At the risk of offending a reader or two I would like to make some comments on religion.
The Muslims killed in New Zealand happened to be in the wrong place. They were conveniently observed by mad man and killed on location. They had gone about life and worship and not bothered anybody.
There are many religions but only three or four main religions. People need a religion and the fellowship that goes along with it. They need a belief system. They support one another.
However in each religion there are people who become over zealous. They consider the other guy's religion to be "wrong" in some areas so they attempt to correct the other guy. Many times they are not very tactful about how they want other's to change. Some of the over zealous attempt to recruit from members of another religion. In any one of these situations violence can occur if they become too aggressive in their attempt to win converts.
In the Arctic there were two denominations that competed for the souls of the Inuit. The Inuit had a religion but the two denominations declared that their religion was better. Well the two denominations brought schools and were better able to control the Inuit . The schools became a horror institute from which many have never recovered. The Missionaries went in under the guise that they would help the aboriginals. Instead they all but destroyed them. This scenario has occurred in many areas around the world. There were certainly some who did assist local native groups.
In many places today the religious denominations in the Arctic are a combination of christian and aboriginal. The last memorial I attended they went back and forth smoothly from christian to aboriginal
Today other denominations are at work to gather souls to their churches.
Now wouldn't it be nice if major religions could leave each other alone?
The study of religious wars could keep one busy for a life time.
Now another wondering I have is why there are so many denominations in all of the great religions. I don't know how many denominations are in the christian religion. I can not understand why they have to be separate if they are christian. In small towns here there can be three or four christian denominations and they all have the same goal.Why can't they work together?
So quite some time ago I fell off the religious bus because I could not understand why denominations could not worship together. Now that I'm older yet I wonder why the great religions can't harmonize and work for the common good.
