By Nila Sagadevan
11-24-24

The above image captures an act of unspeakably horrifying brutality: an Afghan woman savagely executed over an alleged crime-burning the Quran-that was later proven untrue. Farkhunda Malikzada, a well-educated 27-year-old, was preparing to be a teacher. She was brutally beaten with stones and sticks, dragged on the ground, thrown from a roof, run over with a car, and finally burned to death with gasoline.

While it may be tempting to attribute such barbarity exclusively to "Islamic" zealots, this would be a grave oversimplification. The horrific mindset that drives these acts transcends any single religion or culture. History bristles with similarly barbaric actions, scattered across the annals of all world religions-though many have sought to distance themselves from these dark chapters and sanitize their past. Extremists from every religion have committed acts of barbarism against those deemed heretical or blasphemous. Invariably, the underlying cause is a blind, fear-driven obedience to archaic philosophies. What we see here is a universal consequence of humanity's gullibility and unquestioning acceptance of ancient doctrines.

This pattern of savagery is far from unique. Christianity's history includes the Inquisition, where suspected heretics were tortured and executed-drawn-and-quartered, burned at the stake-under the guise of purifying faith. Hinduism is not without its blemishes; the ancient practice of sati, where widows were burned alive on their husband's funeral pyres, persisted for centuries, driven by religious customs. Even Buddhism, often seen as a peaceful faith, has its share of violence, such as the Rohingya persecution in Myanmar, where Buddhist extremists have committed atrocities against a Muslim minority. Judaism has faced criticism for acts of zealotry, such as the stoning of "sinners" mandated in parts of the Torah. These examples, among many others, underscore the grim truth: no faith is immune to the destructive potential of blind adherence to doctrine.

Have any of these murderers ever paused to think for themselves and ask: Why would a loving God inspire such internecine hatred and acts of barbarity among His own creations?

For millennia, religious texts and doctrines, conceived in primitive times and penned by simple, uneducated aboriginal scribes, have been venerated as divine mandates-edicts from God, the creator of a myriad other worlds and sentient species in a fathomless universe. Instilled through generations by fear and reverence, these texts create a deep terror of offending the Creator by defying prescribed rituals or symbols, such as burning a book. This unquestioning submission, compounded by societal and communal pressures, perpetuates subhuman behavior in the guise of "piety."

The 21st century presents humanity with an unprecedented opportunity to break free from these mental shackles. With modern understanding of the cosmos and morality, it is our responsibility to question inherited ideologies that have long outlived their relevance. True progress lies not in rejecting spirituality but in embracing a higher form of awareness-one that values critical thinking, compassion, and the sanctity of human life above dogma or creed.

Until we overcome the fear-based adherence to these archaic philosophies, humanity will remain tethered to a cycle of violence and division, all in the name of beliefs that demand unquestioning obedience rather than understanding.

For those ready to embark on this journey of liberation, my book Warpaint of the Gods (2004) delves into these pressing questions. Building on its foundation, my forthcoming work, Beyond the Gods, expands the discussion, offering a roadmap to transcend the constraints of outdated doctrines and embrace a future illuminated by reason, empathy, and a profound connection to the divine. (Coming soon to Amazon.)