It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law
if it acquires the political power to do so,
and will follow it by suppressing opposition,
subverting all education to seize early the minds of the young,
and by killing, locking up, or driving underground all heretics.
Robert A. Heinlein, Postscript to Revolt in 2100.
Religion is the metaphusical 'thing' inside which people who hold a set of tenets to be true are able to build a community.
Religion is sociological phenomenon. Something belonging to the realm studied by those who try to understand how large number of people work together.
Religions - on the other hand - are 'sets of tenets' put in practice by various groups of people.
Sets of tenets which survive for as long as they continue to help the people who uphold them in their quest to survive as a group. As a community.
Religion cannot be 'changed'.
Religion can be studied. May be better understood.
Like physics. You can't 'change' physics! With what? With chemistry? Things don't work like this. The only thing you may do about physics is to 'deepen' your knowledge about it.
Religions can, and sometimes have to, be changed.
By the very people who 'use' them to survive.
Since nobody can survive on their own, each and everyone of us needs to belong.
To a community.
To a religion, actually!
And what do people do when they realize survival is impossible in certain conditions?
Die or do something about it, right?
Now, which community can survive based on hate?
It doesn't matter whether you are asked to hate somebody inside or outside your community.
Whether you hate individually or collectively.
Hating - or despising - somebody blinds you and exhausts you. Puts a huge burden on your back. Focuses your attention so tight that you are no longer able to notice the real dangers.
Those which actually make you less likely to survive.
And this is valid both for you as an individual and for you as a hating community.
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