Is religion a left over from our tribal past?

The issue:  The minister featured in the video below is allegedly a child molester.  He begins a relationship with an under-aged girl of 17 which lasted into her early twenties. His church is defending him.

During the period of our tribal past, when organized religion was not yet a thing, it was common for tribes to sacrifice one (or a few), for the sake of the many.  Sometimes this translated into men, going off to fight, with full understanding that they were probably marching to their deaths.

To be a member of the tribal group you were expected to place the survival of the group, above your own individual interest, and many times, you live.  Sometimes, when you did not volunteer, this act of dedication was imposed upon you, by force.  Is this the norm within the tightly bound group?  Maybe they thought that when it came down to the integrity of the group and the dignity of this young girl, they’d rather choose the collective.  They would rather choose the group.

This may seem like a very unlikely scenario, but it is probably more common than you think and manifests in many different forms.

The problem:  We are no longer a tribal society, there are no scarce resources relative to the scarcity that our ancestors experienced, and we are no longer governed by the law of the elders.  We are a nation, governed by laws designed to keep us from slipping into chaos and compel us to act on the better angels of our nature.  We know this and the minister knows this.  If these worshipers, allow this kind of socially debilitating behavior to proceed, unchecked, the church that they are building will be built on the proverbial sinking sand.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/04/church-defends-pastor-accused-of-rape-weve-got-to-answer-to-nobody-but-god/

Old poem worth revisiting….Desiderata

Here is an old poem worth reviewing from time-to-time.  It really sums up in a few verses things that we tend to forget when navigating life:

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.