Religion, to borrow the hippie cry about war — what is it good for?
Independent of religion, there may exist a spirit world, and an afterlife. Spiritualism is far and beyond the pop culture of Christianity, Islam, and several other religions.
The Romans, in their life Before Christ, believed in ‘the gods,’ that is, more than one — polytheism — and in spirits. They believed the spirits of their ancestors watched over them.
This was a working and relatively civilized mindset. They did not impose their religious beliefs on the people they conquered in battle.
Then along came this guy claiming to be the ‘Son of God’ and upset the apple cart.
Who was this man, Jesus Christ? Was he a madman, a drifter and a grifter who pulled off the greatest hoax in human history? Or was he, in fact, the son of God? If he really was the son of a good and merciful God that deserves to be praised and obeyed, then somewhere along the way, something went hellishly wrong.
The religion that Christ spawned battles other religions — Islam being the most dominant — for recognition and prominence. Christians and Muslims fight each other with self-righteous fervor and a violence that degrade a sacred belief that could be the ultimate truth. They turn religion into a brawl more befitting the lowlife that populate political parties.
The spirit world will prevail.
Religion has become an ugly business, while the spirits — and yes, one hopes, the spirits of our ancestors — dwell in a sane and genteel space somewhere far beyond religion.