WHY RELIGION GIVES MEN A REASON TO FIGHT (PART ONE) THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE By: Alain Jove Aranas

Rosales People have seen injustice, world conflict and the likes in the backdrop of history, and we can see that it was really an unfortunate time to live in. Ironic of all is that wars were fought because of some superiority complex that stems from religion, where few religions claim that 'their god' is the true and the only one to be worshipped. The biblical panorama of the Exodus period and the Maccabees era alone, painted a blood-red landscape where killing is justified as long it's for their 'god'. During the Dark Ages, Christianity seeks to claim the title as liberator of the Promised Land as it launched its Crusades to reclaim 'the land where Jesus once walked' and with the infamous line to 'slay the infidels'. Muslims or Heretics alike, they're the same in the eyes of the crusaders. The Muslim Turks and their brethren Saracens, too, had similar aims of getting rid of the Muslim world of those very same individuals (the Christians) who labeled them infidelsthose who have 'polluted' the Islamic domain. Relatively, they had the right to do so and they asserted it in the name of religion, or specifically for Allah's sake. On the other hand, the conquest of Canaan was a major blow to the inhabitants of the area. For the Jews, it was justifiable since their god commanded it, as was stated in the Bible. But in the Canaanite's eyes those Jewish nomads were insane for usurping and stealing their lands away just because the war god of the Jews said so. Isn't it unfair? Isn't it a lame excuse for those invaders to take away what was rightfully owned already? Its funny because in todays society, one cannot just claim any real estate based on a dream or vision you had -youd surely end up in a mental institution if you do so! Even though it was written in Exodus 3:8 KJV, referred to as the land of milk and honey to which God had appropriated for them, hasnt anyone stop and questioned is this really what God had planned or is it just the Jews claim and attempt to fashion a history for themselves, which excluded everyone from being saved? Remember that these habirus, apirus, etc were trading nomads and literally owned no land; with all due respect to Judaism. If you are an advocate of creationism, you cannot help but ask further what kind of god who created humanity would exclude everyone from salvation except his so-called chosen ones? He might as well just have created the Jews and never mind the rest.

One should note that before the Old Testament became the form that has come down to us, were oral traditions passed from one generation to another, taken from PREVIOUS stories such as those of Babylonian creation and flood mythologies, ritual practices like goddess worship of pagans who have interacted with the Jews, Egyptian stories of kings and demi-gods saved from water, resurrection beliefs connected to vegetation and so many more to mention. Also, one should consider the background of the so-called patriarchs, which is under scrutiny in Michael Kalopoulos book Biblical Religions: The Great Lie. These and other things should be taken into consideration before even believing what is mainstream belief of biblical history. Remember the two kinds of understanding? The kind where you believe because youve understood; and the other which is understanding (or you thought youve understood) because of your belief in that something. You choose! Of course, a great majority believe that Jesus was sent to correct the Old Testament mindset and overturned it just like how he overturned the money changers in the temple. He died to INCLUDE everyone, which was indirectly a big slap to those who think that they alone are saved because of their lineage. So that debunks the chosen ones idea of salvation. Yet, people still fight for their promised land as it is seen in Palestine where battles are still waged for loose ends that need to be taken care of. In Arab countries, one would die in the name of some religious ideology. In the Philippine setting, some areas assert autonomy for cultural reasons and partly of religious ones. The rift of religious difference still couldn't be bridged because of some people's need to settle their score; which reminds me of Voltaires words that those who can induce you to believe in absurdities can induce you to commit atrocities. To a certain degree this is correct because religious commitment and devotion can result to fanaticism if misguided. In the past and even now, people adhere to the idea of being the chosen ones and in a way maintain a barrier to keep others at bay, in terms of religion. The 'us' against 'them' ideology and the misinterpretation of the Revelation texts are partly to be blamed for this! Religiously, people believe in an end of the world where the only 'true religion' or the 'chosen ones' and its followers survive (this concept originated from Mithraism-a precursor of Christianity and even Judaism); in relation to the angels breaking the seals and the tribes of Israel surrounding Gods altar. But in the light of present knowledge, this is not the real meaning. According to the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Deception and Elaine Pagels, the Revelation texts were written as an anti-Roman campaign, envisioning a future free from the yoke of the 'Kittim' (the Jewish term for the Romans). The world will be purged by fire, earthquakes and other horrible natural catastrophes is the Jew's way of saying the land will finally be rid of the 'enemy', the 'unclean ones', the 'sons of Darkness', the 'offsprings of Seth' after an uprising/ rebellion against their authority. And when the Kittims are finally evicted only then will the light of the Divine Shekinah (the female aspect of Yahweh) will finally return to shine on Israel; and the Utopian-like city of god will then prevail. That is the real meaning behind the symbolism of John the Evangelist's words, and not some literal interpretation of a woman giving birth and multi-headed dragons

appearing from beneath the abyss! In connection with the end of the world topic, it is interesting to note that the Mayan calendar predicts a year 2012 destruction on a global scale (according to Graham Hancock), in relation to the Nibiru crossing of Zecharia Sitchin. However, these things MAY or MAY NOT HAPPEN but if it will, it will be the result of precession (the earth's wobble from its axis), ice caps melting, pole shift, planetary alignments and cosmic cycles; and not some literal 'wrath of the gods' and rapture nonsense (wherein the body literally vaporizes) that most religious fanatics whine about! Unity should be the underlying principle of religions instead of the us against them mindset, because even in scripture evidence points that the Enuma Elish of the Sumerians is the source for Old Testament texts of creation and the deluge, the cherished Ten Commandments have some flavor matching the Code of Hammurabi. Egyptian rituals and practices can be observed to be similar from Essene teachings and later on with Freemasonry. The words in the Quran of brotherly love, also mirrors the phrases of the Synoptic Gospels as well as from other cultures which is also confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi library. To simplify, religions are just the same. WE CLIMB THE SAME MOUNTAIN BUT FOLLOW DIFFERENT PATHS TO REACH THE APEX. THERE IS NO SINGLE OR ONE TRUE RELIGION. There is no point in claiming superiority over the other, or more particularly to impose that 'our' god is more powerful than their 'god. .Jesus' message of being the way, the truth and the life was easily misinterpreted and was cunningly used as basis for the one true religion argument. HOWEVER, Jesus DID NOT SAY: I am the ONLY way, the ONLY truth, and the ONLY life! He was merely saying follow me because I show you the path to holiness (for some he was the son of god, for others he was a mighty prophet). Jesus was aware of other paths to holiness and acknowledges it, and emphasized that Gentile or Jew were all the same in Gods eyes. So basically, it's really about respecting other's methods of reaching the ultimate spiritual aim, and in that way, wars will never be fought again in the name of religion.