“God loves you, which is why he chose you to be a Christian like your mom”. “Allah loves you, which is why he chose you to be a Muslim like your dad”. I grew up hearing those phrases, and always wondered “but how do you know?”. “Didn’t he just tell the other ‘non-believers’ the same thing?”. Of course I never dared to ask out loud.After many years, I see such expressions, in addition to others like “God gave me a sign to do so and so” or “Allah will choose what’s best for me”, as a mere manifestation of humankind’s egocentric nature, and its constant need to prove that “yes, the world does revolve around me”. This is also the likely source for the need to believe in an omniscient, omnipotent god who is vigilantly protecting you against all the evil and randomness out there.
It’s true that individuals can not thrive without the constant reassurance from those around them that they are smart, beautiful, unique, etc. And without the belief that we are taken care of by a supreme power, many would aimlessly float in a gloomy existentialist vacuum. But this becomes a serious issue when it ignites ideologies based on discrimination and condescension. There is no "Chosen People". For once, science and religion both agree that all humans come from the same source – of course they soon diverge when it comes to what that source is. Similarly, there is no "The One" destined to save humanity from hollow simulations of how an ideal life should be. Last thing I heard, Neo succumbed to a hefty job offer from Microsoft and is also starting his own line of trendy trench coats for the fall-winter 2009 season.
Sorry, but that's as good as it gets...
Painting by Rene Magritte