Can We Change Fast Enough?

I took my husband to the High Museum this weekend for the History Remix exhibit. I took my boys there over the summer and it was an incredible experience that I have been wanting to share with my husband.

His reaction after the exhibit was that maybe evolution is not always such a slow process. It amazes me still that my mom was a  young woman in the early 60's, I was raised by parents that by all accounts were prejudice, but my boys will hopefully/most likely see our first black president.

Tonight I took my oldest son to see Religulous. I think the documentary could have been directed much better. It was much more biased and much less intellectual than I had hoped for. But I got the message or as my son said, propaganda that Bill Maher was presenting, which was if we do not change, and change soon, we will see the end of times. A self-fulfilling prophecy. I just do not think his message and his way of presenting it is what will help the world change.

My son and I discussed what we would have done differently in the movie. We both agreed that pretty much all religions have a core good purpose, though they may be wacked and corrupt, and destructive, the reasons people get involved or support their faiths are for what they believe to be the core good in them. If we were to strip faiths down to just their core goodness, get rid of the idea of what is a sin, rules, structures, politics, history, blah blah blah - just said, ok what makes you happy, joyful, spiritual? Would we hear people answer with bombs and destruction? no. We would hear common answers about community, connection with a higher source, comfort.

Why is this so hard? Why do we muddy this up so terribly? And I mean ALL of us. Even I have recognized my own judgment of people who do not believe or "disbelieve" the way I do. Bill Maher was just as guilty of judging as those he was accusing. I once heard someone criticize fundamental atheist, which is what I would say Bill Maher is. He is as fundamentalist in his disbelief as the fundamentalist of a belief.

Anyway, I do not have the answers, and I am not sure if I am seeking the answers. No all of them for all people, that is just ridiculous. I just like exploring what works for me, and having the freedom to do so.

But I do agree with Bill Maher that we need to stop the insanity. My son believes that he will see radical religions fade  through his generation, the way I saw racial tensions  improve in my life time. I hope he is right.