So many gods, so little reason

By Ethon Lowe, Guest Columnist

Two articles caught my eye in The Sunday Gleaner of August 5, 2012: 'Killer couple' and 'Divinely driven'. The first is about a Pakistani Muslim couple who suffocated their teenage daughter because she adopted Western culture and brought dishonour on the family.

The other article, 'Divinely driven', describes a Jamaican circuit driver who decorates his car with religious messages to spread the word of Jesus Christ after the untimely death of his daughter.

These are tragic and heart-rending stories. However, in the first article, I suspect that despite such a horrific crime, the parents are probably honest, hard-working, family-oriented, and certainly not psychotic, but blindly obedient to their religious beliefs. As for the racing driver, he is consoled and, perhaps, finds meaning in his life by turning to religion.

My 23-year-old daughter is a beautiful, lively, fun-loving, Westernised lady who I love dearly. But if I were a Muslim fundamentalist, I doubt she would live to see her 24th birthday. I would not hesitate to slit her throat. My deed would be celebrated among my family and friends, and I may even be regarded as a hero for upholding my family's honour.

GOD'S GOODNESS PARTIAL?

If I were a Jew, my foreskin would probably have been sliced off at a young age in submission to God, without my permission. I am actually a Christian, culturally I mean. I was christened before I even learnt to say 'mama' and 'dada'. My parents are not to blame for this assault on my freedom; they were simply observing the religious custom of the day.

Subsequently, I joined a choir and was prepared to be an altar boy in the Anglican Church.

I wonder if God ever gets tired of being thanked. Successful Grade Six Achievement Test students and our own gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, gush repeatedly the mantra: "I would like to thank God." Tough luck on VCB and the other competitors. FP is presumably blessed.

Maybe the others didn't pray, or didn't pray hard enough. Or, God has played favouritism, or has other things to do. Naturally, victorious Muslim athletes will be singing their praises to Allah, and the Hindu athletes to Ganesh, the elephant god.

So, who is the true God? So many gods, so little reason.

As the erudite evolutionary biologist and atheist, Richard Dawkins, is fond of saying, "We are atheist to all the gods who have gone before - Zeus, Thor, etc. - some of us only go one god more."

COMFORT IN tragedy

I have to admit there are plenty of good religious people who find meaning in their faith and were benefited greatly. I cannot forget the mother of a 25-year-old child, her only child, who died of leptospirosis. In spite of this extreme, unspeakable tragedy, she remained calm and composed.

I often wonder why a loving and omnipotent God would allow the death of a parent's only child in the presence of parents with 10 children, or, conversely, save one person in a plane crash, while allowing the other 300 persons to perish. Why not save the whole lot?

I am also reminded of the woman with metastatic breast cancer who remains optimistic and stoic because of her faith.

Of course, when crisis hits, people drift towards religion and spirituality, hoping to find comfort and a source of optimism. But a religion's power to console doesn't make it true - that there is a god and he is the consoling power. But I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as it consoles. Similar to the placebo effect - a sugar pill providing relief for a painful medical condition.

Religion, per se, neither makes people better nor worse, despite the cliché: "more loving, more peaceful". Religion does, however, tend to make people do what their religion tells them to do - whether helping (spending pleasurable time worshipping with their church brethren) or hurting (a young man blowing up a busload of innocent people so that he will be rewarded in heaven).

Ethon Lowe is a medical doctor. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and ethonlowe@gmail.com.