The Conflict of My Life: An Atheist's Prayer for a World Without Religion

I’m not a religious person; on the contrary, I’m a strong atheist (swear to God ??). But every day I pray at least once for the elimination of all religions! In my eyes, religion is, in one way or another, the origin of all the wars between humans and the most devastating thing that has ever happened to mankind. On the other hand, since I find the need to pray, I understand the need for religion in human lives.

In biblical times, with no governments, no education system, no police, and no other organizational infrastructure, families lived together, supporting themselves and each other. Children often die at a young age, with a lack of medical advancements and resources. In this primitive setting, religion emerged as a form of solace and a moral compass for communities struggling to survive in an unpredictable and non-understandable world.

Religion provided people with a sense of order, a framework for understanding the inexplicable, and a source of comfort in times of grief and uncertainty. It served as a communal bond, uniting individuals under a shared set of beliefs and values. In these ancient times, where the absence of modern institutions left a void, religion stepped in to fill the gaps.

However, as societies evolved, so did the complexities surrounding religion. What once brought communities together began to sow seeds of discord. Religious differences fueled conflicts, leading to wars and divisions that persist to this day. The very institution that initially provided solace became a source of contention.

My daily prayer for the elimination of all religions is rooted in the belief that a world without religious divisions could potentially be a more harmonious one. I grapple with the irony of seeking solace in prayer while simultaneously wishing for the dissolution of the very institutions that gave rise to such practices.

It’s crucial to acknowledge the positive aspects that religion has contributed to society, such as fostering a sense of community, providing moral guidance, and offering comfort during times of hardship. Yet, the dark side cannot be ignored?—?religious wars, discrimination, and persecution stain the pages of human history.

In the past, I used to think that all religions are based on the same doctrine written in the 10 commandments two of them, my personal favorites, are (in simple language): Respect your mother and father; treat your neighbor with the same compassion respect and consideration that you would like to be treated yourself.

One day while having another long discussion on the subject with a Jewish religious person, I realized that the way we treat others, or at least most of us, the same way as we naturally can distinguish right and wrong, good and bad, is much more basic than religion. It’s instinct. Babies who are born prematurely grow faster and better if placed together in an incubator. Animals, dogs and cats, who share our life know from the tone of our voice if we are angry or upset, or whether we are happy and playful, and they will react to us accordingly. And all of this without understanding the meaning of one word that we are saying. Orphans who are brought up with no caring environment usually will have mental problems. It will prevent them from becoming a normal part of society. So basically, from the moment that we are born, we go through endless emotional trial and error. Socializing with our surroundings where the guiding line is “I know what makes me feel bad and according to this I choose my wording and behavior with others around me”. I believe that this is the most basic characteristic of all mammals since otherwise, they would not have the ability to survive and reproduce on this planet.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict taking place right now and for more than 80 years is, in fact, a religious conflict. Hamas has managed to raise since 2006 under their rule a generation of fanatic Islamic monsters that allow themselves to do horrendous things to women children and men alike and then call to their mothers bragging about killing other human beings with their bare hands. On October 7th on the phone calls that were made by Hamas terrorists to their mothers, they did not brag about liberating Palestine. They were bragging about decapitating children raping them and burning them alive.

Prior to the events that took place on the 7th of October, the majority of the Israeli nation went out to the streets demonstrating and pleading with the right-wing religious democratically elected government to not turn Israel into a religious dictatorship as they were planning to do. Many of the people who had elected this government realized their mistake and took to the streets as well. Using their democratic rights and demonstrating for the fall of this government. Unfortunately, these Jewish religious extremists’ generation, who grew up in Israel were taught to believe that once Israel is completely religious the Messiah will come. Therefore, after democratically taking over the government, the same way as Hitler won, they did not waste a second and exploited the opportunity of having a weak, corrupt, and lying Prime Minister to turn Israel into a religious nation. By doing so they essentially chose to completely disregard the seculars or atheists, like me, who live in Israel, with the goal of enforcing their religious ruling. Disregarding also 1 of the 10 commandments written in the Bible as mentioned above. Moreover, the religious parties within the government for years have been manipulating the different Israeli governments, taking billions from taxpayers and promoting their own interests. Under these conditions two generations have grown up to be completely ignorant of modern life; not teaching them any basic skills that are needed nowadays like math or physics, providing them only with religious education. Moreover, they were taught from the moment they were born that they were the army of God, they were the true protectors of Israel. And the rest of the Israeli society, the society that manufactured high-tech economics and finance, which brought to the world many advancements in all aspects of life, are merely here to serve them in God’s work. This is why for many years, adult religious men did not participate in the workforce but still received tax money. Over the years due to the high birth rate of this society, their number became so great that in the year 2023, 50% of Israelis starting 1st grade are religious. Furthermore, in order to prevent them from leaving their religious shackles they get married at a very young age and start having children. This results in a virtual prison, since before they are even mature enough to realize they can have a choice and they can do whatever they want, they already have children to take care of. Lacking the education and any modern tools to take part in the non-religious society keeps them ignorant for the rest of their life.

I hope I managed to demonstrate the wrongdoing of both religions involved in the current conflict.

Therefore, I “believe” there are overdue needed changes to religions modernizing them and adjusting them to the current mental and social needs. Where the baseline should be the happiness of people all over the world whoever, whatever, and wherever they are. If there is a GOD, I’m quite sure that this is what he would have wanted. If GOD created this world, created us, humans, in his world, and made us to be so intelligent that we could manage to achieve so many technological advancements, then I’m sure we could find within us the means to live here happily together and not at the expense of one another. Or in a non-religious way- it’s now the time for us to upgrade our mental and psychological thinking to the current times so we can all live together on this earth peacefully and respectfully. As I would like to “believe” this is the basic desire of all humankind.