I've already talked sex and politics, so the last taboo...Religion.

So most people have seen the articles about "Beatriz," the El Salvador woman who was denied a life-saving abortion by her country's Supreme Court even though the fetus she was carrying had no brain and the skull was not completely developed and Beatriz was hospitalized due to the pregnancy exacerbating her lupus and kidney problems. It was also reported that Beatriz had one teenage child and a husband at home and was in such critical condition carrying the pregnancy "to term" could kill her, leaving her existing child without a mother and her husband a widower.

The basis for denying the abortion was the country's Catholic religion.

Here in the United States, conservative, religious, politicians have put forward hundreds of bills restricted women's access to abortion or contraception, using their "religion" and view of the "sanctity of life" as the reason behind their actions. Same thing with same sex marriage bans and so many social atrocities. "The Bible." "Religion." "Good moral values."

A friend posts stories like the one above on Facebook and always rants about how once again religion is hurting someone. And that always pisses me off.

This isn't about religion.

What it is about is misogyny, patriarchy, heterosexism... Hatred. Hatred using "religion" as a mask to hide behind. Because if the perpetrators say, "I do this out of love for you, out of my faith, my god that says to do this to you...." they don't have to take personal responsibility for the hatred spilling out of their hearts and minds to all around them. They don't have to realize that all they are sowing is destruction and discrimination and death. That their "love" is why woman die in back alleys and men are beaten outside of basketball games and children go hungry. They can hide behind their bibles and holy books and their outdated views of what a healthy society looks like and say "but I love everyone! I just want you to go to Heaven! (As soon as possible.)"

Religion itself isn't an evil. It is a tool. It is a tool to help some people find great peace and depths of compassion within themselves that helps them change the world in and around them for the better. For other people, it is a mallet with which they beat down all around them so they alone stand tall and pious on their island. Others yet don't need any religion at all, and do either great good, or great ill, all on their own. Religion isn't a panacea and it isn't an epidemic. But what it should never be, is more important than the lives of human beings and the health of the environment and the stability of our future.

Personally, if you are curious, I'm a semi-active member of a Unitarian Universalist Church. I identify as Pagan because I was raised Wiccan but do not practice as Wiccan anymore. I do find comfort in the word "witch." No I don't cast curses and I can't make that cutie down the street fall head over heels in love with you. I don't worship the devil and I don't dance naked under the moon (although that could be fun!). And I'm totally cool with Atheists.