A few days ago I was watching “Brideshead Revisited.” Well, actually flipping channels and thought for a second it was the original. You know, the good one, with Jeremy Irons. (Sadly, it wasn’t.)
Anyway, the scene I caught summed up for me my problem with a fundamental structure of religion. Well, Christianist religions, at least.
If you don’t know the story or the characters, it’s OK. You’ll get the point anyway.
Sebastian’s father’s mistress, summing up her thoughts on her life as a Catholic, says, “We go with our hearts, and then we go to confession.”
And there you have it folks.
Time and time again we see it. The Republican Congressman or Governor, who speaks of “moral values,” and “family values,” opposes gay rights, and marriage equality, then gets caught literally with his pants down, in the arms of another woman (or man,) or with a prostitute of either gender.
(Yes, I know, you can say the same about Democrats, but on the list of sex scandals, there are far fewer Democratic sex scandals, and usually that politician hasn’t been fighting against gay rights.)
Or, just the average, everyday person who decides to “go for it,” because the thought process is, “I won’t get caught,” and “God will forgive me.”
I wasn’t raised that way. I was raised to know the difference between right and wrong, and to chose to do the right thing.
I was raised to know that for every action – good or bad, right or wrong, moral or evil – there is a consequence. And you won’t have to wait until (or if) you get to “Heaven” to pay the price.
I don’t make my decisions based on what “God says.” I make my decisions based on what I think, and on how I think my decisions will affect others.
I’m not perfect. Heaven knows I’m far from it. And, God forbid I ever do something so sinister, so evil, so hurtful to someone else, I won’t have an underlying thought that God will forgive me. I’ll have the knowledge that I have committed a terrible wrong and consequences will come, to me and to my loved ones, in this life.
I don’t begrudge anyone their religion. Personally, I was raised by non-practicing Jewish and Roman Catholic parents, and I confess there’s a part of me that always thought I was missing out on something. I’m sure religion offers many comfort, especially in an increasingly uncomfortable world.
But confession to a priest to gain “forgiveness?” Well, I see it as enabling a problem and assuring repeat offenses. If I commit a terrible act, and all I have to do is confess, in private, “anonymously,” what’s stopping me from doing it again?
Bottom line: God has nothing to do with my decision-making process. If there is a God, no doubt he has more important things to do than sit around waiting for me to consult Him, or to forgive me.
What do you think? Is religion an enabler? Is religious forgiveness doing too much harm to those it tries to help?