Religion a Crutch?
October 05, 2006
That bastion of brash young people, City! newspaper, took another swipe at the Lord. Once again, Sheepandgoats fired back a reply so fast they thought they were Charlie Brown on the pitcher’s mound.
Dear City!
Another instance of the religion is a crutch for weak people analogy! Dayna Papaleo includes it in her whimsical commentary on organized religion, (Put Your Faith in the Internet - Aug 16) but we hear it all the time.
It’s a poor analogy. Are we really such staunch creatures, impervious to hardship and disappointment? How does that view square with incontinence? Or cancer? Or Alzheimer’s?
In his day, Ronald Reagan was arguably the world’s most influential person. Ten years later he didn’t know who he was. One would think that such realities would instill humility into people.
The premise that better fits the analogy is not that of an upright pillar of strength and virtue airily dismissing a crutch. Rather, it is that of a person groveling through the dirt on his belly, too proud or stupid to acknowledge that a crutch would be useful. (or, more typically, unaware that such a crutch exists)
In the Bible are found answers to age-old questions such as: why do we grow old and die? and why does God permit suffering? True, you must thread your way carefully and avoid the ever-present religious hucksters, but such intellectually satisfying answers can be found.
Sure, it’s possible to travel through life without a clue to these answers, but why would anyone choose to do it? They add meaning to life, even more so than the political, social or educational solutions typically embraced by society.
Sincerely,
Tom Sheepandgoats
Word has it that Ms. Papaleo, who doubles as movie critic for City!, felt that Sheepandgoats took her ariticle too seriously.
Well….she’s right, of course. But that’s how religious people are. Always battling for the Lord, and all. She oughta know that. Besides, Sheepandgoats did acknowledge that her article was whimsical.
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