The lure of imaginary demons

“I worry that, especially as the Millennium edges nearer, pseudoscience and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive. Where have we heard it before? Whenever our ethnic or national prejudices are aroused, in times of scarcity, during challenges to national self-esteem or nerve, when we agonize about our diminished cosmic place and purpose, or when fanaticism is bubbling up around us - then, habits of thought familiar from ages past reach for the controls.

The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir.” 
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

I have yet to see anything so-called supernatural in my life. And I have been looking for a long time, in churches and temples and circles, following ley lines and spirals. But these days I am more fascinated by the natural world and nature. Why do you want to proof the existence of ghosts when you can look at nebulae and coral reefs and magnificent mountain ranges?

Our world is being overrun by pseudo-medicine, pseudo-scientists and even religious superstitions. Suddenly there is a devil behind every bush. Suddenly people are avid believers in archaic texts like "Demonology" by King James. They believe that there are evil spirits inhabiting inanimate objects; they believe that ordinary people are being possessed by spirits who then make them do atrocious things like murdering their parents or setting friends alight. People believe that if anything good happens in their lives it is the result of belief in a specific deity, but when something bad happens it is because of their own human frailties and failures (referred to under the collective, vague term "sin").

In times of difficulty, be it economical, physical, emotional, people hark back to the belief that they are being punished by the divine being that they worship. Strange that, why would you choose to worship a vengeful god? If a god is omnipotent and loving, surely they will understand the reasons why you did something. And if they knew the reasons, if they understand fully, why punish you? And should the punishment not fit the crime? And what is the punishment exactly because in none of the holy texts of different religions that I've read, is the punishment described. I would have expected at least some sort of clarity, IE if you steal a goat you will be struck by chicken pox; steal a cow and your wife will desert you; if you kill someone, you will be struck by lightning.

Do I believe? Yes, I do but that which I believe in is too big for my human mind to comprehend so I try not to label it. The arrogance of humans are staggering. Some will state that what I do is not in accordance to God's will (God being the Abrahamic deity of the Old Testament). My first reaction is, how can you know what a god thinks? How can you elevate yourself to the level of an omnipotent being who created heaven and earth and tell me what that deity supposedly thinks? And how dare you question me and my life and my choices and shower me with fire and brimstone filled hatred and judgment? Because you decided to create a god in your own image?

We are supposed to try and live a good life, not to harm ourselves or other people or the environment. We are supposed to be loving and supportive of one another, not bomb the crap out of our neighbours. And one does not need to attend a church to be a decent human being. So, to everyone who ever tried to convert me, I accept that you tried to do that out of love and concern. But it is not going to happen in this lifetime.