Religion in the news

Religion in the News

Religion is a highly complex concept and the debates on religious matters are far from being exhaustive. To most of us, religion is a refuge, the hope for a better life or the payer for a second chance. Religious beliefs promote the idea of a higher power, of an invisible entity that watches over us, rewards the good and punishes the evil, if not in the current life, in the one after it.

Today, religious values seem to become less and less convincing, proof of this standing the increasing number of atheists. The reasons for increasing atheism vary, based on each individual's education, background or life experiences. However, a reason that stands out is their argument that religion cannot be scientifically explained; ergo its existence cannot be proved. According to this theory, religious people chose to believe in the existence of a higher power, an absolute justice and the after life as it gives then comfort. During a debate on the existence of the Divinity, the atheist could ask the religious person: "How would you react if you discovered there is no after life? That this life is all you get? And when its' over, it's all over?" The believer would reply "I would be lost!" "See?" The atheist might argue. "This is why people chose to believe in a higher power, because they would be lost without it, not because it is real."

The atheists also argue that religion is a concept invented by men occupying influential positions so that state powers have a better control over the population. However a strong believer one is, they cannot disregard the multiple situations in which religion has been used as means of influencing or even manipulating the masses. Take for instance the case of the Knights of the Templar Order, who in the name of religion, have invaded and destroyed uncounted establishments. Other historical documents recollect the tales of the Spanish Inquisitions, which also in the name of God, tortured and killed thousands of innocent individuals who disagreed with the norms imposed by the Church, extracted from the Bible, but interpreted by men. It is indeed true that those times have long set, but fact remains that religion continues to be used as a driving force.

2. Contemporaneous religious topic

The number of situations is which religion was mentioned as to gain the audiences' sympathy can not be specified. Politicians forward religious beliefs in order to get elected, and then step all over them. Couples swear eternal love and respect, to soon forget the vows taken in front of God. The numbers of divorces that occur are alarming, and so is the number of the population who lives as common law spouses, without having gone through a religious ceremony. However these severely break the Christian teachings, they are less significant due to their outcome and their reduced worldly effects. To better explain, the punishments for adultery will be felt in the after life, insignificantly affecting the current life. But how about those religious practices that have massive influences upon individuals' lives and can even end them? A troubling side of religion is revealed when people kill in the name of God, or when they kill themselves in the mane of the Lord.

Mass Suicides

Mass suicides are a horrific part of religion, interpreted by ill men of strong personalities and power of influence to manipulate weak minds. However they were common amongst the ancient peoples, they are even more terrific today, when presented by the media and when realizing that they occur during such civilized times and cultures. They are generally promoted by religious cults and can turn our loved ones into the victims of a malefic genius that has the ability of playing with our minds. In order to comprehend the real existence and significance of mass suicides, take the following examples:

March 23, 1997 - the charred bodies of three women and two men were found inside a house in Saint Casimir, Quebec. All were members of the Solar Temple, an international sect that believes ritualized suicide leads to rebirth on a planet called Sirius.

April 19, 1993 - at least 70 Branch Davidian cult members died after fire and a shootout with police and federal agents ended a 51-day siege of the compound near Waco, Texas. The sect's leader, David Koresh, who had preached a messianic gospel of sex, freedom and revolution and told followers he was Jesus Christ, died of a gunshot wound to the head sometime during the blaze.

October 1993 - Fifty-three hill Vietnamese tribe villagers committed mass suicide with flintlock guns and other primitive weapons in the belief they would go straight to heaven. Officials said they were the victims of a scam by a man who received cash donations for promising a speedy road to paradise.

And these are but a few examples. The list goes on.

The role of religion in mass suicides

Mass suicides occur for various reasons, such as terrorist or kamikaze attacks, when an individual or group of individuals sacrifice themselves in order to kill as many enemies as possible. Another reason is military related. Sometimes during wars, when the troops realized their end was near, they preferred to kill themselves rather that be kept hostages. But in most cases, mass suicides are founded on religious beliefs. But what exactly are those religious features that turn the persons around us into suicidal entities?

Specialists who have long studied the phenomenon point out the existence of a strong leader, accompanied by submissive and insecure followers - "vulnerable followers, strong leaders." Maybe this is one reason why mass suicides still exist: the need for a leader, a messiah to guide our lives. The weak creatures are dissatisfied by the world around them, they sought refuge and comfort somewhere else. And the cult is there to offer the solution. First they draw the new member into the cult by pretending to understand his problems; by stating they are all facing the same issues, which will be resolved together. The new member is welcome with open arms and soon becomes part of the large family that does not judge, but is only there to love and help.

The strong leader is generally perceived as Messiah, the ruler, the leader and the protector and he is cherished and adored by his "congregation." The members follow him step-by-step and have absolute and undoubted confidence in his teachings. Therefore, when he asks them to free themselves from their material bodies, cult members rarely oppose. This freeing from their material bodies is in fact suicide, but it is presented as a straight pathway to heaven, or paradise. In their immense desire to find the Divinity, the afterlife, love, peace and the things they feel deprived of in this world, combined with the naivety, insecurity and frustrations that characterize a weak personality, cult members take their lives.

3. Literature on mass suicides

The specialized literature on the topic points out that religious mass suicides occur within cults, rather than religions. However they both came to being in the exact same way, they are different. As such, a religion is a cult that, through its longevity and followers, has earned the title of religion. The main difference between a cult and a religion is given by the repercussion felt by a member who desires to leave the congregation. An individual belonging to a certain religion is free to leave the church at any time, without any repercussions, but cults "practice a severe social outcast policy against members that leave the 'church'."