Thursday, December 8, 2011

The truth about the truth.

Religious groups as a whole are usually centered around one cause: finding the ultimate Truth. Religion was created in primitive times to explain the inexplicable, and grew into a defining factor of culture and the rise of society as a whole. Most people cannot live with the knowledge that there are thousands of unsolved mysteries of the world we live in and what happens beyond it: mankind possesses a ravenous curiosity unparalleled in any other species known today. We cannot simply accept that we don't know. So, we revert to the next best alternative: inventing a new Truth.

There exists a plethora of theories concerning Creation. Where we came from, what started it all, and what existed beforehand. Throughout the ages, humans have questioned and questioned, pushing past the limits of modern philosophies and hypothesizing about the meaning of life. Why we're all here. How we're meant to act. And, the most daunting question of all: where do we go when we die? Faith has the answers.  The trick, it seems, is picking the "correct" one.

I've always been fascinated by religion. As a lover of psychology and sociology, it's intriguing to sit down and research peoples' beliefs. There are so many different ideas out there, the believers of whom accept them as truth. But for a young soul searching for its place in the theological spectrum, how does one know where to begin? It's pretty heavy stuff, and according to most faiths, if you don't believe in the right things, you'll probably rot in hell. 

In my not-so-humble opinion, there is no such thing as one absolute Truth. There are too many different faiths that all make some amount of sense for just one to be correct. If there's a God up there, he probably just wants us to be happy. As for the "life rules," I kind of just figure it out. Be a good person, know yourself, reach for the stars. Of course, there's the whole moral question of what it means to be a "good" person, but that, my friends, is a separate discussion entirely.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with religion. Nor is there anything wrong with atheism or agnosticism. If it gives your life structure and purpose, I think having a belief system is a fantastic thing.  The meaning of life is to give life a meaning, so if you're firm in your morals and ideologies, rock on. There's a lot to be said these days for someone who stands for anything at all.