Do you discriminate?

How many of you say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"?

How many of you hesitate to say "God bless you", even though you believe in that being a powerful blessing?

How many of you don't respond to "As-salamu Allayakum" if the one who greets you with peace looks Western?

How many of you believe that all men are potential rapists, all women are potential sluts, or that all gay men wear makeup?

"No, I don't discriminate against anybody because of their religion, gender, race or culture?" is quite a common saying.

But ... do you have pride in yourself? Do you value your own culture? Your own faith? Your own gender, your own sexuality, your You?

Humanity is losing faith. In Scandinavia, people are leaving organised - and disorganised - religions. Something which is understandable - freedom is bred into us Scandi's from birth.

But ... I wonder. Is this really a good sign? Let's take a look at the religion I know best; Christianity.

Just like Islam, Christianity has been abused for the purpose of subjugating the populace. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see a lot of human intervention; how the church has changed the wording, ruined the original meaning, or misinterpreted the message by not taking cultural context into perspective. In this process, the Man (yes, the powers of religions tend to be men) has forgotten that Jesus came with a message of love and renewal; that he was a rebel with a strong cause.

In Islam, we see the same. Self-proclaimed "experts" - ulama - who interpret the words and actions of the prophet Mohammad. And even though their Hadith's may fall into the lower categories (Grade C: Da’eef: Weak, D – Da’eef Jid’aan: Very Weak or F: Fail/Fabricated) they proclaim them with a strong voice.

Quite human. The more stupid your convictions; "women have less value than men", "children should be quiet in the company of adults" and "all love isn't love"; the more power you need to put into the presentation.

Religion is a formalised framework for sharing holy experiences. For sharing what has reinforced your faith. But when you are in the throes of religious ecstasy, you tend to forget that people interpret the world differently. That we all see life through lenses formed by our experiences and our talents. That a compliment for me may be an insult to you.

Here is the crux of the matter: don't discriminate against yourself. Stand firm in your beliefs. But have the grace and humility to listen to others. You are free. Live that.

Blessings,

HRM Ueland

H?kon is a monk. He recently set up his school, Surround Therapy . However, seeing how his words tends to be misunderstood, he has decided to let it rest. With an IQ measured in the top 99.5 %, this is not a new experience, and he is considering whether there is any point in being on social media at all.