"Imagine" and Religion

In his song “Imagine,” John Lennon said “Imagine no religion.” Since lots of people have been writing here about religious tolerance and comparisons of religions, I thought about this song. The song “Imagine” is about a world free of violence. In John Lennon’s vision, everyone lives together in peace, “a brotherhood of man.” I find it thought provoking that most religions (certainly every religion I have heard of) promote peace and social justice and caring for one’s fellow humans. However, Lennon felt that religion was something keeping the world from this peace, so much so that he imagines a world without religion as a perfect world. Maybe he is right.

True, most religions do not preach violence. However, many people justify their violence using religion. This has happened throughout all of history, and it is easy to think of modern examples as well. Today in the United States some people use the Bible as a weapon against anything they disagree with, from homosexuality to contraception to tattoos. There is a lot of hatred, fueled by religious speech, toward people who are different. Today in the United States, there is a lot of Islamophobia, and it isn’t hard to see. Some of this is for purely political reasons, some is because of 9/11, but it is all fueled by a misunderstanding of Islam by most non-Muslim Americans. Christians aren’t the only ones guilty of this religious intolerance either; it can work in any direction. Even non-religious people will become involved in hateful speech about religion. It isn’t hard to go on the internet and find someone who claims to be atheist calling all those who do believe in God unintelligent.

Most of this violence and religious intolerance probably arises from misunderstanding: of other religions or of one’s own religion. In the Old Testament, Psalm 37:11 is one of many that talk about peace, saying “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the Beatitudes, including “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). The Quran, 25:63, says “The true servants of God the Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, reply with words of peace.” It is clear that the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all contain passages promoting and mandating peace and humility. Other major religious traditions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, also promote peace and tolerance. Even atheists can claim a set of morals that includes these principles.

Nevertheless, religious conflicts are a source of violence. Is religion the problem with the world? Lennon’s lyrics are “Imagine there’s no heaven/It’s easy if you try/No hell below us/Above us only sky,” and later, “Imagine there’s no countries/It isn’t hard to do/Nothing to kill or die for/And no religion too.”
Now really imagine if there was no religion, no heaven, and no hell. Now no one can say that because you don’t agree with their specific set of beliefs you will go to hell, no one can say that there is only one true path to heaven. Additionally, religion has always been something that people die for.  Martyrs of many different faith traditions have died specifically because of their religious beliefs. On the other hand, people have also killed because of their religious beliefs. For example, there is the image of terrorists as religious extremists.  If there was no religion, there would be no religious extremism.

“Imagine” paints a picture of a utopia, all the people of the world live together peacefully with nothing to divide them, including differences in religious beliefs. Realistically, this perfect society will never exist, at least not in the perceivable future. Religion has been around for a long time, and many people throughout the world hold their faith very deeply, even to the point that it is part of their identity. To suggest that it would be easy to simply have everyone in the world drop their religion and their faith is ridiculous. There are probably some who would be offended – who are offended – by the suggestion that religion is a cause of injustice and division in the world. Some might argue that without religion there is no morality, and they would imagine a world without religion to be a world of anarchy.

As a Catholic, I don’t think that religion is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think most religions are ultimately good. If religious teachings and texts, like the Bible, are read and understood correctly, they have a good message. However, I can recognize that religion can be a source of conflict. Overall, I think the real cause of injustice and division is not religion but people. Humans, even when we have good intentions, tend to mess things up. When humans have deeply held beliefs that they would be willing to die to defend, hostilities and violence can arise easily. So maybe religion isn’t really the problem. Maybe the problem is when people misunderstand or misconstrue the morals and teachings of religion.

Whatever the case may be, the message that I take away from John Lennon’s lyrics is that there is too much unnecessary division and intolerance in the world. The world would be a better, more peaceful place if humans could put aside what divides us. And really, this message is compatible with my religious beliefs as a Christian. In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. The message of this story is that literally any person, no matter their beliefs, is your “neighbor” who you should “love as yourself,” which I feel is the ultimate mandate for tolerance.