Religion brings morality. Some consider this statement to come true. In others, it causes bewilderment. But how are religious fanatics, “in the name of faith” killing hundreds of people?

Religion brings morality. Some consider this statement to come true. In others, it causes bewilderment. Indeed, in the scriptures of different peoples there are mysterious and disturbing things that give rise to difficult questions. For example, in the Bible, God demands from Abraham to sacrifice his own son. And he dutifully leads Isaac to the slaughter. It all ends safely – God sees the unshakable faith of Abraham and takes his hand with a knife brought above the Son.

This story is not at all like a blessed talk about morality. How to understand it? The sacrifice of Abraham (and Christians, Jews and Muslims, not without reason their religions are called “Abrahamic”) testifies to the story of him equally – the belief in God is at the forefront. And it should be so strong that everything else is back to the background, including the closest related ties. This is warned by the frightening phrase of Jesus Christ: “Enemies of Him to Him”. In that case, of course, when they interfere with relations with God.

However, faith is always mating with love. All Abrahamic religions affirm the creator’s love for creation, which,

according to Dante, “drives the sun and luminaries”. And to the crown of creation – to man. The person’s counter love for God does not allow the world to turn into a “gloomy forest”*. After all, one faith is not enough for this. Moreover, Vera is dangerous, she turns people into fanatics going to kill for her sake. Which would turn into the sacrifice of Abraham, if it was not stopped by the power of divine love.

Nowadays, the dark side of Vera is again in sight. Fanatics, confident that they fulfill the will of God, refuse “unnecessary” thoughts and emotions. And the most zealous people decide that they are neither less than the Tool of Higher Forces, and, turning themselves into “living bombs”, without hesitation deal with those who do not believe in God or believe in it incorrectly. It scares so much that many begin to treat religion as a surplus of a gloomy Middle Ages. And they are perplexed, as with its help you can revive public morality. Isn’t it easier to do this on a humanistic basis?

This dispute is deprived of grounds. Religion has never limited itself to blind faith, there was always a commandment of love in it. It was she who gave the impetus to the humanism with his respect for human dignity. Due to this internal connection, both religion and humanism can become a source of living moral feeling. Unless you shake it with meaningless disputes, who gets better.

*Dante Aligieri “Divine Comedy. New Life “(ABC-Atticus, 2013).