This is my paradoxical view on Religion. Rationally, intellectually, I understand that religious beliefs are inherent to humans. After all, our brains have evolved to make images out of our senses and imagination, illusion, myths, dreams, questions, curiosity, are all a product of our ability to construct abstract concepts and to try to make sense of our surroundings. I’m an agnostic myself, but I don’t want a world without imagination, creativity, hope or faith. Nor I think such a world is possible, fortunately.
Yet, emotionally, deep in my own cosmological view of the world and of human beings, I just don’t understand how that faith can be placed in a particular god, a particular book, the interpretation of a particular church, the teachings of a particular prophet. And I understand even less the urge to believe and explain that one’s own view is more valid than others. My emotions are mine, we all have our own emotions, all of them are different, so I, we, must know those emotions are fallible, are just valid for us and, most probably, only valid for a short period of time.
I mean, let me rephrase my paradox: Intellectually, I understand Religion. Emotionally, I don’t.