The Hound of Heaven

 

Trying to understand the general hostility to religion: it is hated because it makes us feel bad about ourselves. Therefore it is countered with “self-esteem.” And that will make everything better; once we cast off this nagging voice saying we are not good enough.

The problem is, self and getting what we want is a hollow idol. It takes all meaning out of life. Because if we are wonderful as we are, we never improve ourselves. We have no purpose; we just sit there with nowhere to go. And that nagging voice of guilt does not go away. It gets louder.

As they feel worse and worse, this causes the irreligious to get more and more hostile to religion. To their imagination, its residual influence is causing them more and more suffering. As if it is chasing them. It is everywhere. Clearly just walking away from it was not enough. The solution must be to wipe it out entirely, for everyone, every vestige. It must be poisoning the entire culture. Religious people are looking at you, and you know they are condemning you in their hearts. Maybe the entire culture must be destroyed.

Such people can do a lot of damage before they realize religion was not the problem, but their own guilt. Religion is the means to escape it. The problem is, first you have to face it.