Authority

I am not exactly sure when it started, but I have been leery of authority figures, or the suggestion that one is suppose to be an authority figure, for a very long time. I know this plays a huge part in my skepticism regarding religion.

I actually love attending church, I often find it soothing and comforting, but I abhor what I perceive as the blind following of a man/woman who is suppose to be the authority of the religion. This does not mean I abhor the man/woman (minister, priest, lama, bishop, etc.), especially if I feel they are able to admit that at the end of the day, they also just really don't know the answer to the big questions. I abhor what I see to be the turning off of one's brain and common sense and accepting another person's explanation of that which cannot be explained.

The pastor of the current church I attend knows my feelings about this: the regurgitation of certain prayers, the choral responses, the seemingly expressionless recitations of written words. I think I understand the part those things are suppose to play - they provide a meaningful ritual to followers. I applaud anyone who has truly listened to the words and can repeat them with full belief, but I often wonder how closely the words have been studied.

I also realize that I just like to question authority, even if I don't necessarily disagree with what is being said. I like to hear the reasons why people think or act the way they do. I like to know that they have thought about why they think and act the way they do. If I hear blanket responses, "Because I know it's true," then I turn off. I understand that what they may mean is they cannot define how they know, they just know, but that makes me think they have not truly investigated the reasons for their beliefs nor have they challenged their beliefs by exploring others.

I do think there are "authorities" of certain religions and those authorities are people who have studied the religion, know its history and are continuing to learn about the modern day implications around the religion. I think it is important to talk with these authorities, take their words and compare them against your own studies, which should include talking to people who are authorities of other religions. The bottom line is, question authority.

As a teenager I had a poster of Sid Vicious in my room and this quote (though I think it was written slightly differently) was on it:

“Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don’t let them take you ALIVE.”

Perhaps my viewing of those words day in and day out caused me to be brainwashed by them. Perhaps I blindly accept those words and oh, the philosophical ramifications are too much for me to ponder at this time, but I think the idea is to take the sentiment behind Sid's words and apply them to your life in a way that means you are living your life with your eyes wide open and your brain fully on.