In an article titled "In the Beginning There Was Man, Not Religion," reformist Bahraini-American journalist 'Omran Salman proposes that the value of Man should be regarded as superior to the value of religion. This approach, he explains, gives individuals the freedom to think and to control their lives, and encourages brotherhood and tolerance among human beings.
The following are excerpts from the article: [1]
"Religion Can Never Be a Neutral Factor in a Believer's Life"
"Personally, I am not against religion as such, as long as it is presented as one of the sources of truth and knowledge. But I strongly object to it if it is presented as the only source of truth and knowledge. In the former case, religion constitutes a natural partner in building a culture of tolerance and modernity - whereas in the latter case, it is the source of everything that is absolute [i.e. cannot be questioned]. In the former case, religion is a source of spiritual enrichment and of brotherhood among human beings - and in the latter, it is a source of rigidity and fanaticism, leading to wars and conflicts. In the former case, religion is one of the foundations for building human civilization, and plays a role in its prosperity - but in the latter it is the adversary and rival of civilization...
"Religion can never be a neutral factor in a believer's life. Every religious person carries the burden of his faith. If his faith is a light burden, it allows him to move with greater freedom, and if it is a heavy burden, it paralyzes him completely..."
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"Surely it is Better [to] Have the Freedom to Inquire... Than to... Restrict [Oneself] to Ready-Made Answers"
"In the effort to find an answer to life's knotty questions, a man should not think of turning to religion - which, historically, appeared after [mankind] had already come into existence... Instead, he should gather all available knowledge, and ponder these questions. He may not find satisfying explanations - but surely it is better for him to have the freedom to inquire and to look into various possibilities than it is for him to restrict himself to [a set of] ready-made answers which, [while they may] satisfy temporarily, will permanently paralyze his mind and his thinking."
"We Need Not Sit Idly by and Wait for Religion to Eradicate Our Most Beautiful Attributes"
"Religion came into being after mankind did - and this requires no proof. [This means that] Man has life experience equal to or better than [what] religion [can provide]...
"My wife fears that a focus on religion may lead to fanaticism and conflict among people - but I explained to her that we need not sit idly by and wait for religion to eradicate our most beautiful attributes as human beings.
"Whether we be Muslim, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, a member of some other faith, or non-religious, we are [all] responsible for our lives, and we must make these [lives] worthy, as civilized human beings... We must act according to the humane principles of life, in brotherhood and tolerance, and most importantly - we must not let religion, or political authority, take over our lives and turn us into a blindly following herd.
"In the beginning, there was Man, and he is mightier and more precious than any other value that he has created, including the religions."
[1] http://www.metransparent.com/texts/omran_salman_man_came_first.htm, February 16, 2006.
