Religious Authority

So, here's my two cents. Religion has no real authority, except what you choose to believe. It's easy to believe in something when you've been taught since birth by your own community of loved ones. We believe in Santa Clause until it becomes obvious that those around us do not. Ancient peoples believed in magical spirits and that the Sun was a God's Chariot just as strongly as we believe in our religions today. But what it boils down to is that there is no evidence. God will not come down and appear before you and fix your life. Religion seeks authority over your own conscience based on the legitimacy of their Holy Books.

Various religions each have their own Holy Books, only one of which could be the true Word of God down to the letter. The best example would be the Bible, leading to the New Testament and the Koran. Adherents claim their authority comes from the Bible being the literal Word of God rather than the fallible writings of various ancient mortals. The Bible bears contradictions between Books, and condones behavior we now find barbaric. Bible heroes kill others just for being in the wrong Tribe, there is slavery, and people get stoned to death. There are rules and strictures of behavior that even most conservative Christians wouldn't follow in this day and age. However positive the overall message might be, it is glaringly obvious that the literal letter of the Bible is not the infallible word of God. One would think that the Almighty God would not dictate words that contradict one another or endorse behavior that He would know would prove immoral to His future flock.

As far as those who presume to represent God, they too have been proven fallible. The Catholic Church has made changes to past rulings; if their pronouncements were as infallible as they claim they would never have to be revised. And then of course there are the pedophiles that were able to operate in the shadow of those who are infallible. Another example, the Mormons had to refute their own founders' belief in polygamy to satisfy their government. What does that say about the infallibility of their Holy Book?

Organized religion has proven to be a positive force on society in harsh times. However, God is just as unproven to them as to the rest of us and they derive their authority from texts that are proven fallible. Thus, as far as I am concerned if someone tells me that they know with absolute conviction that Hell is the destination of those who eat pork, are homosexual, or don't accept Jesus as their Savior, then they should have more to back it up than an obviously contradictory book thrown together by various primitive scholars and translators. Historically this authority has been enforced not by persuasive argument but by force and violence, which is no basis for true belief. These Holy Books should never be used to refute what we have learned and observed through the scientific method or through our long struggle for enlightened ideals, whether it is racial and religious harmony, gender equality, or respect for what is different.

That being said, the spiritual side is a completely different story. While I can't see why anyone would allow someone else to browbeat them into conforming to a belief based solely on the authority of old writings, I can see why someone would keep faith in something they believe. If you have faith in your religion and it strengthens you, and holds your community together, then good for you. State your beliefs and morals as often as you want. Forcing atheism against someone else without proof is just as unjust as enforcing your beliefs on others based on obviously fallible writings. State what you believe is right; just don't push every letter of your belief on everyone else as if you wield some non-existent authority.

Arguments constantly fly back and forth between religious groups and those who refute their beliefs. But it seems rather simple to me. Everyone has a slightly different belief, and no mere mortal on this Earth can know with certainty if there is a God or what that being's true dictates are. The Holy Books are glaringly fallible and open to interpretation, so no one has more heavenly authority over another's belief. The only difference is that one person's utterly unproven belief might be backed up by a greater majority than someone else's utterly unproven belief. Since no one's religion can be proven, the only thing you can do is go with your conscience. Besides the extremists and fundamentalists, I like to think this is how most people feel.