Religious Passion and Compassion

The world today is witnessing more large-scale violence and atrocities. Whether the occurences have actually increased, we cannot really tell. What has increased is the awareness of such events. The ubiquity of the media and internet has made the world smaller. Wars and massacres are reported almost instantaneously from the battlefields and killing fields. Watching and reading about these conflicts, I cannot help but ponder: Why?

The causes of these horrors are multifarious. Humans can be driven by almost any idea or emotion. But of all the motivations behind which hate and hurt are committed, the most saddening are those that are religious.

Most people, of all faiths and following, are not sages nor gurus in the knowledge of their own religion. As such, many experience the guilt induced by someone who is seen to be more 'religious'. 'I didn't see you in church yesterday' and 'Did you pray at another mosque last Friday?' have probably caused many blushes, within and without. We are humans. We always fall short of the demands of our faiths. Hence the guilt. And the occasional urge to be more 'pious'.

What I'm getting at is this: It is very easy to use religion to stir up feelings. We all want to do right by God. We will do anything under the banner of God. But who waves the banners? They are human beings like us.

It can be said with certainty that the root cause of religious clashes is anything but of faiths. Which religion exhorts its followers to go forth and annihilate? Human frailties are the origins of all misery. Greed, envy, fear, pride and such are surely the motivations driving warmongers misguided enough to abuse the attachment and reverence with which religions are held. When it comes to religion, we can become very passionate. Murderously so, at times.

But where is the compassion? Are we less spiritual or religious were we more compassionate? Are we apostates for forgiving somebody who, say, denigrates our faith? Would we please God if we kick the crap out of the insulting unbeliever?

God is the most compassionate, the most forgiving.

Why then, are we hating, hurting and killing fellow human beings in His name?

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