Do you really believe in religious argument?

Religion is a hot topic in letters to the editor these days. Questions have been raised. Would Jesus be a Democrat or a Republican? Is the solution to suffering found in religion or abolishing religion? These are great questions.

However, I find a lack of honest appraisal and a plethora of personal emotion being displayed in these letters. I find that we are quick to voice our opinions from behind the facade of our socially constructed realities (for example, religion). We all cling to some form of belief. We love to ascribe special names to our systems of belief.

We even orient them around that very powerful name, Jesus. Yes, the man that many will not deny, but few truly know.

It is safe to argue from an objective point of view. I am an atheist. I am a Christian. I am a liberal.

However, the conclusions of these arguments are often quite silly. For example, one letter claimed that religion is a main cause of suffering in the world. Before we get too caught up in these issues, let us ask ourselves a question, “Do I really believe what I am saying?” The answer may be troubling.

Joseph Brinkmann

Cedar Rapids