General Discussion

The abuse of religion, the abuse of power, the abuse of wealth. A hydra head but really one thing. And THAT is the root of all evil.

Power can be positive, bringing light, life, creation, healing, reconciliation, deep satisfaction and joy. Or in the hands of someone or groups using it for selfish purposes, it becomes toxic, destructive, sucking light and joy out of life.

Religious faith fueled Martin Luther King's work for justice and gave him the strength to persist even in the face of physical attacks and death threats. His power was not in service of himself but to fight injustice with his people to lift them all up. Not just them but all humanity, to break the bonds of oppression on both the victims of oppression but those who were passive participants in the oppression by virtue of the color of our skin in a system that supported white supremacy.

Religious faith enabled Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to stand up to persecution in South Africa and ultimately oversee the peaceful end of apartheid. That there was no bloodbath is an absolute miracle, and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Project is a model of how to bring an end to a cycle of violence that doesn't trigger further cycles of violence. Their power was likewise used on behalf of good, not evil.

Religious faith led ordinary people to do things like build hospitals, homes for orphans and outcasts, and tend them with loving care.

Open your eyes to see that it is not religion per se, but the abuse of it. The abuse of any form of power renders it toxic, destructive, evil.

It's tiresome for those of us who despise the abuse of religion and the perversion of power over people of faith for personal gain, but who also find that our faith brings us joy, fulfillment, enables us to do things that benefit our communities that we would have never been able to do without our faith. Respect us too. Do not lump us in with those you condemn. We are not the same.