To achieve religions that are 100% free of evil, it is necessary to reform them in order to eliminate the part of their doctrine that encourages harming innocent people.
Read LIVE WITHOUT HARMING: LET US LOOK at the harmful part of religions
Read HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT HARMING? LET US REFORM the harmful part of religions
For the above to become reality, and in as short a time as possible, it is advisable to apply pressure with a prod. For example, I have decided not to set foot in any religious celebration in any temple until such reforms have been carried out, except in those whose parish priests, pastors, imams, rabbis, etc. advocate them there—at least most of these improvements. And I encourage you to do the same, because if we all do it, the above progress would soon be achieved.
Some may think this idea is radical, but lukewarmness is not how deep-rooted injustices that have been entrenched for millennia are usually changed. Firmness and decisiveness are. Because if a door is badly jammed, turning the handle is not enough; you must push hard enough.
And this would be a way for ordinary believers to support reformist clergy against those who insist on maintaining the unjust millennia-old order at all costs.
Read LET US AVOID HARM!: Give meaning to our lives by doing something for a better world
As an agnostic ex-Christian, I know that:
1. Many people need religion or spirituality.
2. Part of religions is kind and has contributed greatly to society.
3. However, that is not enough, and in order to achieve a just and happy society, it is very important to have a Christianity that is entirely benevolent, modern, and free of cruelty. And the same applies to other religions, all of which can be excellent tools that do much good, especially when they speak of not doing evil and of doing good.
And I send this message fully aware that some will applaud it, but others will reject it. Because whenever someone proposes reforming abuses, there are those who support it, but also the “guardians of tradition” who oppose it—some even to the bitter end. For example, in the case of Christianity:
1. When Jesus Christ sought to reform Judaism to make it more benign, quite a few reactionaries did not stop until they put him to death—death on a cross.
2. When Luther sought to reform Catholicism by eliminating papal bulls, nepotism, and other abuses, and millions followed him in that effort, the Counter-Reformation forces did not stop fighting the Protestants until they had exterminated more than 20% of the European population—reaching 60% in some regions of Germany. And they left most of the remaining Central Europeans deprived of parents and other loved ones, victims of systematic torture of civilians to steal their wealth and hidden food with which to finance the wars of religion, traumatized, in misery, and amid devastation.
3. When the Enlightenment thinkers, the insurgents of the French Revolution, Napoleon, and the rebels of the liberal revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were finally able to put an end to the Inquisition, torture, and other elements of the oppressive and repressive Christianity of the Ancien Régime, quite a few counterrevolutionaries did everything possible to reintroduce all of the above. And they achieved fleeting victories and forced many revolutionaries to flee their persecution, but fortunately, in the end, good triumphed (or at least what was good for the innocent victims of the previous atrocities).
4. Every time some have fought to abolish an injustice, such as the prohibition of divorce or the decriminalization of homosexuality, these social improvements have always been opposed by quite a few Christian traditionalists.
This group is made up, on the one hand, of fundamentalists (supporters of applying the Bible exactly as it is written—for example, killing homosexuals) and, on the other hand, of conservatives to varying degrees (supporters of maintaining abuses found in Scripture but in a less extreme way. For example, instead of killing gay people, they simply propose imprisoning them and/or causing them other types of physical, verbal, and psychological harm, as well as subjecting them to marginalization and discriminatory laws. In other words, they spare their lives—how kind of them!)
The stronger the current of the river of resistance to change, the more intensely we who want harmless, kind, and freedom-respecting religions will have to row in the opposite direction. Let us be optimistic that we can achieve it and that, in the end, good will prevail, as has happened repeatedly in numerous cultural battles over the last three centuries.
Read LET US AVOID HARM!: Let us be optimistic that we can achieve a much better world
Read THE ART OF LIVING WITHOUT HARMING: Let us reform society
Read THE REVOLUTION OF LIVING WITHOUT HARMING: Let us continue the civilizing process
Thank you for sharing to help achieve a happier society,
Xavier Paya
Living Without Harm initiative
LET’S NOT HARM ANYONE, except in legitimate self-defense against an aggressor.
With the Living Without Harm initiative, we strive to prevent any kind of suffering or harm from being caused to you, your loved ones, and others.
1 Mission: A happier world
3 Goals:
1. Share scientific knowledge about wellbeing.
2. Encourage people not to cause harm.
3. Promote scientific research on quality of life.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE TIPS TO BE HAPPIER?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP US LEAVE A BETTER WORLD THAN THE ONE YOU FOUND?
All rights reserved © WELL-BEING INSTITUTE - Developed by Misiva
Subscribe to our free newsletter and receive practical, science-based tips to improve your quality of life:
– Advice from health and wellness experts
– Simple strategies to reduce stress and other types of discomfort
– Techniques to increase your happiness day by day
GIFT:
Upon subscribing, you will receive our Free Guide “How to be Happier.”
