January 30

Religion is a very touchy subject to talk about. For some, it is a belief system that governs their way of life. Others simply don’t want to believe in one. There are so many kinds of religions in the world today, and many people don’t agree with each other about the details of a religion, even if they believe in the same one. According to William Cavanaugh, “religion is irrational, religion is absolutist, and religion is divisive.” He says this about the nature of religion. I for one, don’t believe in any of the three phrases. Religion isn’t irrational because it required lots of philosophical thinking to back up its ideas. In terms of Catholicism, everything God did had thought put into it before it was placed into action. Religion might allow for some irrational thoughts depending on what you choose to believe in and how strict your interpretation are about sacred texts. Religion is not absolutist because in the end, everyone is judged in the same manner. Religion is not placed above all, the government still is a key source of power and religion does not affect any major decisions in government. Religion seems like it absolutist because there are people going around saying that their religion is supreme, when in fact all religions are equally powerful in terms of their belief system. They all have backgrounds that help build up their ideologies. Lastly, religion isn’t divisive. The morals of religion tell others to respect one another and help people when they need help. Religion seems divisive because different groups are formed out of the same religion, but when it comes down to the bare basics, almost every religion wants the same thing. Every religion says to be good so that when your die, things will in turn be good for you. They might not believe in the same definition of acts of goodness, but they believe that when your time is done on Earth, your actions will be the reason for the placement in the afterlife.