My New Religion

With all the hate and vitriol being spat out in the media, politics, and the internet, I decided to do something worse. I am starting my own religion!

Now, before you start slinging mud, let me say this: I am not doing this for power, monetary gain, or because I’ve received a vision from a burning bush or on a hillside. I’m doing this because I believe in my deepest heart, that this needs to be done.

I guess the first thing that needs to be done, is to name my new religion. I thought about naming it Jace-ism, but if you look at my second paragraph, you’ll see why this is a bad idea. I’m not doing this for notoriety. How about calling it Humanity? I think you’ll see why this name fits as you continue reading. You are still reading, right? You’re not on your way to my house with pitchforks and torches? Great!

So, I guess the next thing to do is state my beliefs. My first belief is that human beings by and large, are good. The media may portray us as bad, evil people, but if you think about the billions of people in the world, and how only a few are performing terrible acts, then I have to conclude that we are good overall. If not, humanity would have died out centuries ago.

My second belief is harder for many people to follow. Live and let live. A simple statement, but in this era of reality television, government spying, and internet access shrinking our mental image of the world, too many people are putting their noses where it doesn’t belong. To follow this tenant of Humanity, all you have to do when confronting someone is ask yourself a simple question. “Do their actions/beliefs/words/appearance/etc. affect me in such a way, that it impedes on my life?” If the answer is no, then leave them alone. Here is an example: your neighbor’s dog regularly defecates on your lawn, and you have to clean it up. Yes, this impedes on your life, and you should talk to them. Notice how I said “talk”? I didn’t say fight them, or force them to conform to your views. If they choose not to change their actions that impede on your life, then take actions to stop them, without impeding on their life. Put up a fence. Spray your lawn. Heck, toss it back into their yard, but don’t throw it on their porch or their house. That’s disgusting, and goes against a belief further down about revenge.

Another portion of this belief is to live your life in such a way that you’re not impeding someone else’s life. You can talk about your beliefs, but it is wrong to try and force your beliefs on them. If someone wants to pray in school, let them. If someone doesn’t want to, don’t force them to. If someone wants to say, “In God we trust,” that’s just fine. If someone doesn’t, okay. Don’t try to force your way of life or beliefs onto another.

As another example of live and let live, your neighbor is gay, or has a different religion or no religion, or has facial piercings. They aren’t trying to get you to follow their way of life. Neither are they trying to hide who they are. In this circumstance, they aren’t affecting you, and you should let them live the way they want. I don’t care that an ancient text states that they’re wrong. My Humanity religion says to let them live the way they want, as long as they aren’t trying to force you. Don’t force them.

Okay, I think I made my point there. On to the next principle belief of the new Humanity religion. Be quick to forgive. This one can be truly difficult. Some wounds cut deep. I’m not saying you should forgive every hurt done to you, either. But I will say that revenge is a terrible idea. I’m also not saying to turn the other cheek. Instead, turn your back on them and walk away. No good comes from continuing a fight, unless it is to stop further harm. Here are some examples. Someone says terrible things about your children that aren’t true. Set them straight, then walk away. Don’t insult their kids; don’t insult them. Just state your piece and walk away. Another example: someone shoots your dog. Call the cops. Don’t shoot them. Don’t threaten them. Let the authorities do their job. Once restitution is achieved, forgive and forget about them. The only time force should be used is when it is absolutely necessary to stop violence. You see someone beating someone up? Restrain them. Don’t use any more force than you have to in order to stop the situation.

You’ll likely have noticed at this point that I’ve yet to mention any deity or higher power in my new religion. There is a good reason for this. My religion of Humanity doesn’t hinge on the belief or disbelief of any one single or multiple powers that be. Because of this, you can follow my new religion and continue in any other. You can be Catholic, Mormon, Muslim, Wiccan, or even atheist, and still be a believer in Humanity. Humanity doesn’t discriminate against other religions, but accepts them, without trying to coerce a change in your core beliefs. There are no weekly meetings for Humanity, only what you hold in your heart. There are no tithes, or offerings made to Humanity, unless you choose to donate to verifiable charities. My new religion does not accept offerings, but encourages helping those less fortunate.

There are some things that go without saying in my Humanity religion, but I’d better say anyway so that there is no confusion. Don’t kill other humans. Don’t kill animals only for sport. Killing animals for food is just fine, as long as you do your best not to waste. Don’t steal, don’t lie, and don’t commit adultery… Sounding familiar? These things are truly easy to follow, if you follow live and let live. Once again, let people live the way they want, and don’t strong-arm them to follow your beliefs.

My last tenant of Humanity is arguably the most important. Children are our future. They must be raised with an open mind, but a firm grasp on reality. This can be difficult today. It is my belief that children should be disciplined when they do wrong, and praised when they do right. This does not mean taking a belt to them, or anything that can leave a bruise when disciplining. I’m also not condoning hiding your disciplinary measures. Too often today we see kids in the grocery store throwing a tantrum, and their parents ignoring them. Or worse, they’re hitting or causing damage, but the parents seem apathetic. When these children grow up, they will think the world should bow to them and their wishes. They will feel entitled, but the world doesn’t work that way. I believe that there should be an escalation of force when it comes time for punishment. At the first sign of poor behavior, warn them. If that fails, follow through with your warning, whether that means taking something away, or grounding them. If the behavior continues, escalate. A spanking should be the last thing to occur, and even then kept to a minimum. I’m not saying don’t spank, either, but keep it under moderation. I’ve had to spank my boys on rare occasions, but when I have, it was a single one, and they behaved. I have never had to spank more than once.

Parents shouldn’t ignore their children. This goes for both the good and bad behavior. When your child passes a test, praise them. When they fail a test, make them study harder, don’t blame the teacher. We all love our children, but as much as we want to believe otherwise, they’re not perfect. It is our responsibility as parent’s to get them as close to that goal as possible. Also, make sure they know they are loved. Sometimes, all it takes is saying the words. “I love you.” Three little words, but they can mean a whole lot to little hearts and minds.

Finally, I will say this for my new religion: there are no priests, or bishops, or clergy of any kind. We are all equals in Humanity. Treat each other as such, even those that don’t follow these words. Don’t hate your neighbor, or coworker because they hold different beliefs from yours.

As with any religion, this one isn’t perfect. Detractors of Humanity will say that what I’ve written here will make me a pushover. You’ll note that I never said you can’t stand up for your beliefs. I actually recommend that you do. Just don’t take it to the point that you a attempting to force someone else to your way of thinking. Force is the key word.

Others might claim that the religion of Humanity will me a bleeding-heart. If caring about my fellow humans, while being tolerant of any ideas or feelings they have that differ from mine make me a bleeding-heart, then fine. I accept that.

There are likely other points of view that I am missing. If so, I would like to hear them below in the comments. Some of you who know me may think that this is a joke, but I am being serious. Today, December 1, 2015, I am declaring the new religion I have called Humanity to be a real one. No, I will not apply for a tax exempt status. If any of you who are still reading this believe as I do, great! If you don’t, that’s fine also. My reason for doing this is because I’m sick and tired of hearing all the vitriol and hatred on the news, in politics, and from other religions. Today I declare myself a part of Humanity!