Thoughts on Religion

Religion is historically the cause of most of the pain and suffering in this world.
I realize that I will get in trouble for this portion of my ongoing blog but every once in a while it just gets to me. Actually as I get older it is getting to me more and more.
That is not to say that religion is a bad thing just not the religion that humans have used to get themselves and their followers ahead of everyone else.
Religion can be a good thing unless it is taken too far. Unfortunately 'too far' is where we end up taking our religions.
I will not pick on one religion and if it seems that I am doing so I apologize but all of them are to blame for allowing the bloodshed and turmoil throughout history. And what is worse I do not see it ending any time soon.
One of the earliest thoughts I had on this subject came in Junior High School as they used to call today's more politically correct Middle School. My history teacher explained the Papal Wars. Does anyone else find the phrase both oxymoronic and offensive? In order to get converts to the church the Pope sent out his warriors to kill heathens, those who would not convert! And where in our hearts should we place the Spanish inquisition?
Has anything changed? Not really.
Okay the above two examples are no longer in effect and the church is not in the business of outright war anymore. But other religions are or rather the more extreme followers of their religions are. These so-called Jihadists who believe that followers of religions other than their own are to be put to death, even if it means killing themselves to complete that task.
Funny how the leaders of those groups never kill themselves to fulfill their objective. They incite and threaten but in the end they cowardly seek out and brainwash the weak-minded and poor by filling their heads with visions of eternal bliss then glorify the horrendous deeds of these misguided fools with praise and gifts to the families they left behind.
All this in the name of God.
People like these, and I use the term in the loosest possible way give the rest of us reason to believe that there may not even be a God for surely if there were would he or she allow this senseless stupidity to continue? Not any God I would like to believe in!
When I was young I was told that we were all created in God's image and that God loves us as a father or mother loves their children.
So we are all created in Gods image and we are all loved?
Does that mean both men and women?
Does that mean both rich and poor?
Does that mean Arab and Jew?
How about gay and straight?
Black and white? (And any other color.)
And of course does that mean Muslim; Christian; Jew; Hindu and on and on and on and on and ...?
They say that this time of year we are supposed to reflect on our lives and resolve to make them better for the coming year.
Why only now?
Most New Year's resolutions last only a week or two. Does that mean that by the end of next December we will look back on another wasted year filled with hate and murder in God's name?
This is not a good plan.
Somehow we must stop it.
We must do it now.
And we must do so In God's Name.