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin-Laden, Fred Phelps... And I could go on.
Each of these people's "Interpretation" of their religion is no less "genuine" that yours, Ted Haggard's, or anyone else who insists upon using a religious text as their authority.
The implications of this are far reaching, going as far as to implicate any who would attempt to use the name "Christian" without having Biblical support...
I have a son who was a medic in the National Guard who is now blind from that 'righteous war' which he discovered was bogus from the get-go. Once my dear friend's youngest son was also grievously hurt in that mess she pulled back a bit in her support. Not much, though.
God's so busy with starving children, poverty and selfishness that I truly doubt he cares whether or not some guy pulling in millions of dollars wins his football game so he can stay employed.