Religion: a new conversation

By Salman Haqqi --

British author Salman Rushdie believes the freedom of expression does not exist without the freedom to offend.

In many cases, when you talk about religion, people are going to get offended.

In America, it is an especially touchy subject. Feelings get hurt, tempers flare, and more often than not, it makes for messy situations.

But I'm going to do it anyway.

Ever since I was 16, I've floated between agnosticism and atheism, but now I'm simply a rationalist.

I think we need a more rational world view, where evidence and reason are the guiding lights for our moral and spiritual progress.

Religion was our first epistemological endeavor, which makes it our first attempt at physics, chemistry, biology and cosmology. And because it was the first, it is the worst.

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone, he revolutionized communication forever. But in the 134 years since then, the telephone has evolved from analog to the iPhone.

Science has given us a look at our universe that is unparalleled in human history. We need the religions' equivalent of the iPhone. Instead of hanging on to the tired centuries-old dogmas, it is time we harness our inbred sense of empathy and human solidarity.

In my experience, people turn to religion in times of struggle and to cope with the loss and suffering that is part of our everyday lives.

We need to embrace the fact that our time on this earth is limited and cherish the moments we do have with each other.

Little in the holy books on our bedside tables will ever provide anything more than an emotional balm.

The scriptures many hold so dearly are beautiful pieces of literature and are precisely the terrain on which moral discussions can and should take place. But that's where their usefulness ends.

It is our innate concepts of right and wrong that religions take their morality from, not the other way around.

When we have reasons for what we believe, we have no need for faith. Faith is a conversation stopper, for once faith is invoked, there is no usefulness in belaboring the debate.

When we have no reasons for what we believe, we have lost our connection to the world and to one another.

People who harbor strong convictions without evidence belong at the margins of society and not in the halls of power.

The only thing we should respect in a person's faith is the desire for a better life in this world.

One of the many criticisms leveled against atheists like myself is we are soulless, nihilistic people who have no way of appreciating the numinous or transcendent nature of the universe.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Science has given us a look at our universe that is unparalleled in human history.

Take any image from the Hubble Space Telescope. Whether it is the rings of Saturn or the Eagle Nebula, scientific exploration has given us a look into our cosmos that is as humbling as it is awe-inspiring.

More than anything, religion should be an ongoing conversation in which people come together, where similarities rather than differences are our ideals.

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