Religion is a cultural thing

Human beings naturally possess different interests and inclinations. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that we have many different religious traditions with different ways of thinking and behaving. But this variety is a way for everyone to be happy. If we only have bread, people who eat rice are left out. With a great variety of food, we are able to satisfy everyone's different needs and tastes. And people eat rice because it grows best where they live, not because it is either way any better or worse than bread.

 -The Dalai Lama

I haven't always been an atheist. I actually grew up in the Baptist Church, and attended church up until my freshman year of college. (My father is actually a Baptist preacher.) During my freshman year of college I took a religious studies course called "Ways of Being Religious." I wasn't really excited about taking this course, but I had to take it to fulfill one of my general education requirements.  Essentially, this class was an overview of all the major religions of our day and their foundations. Turns out I enjoyed this course very much and have somewhat become a religion nerd. It was in this class that I realized religion is a cultural thing and that religious absolutism is either heartless or absolutely absurd. I agree with the latter.

The cultural argument is a major reason why I am an atheist. Most Christians claim that "Jesus is the only way" and if one isn't a Christian, one is going to go to Hell. Thing is, though, one's religious tradition is a function of the cultural in which one lives. Why would God send me to Hell for being born into a non-Christian culture? Richard Dawkins tends to use the cultural argument  a lot, but it is an extremely valid argument. If one is born in America, one is most likely going to be a Christian. If one is born in India, one is most likely going to be Hindu. If one is born in Indonesia, one is most likely going to to be a Muslim. Although this argument shows that one's religions tradition is highly influenced geographically, it primarily shows the role that culture plays in determining the religion of a person. If you are born into a culture that subscribes to the Christianity tradition--for example, American culture--then you will most likely be a Christian. If you are born into a culture that subscribes to the Islamic tradition--Iran--then you will most likely be a Muslim. In essence, if your father/mother is a Christian, you will most likely be a Christian. Now, this argument most definitely doesn't work for some people (My father is Christian. I am an atheist), but overall I think it explains reality quite well.

Religion is a cultural thing: your religious tradition is highly influenced by the culture you are born into. Religious absolutism cannot survive this cultural argument. Why would God send me to Hell for being born into a Muslim culture? If God is rational, he wouldn't. If God is irrational, then I guess he can do anything he wants. But what kind of God is that? A heartless one.  You may be asking, "But can't people convert to Christianity? Jesus' Word speaks to everyone! He will show them Truth!" What are the odds of a Muslim converting to Christianity? Just as much as the odds of you converting to Islam. You may find flaws in the Islamic tradition, but there are just as many, if not more, flaws in Christianity. Of course, one's beliefs may not always line up with the religion one was born into, but odds are if one is born into a Muslim household, one will be a Muslim for the rest of one's life.

Now, if only we could break this cultural spell by asking ourselves "why?"