In us we trust

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Placing faith in an all-powerful being ignores our own power to make change

In ‘god’ we’ve trusted, and now look at the world – it’s fucked.

The more time politicians spend praying to, and blaming things upon, ’god’ the more public time and money is wasted. Every time our government, or any government, says a prayer we might as well be paying them to simply stroke their own genitalia on national television.

It is fine if our political representatives would like to believe whatever they prefer on their own personal time. However, because Saskatchewan and Canada’s populations are growing increasingly more diverse, we should certainly not allow our governmental bodies to be permeated and underpinned by the monolithic dogma of Christianity.

Whether or not these religious ceremonies are an untouchable part of our heritage, as some may claim, this sort of sentiment is most prevalent simply as an appeal to tradition, to the status quo, arising out of a fear of change, and a fear of the truth. Thinking of our heritage as something untouchable, as if it itself is utterly righteous and sacred, is foolish – especially if one considers the global history of religious oppression and other injustices perpetrated by not only Christianity, but also religious fanatics of every imaginable flavour. While our heritage is undoubtedly part of who we are today, and who we will become, it is imperative to consciously reflect on the real meaning and value of our heritage, and what real lessons can be learned therein for application toward the future. When we look back and reflect, it should not be simply to say “yep, that’s how we did it then and that’s how we’ll do it now”; rather, we should pay more attention to the evolving climate of modern belief and continually adapt ourselves to new knowledge and experience. It is inherently counterproductive to continually reiterate and reify habitual aspects of the past which we know are not in everyone’s interest.

To put our trust in an old, dying, or dead  ‘god’ is to immediately, in cowardice and with shame, surrender the immense power of the free human will. It is to search for excuses, and to eschew our own very real responsibility for the creative evolution of humanity. It is to forego the truly infinite power we have for evoking change and progressing towards betterment, and to instead place all faith in some imaginary being.


"To put our trust in an old, dying, or dead  ‘god’ is to immediately, in cowardice and with shame, surrender the immense power of the free human will."


Wherever we can, we should encourage the separation of personal religious beliefs from the political goings-on of our province, of our nation, and of our public educational institutions. Especially considering that all levels of governments are of course publicly-funded and mandated to represent the voice and interest of its constituency, which is today more increasingly pluralistic and diverse than ever before.

If anything, the presence of religion within the political stage only serves to make politics into more of a silly, expensive game-show than it already is. Canada should not garner its beliefs from some old archaic texts. Canada should be scientific and modern in her present understanding, and continue to adjust its ever-changing heritage into the future.

Dustin Christianson
Contributor

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