No Monotheistic Religion Can Be A Religion Of Peace

These are the words of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, spoken during a debate at NYU. She went on to elucidate in her naturally engrossing way, of course, but covered only the historical events of the Islamic world that buttress this claim. I say “but” only to express my dismay at the missed opportunity to cover the philosophical aspect of this claim, which I believe to be far more convincing, if properly explained. Here is my “stab at it”.

Truth, or our pursuit of it, is undeniably part of what defines humanity. Surprisingly enough, the exact definition of truth is not germane to this idea, and therefore one need not get bogged down in the viscous swamp of defining precisely the meaning of truth. What I believe can be agreed upon by all, and thus a crucial component of this argument, is that it doesn't matter whether one believes that truth can be measured by science or, for those who are into theology, that its entire authority apparently derives from capitalizing the T. Grasping and comprehending what is and what isn't is the most significant goal any organism armed with self awareness and reason can possibly attain. It is our desire for omniscience, and this desire has been omnipresent, in some form or another, surely since the birth of homo sapien’s first coherent thought. And I emphasize this because I want a thorough digestion of the significance of this fact. Even the most banal aspects of our everyday lives must be guided by a knowledge and pursuit of what is and what isn't. It is true that I will soon feel weak and shaky if I stop eating, therefore knowing that food provides the nourishment to prevent this is unequivocally better for me than not knowing this fact or believing the opposite. Is it certain that I will wake up in someone else's body the next time I fall asleep? It may seem obvious that I will be resting easy tonight knowing this won't happen, but imagine a person who is unable to grasp even these banal trivialities. If a mind cannot separate fact from fiction a hundred thousand times on a daily basis, the chaos that would be their waking life is almost unimaginable. There is literally nothing more important to a conscious mind, and more importantly, a collective consciousness, than knowing truth from untruth.

Humanity, organizational and hierarchical creatures that we are, creates disciplines equipped with the means and methods of pursuing any definition of truth that enjoys popularity in the intellectual landscape. However, there is one certain type of discipline, and, I might add, the only type of discipline, that has the shameless audacity to claim actual possession of the ultimate truth!

Religion’s exact definition is mercifully exempt from informing the crux of this argument as well, because the claim of exclusive truth-ownership appears to be a universal commonality to the majority of religions throughout history. This argument will focus exclusively on this obnoxious claim shared among the three major monotheisms, for the sake of precision and, like any atheistic criticism, because of their ubiquitous encroachments on enlightened society.

Religion has always been and always will be a divisive force for humanity. Its hierarchical structure, its customs, its rituals, its profane symbols, its core tenets - all of these things help establish a sense of commonality among its followers. I don’t believe there is any other idea that can create communities and strengthen the bond therein quite like religion, and I admire that. However, when you have a number of individuals belonging to a community, the inescapable fact is that you have an even greater number of individuals who do not belong to this community. We are a tribal species, with an inherent built-in caution regarding anything not belonging to our respective “tribes”. This social exclusion without a doubt engendered our survival as a species, but unfortunately remains with us today. Any organization imaginable, by definition, will separate those that belong and those that do not, and it is inescapable that there will exist some sort of level of distrust or other negative feeling towards “others”, or those on the outside. It is also true that the degree of antipathy tends to increase with how fervently a member holds an organization’s ideals and values, and at a certain level, violence is inevitable.

Combine this tribalism with the claim that your particular tribe is in possession of a form of truth so important, so critical, that all of humanity's eternity is in peril without it. With so much at stake, it's no wonder that violence will inevitably be a part of the monotheistic religions.