The Chemical Model of Religion 11/29/21
Above I asserted that religion is not a constant, but a variable. This is true in some sense, but I need to clarify. Traditions are defined clearly by their texts, their beliefs, and ritual practices. In this sense they are a constant, they offer a perspective on the world and the religious truth that is supposed to guide it. These truths are not all fully aligned, but in some measure they do agree.
How we understand and interpret religion is the variable. Just are Oxygen can form O2 or H20 or even H2S04 or Carbon Monoxide (CO) or Carbon Dioxide (C02), so religion, depending on how we receive it, interpret it, and what views and emotions we combine it with, can be extremely variable. Beliefs endure from one generation to another, just as air and carbon dioxide in our environment, but it our understanding, interpretation, and practice of the religion that is prone to the variability. Hence, the assertion that “all religion is good” or “bad” really misses the point of the person who is practicing and believing in it.
