Faith is not a measuring stick

Have you noticed how these days nobody says they accomplish something because they don't believe in God?

I don't agree with that point of view, being Catholic and all, but in the world of today where God and Jesus are paid lip service and bombarded with what often looks like shallow and fake praise every time a touchdown is scored or a Grammy is awarded, honesty like that would be rare and oddly refreshing.

First of all, and I believe we can all agree on this: sometimes athletes and entertainers go a little overboard with their Jesus-praising. Gold crosses and midfield prayer huddles are like anything else — good when used in moderation, bad when used excessively. And nowadays, that sort of behavior is bordering on the excessive.

Same with when these boxers and sluggers and linebackers say they won the game because of their belief in Jesus. Makes me wonder how Mohammed Ali or Sandy Koufax ever won anything.

Not only that, but Jesus, quite possibly the greatest role model in history, only gets his props when these nitwits win. When they lose? Not a word. It's almost as if He had been the one dropping the pass or letting the groundball through his legs.

I know. We are talking about professional athletes and rappers, not exactly scholars at any level in the subjects of faith (see: Bryant, Kobe), respect (see: Eminem) and religion. So we can't expect much of them beyond this lopsided lip service.

However, there is another worrisome school of thought among people of all walks of life these days, not just those in the limousine set: The insistent belief that their beliefs are better than any other. The ones who say, "She's not a Catholic, so she's wrong," or, "He's not Jewish, so he's wrong," or, "It's a good school, but their coach is not Christian," or even those who keep score among those in their own ranks, "I am Baptist and he is not a good Baptist."

What is the point of thinking like that? I can't think of any, besides creating more division and separation in a nation and a world that is not lacking either these days (see: East, Middle and States, red and blue).

The only spirituality you should be keeping tabs on is your own.

Look, I am not ranking on any religion in particular, so please don't take offense. If you want to make fun of my Catholicism and the scrutiny some of us live under these days, go ahead. Nothing wrong about a little jesting on this Catholic.

But the thing is, a spiritual life is supposed to unify people, to bring people together, not to divide them. There are many interpretations of the Bible. None of them show Jesus ever saying "love thy neighbor, unless…"

All the major religions insist on the same things. A little rule familiar to all Christians, Confucius described it as "what you not desire yourself, do not put before others," Islamic faith described as "do unto all men as you would wish to have done unto you," and Buddhists described it as "hurt not others with that which pains yourself."

Righteous as it may make you feel, the thought of one belief being better than another is not a sensible solution to anything. Am I a better person than you because I go to a church, a mosque, a synagogue or none of the above? The answer is and should always be no.

Faith is a wonderful thing. Spirituality is a wonderful thing. Religion as a pathway to bigotry is not.

Sebastian Moraga is the city reporter for the Columbia Basin Herald.