Blog #6

The definition of religion is a very subjective term. Religion can be a way of life to some. Some like the idea of religion but don’t dedicate themselves to what religion can be. And for others, religion is nonexistent. There are countless religions scattered around the globe, big or small, that state completely different things than one another, or in some cases, are branched off the ideologies of one another. William Cavanaugh, a world renown theologist, stated, “Religion is irrational, religion is absolutist, and religion is divisive.” To break this controversial quote down into parts, religion is irrational because with so many people believing in so many different things, it is unreasonable to not respect someone else’s ideologies, for which their faith has the same support from the past as someone else. This ties directly with the statement in which religion is said to be divisive. “Religion demands one overriding commitment, a potentially lethal subordination of the many to the one.” This statement from Cavanaugh exposes how some religions are large, and they always overshadow the beliefs of the individuals that are a part of the smaller religions. Commitment to one religion leads to negativity towards another and lack of respect to the right to choosing what you want to believe. ‘Religion is absolutist’ from Cavanaugh’s perspective because it is inherent that those who believe their belief is divine and chosen, they will act as it is so. I think that each one of these three points is in some ways (some more than others) true, but again, religion is a truly, absolutely subjective topic and some religions are more extreme than others. This carries over directly to its followers.