What is the ‘right’ religion?

» Spoiler alert: it’s not yours

Aleeze Asif
Contributor

ny person with religious
beliefs can testify that it isn’t
necessarily scientifically accurate
or logical. Faith after all does
mean belief without evidence.
So through what merit do we
conclude which religion is “right”?
The second we begin to
argue the superior validity of
one religion over another we
have shot ourselves in the foot.
The only proof of one religion’s
superiority over another is when a
religious scripture states it, which
is essentially saying Christianity is
superior because Christianity says
so. Every religious person believes
that his or her religion is superior.
Faith or blind belief is a
major part of most mainstream
religions. When we believe
without evidence there is no
room for argument or discussion
regarding the validity of a verse
or a chapter in a holy book. So
who is to say who is right? After
all, there’s as much proof of the
existence of God as there is for the
existence of fairies or unicorns.
Perhaps the teachings of a
religion can grant superiority
for one over another. For the
sake of simplicity let’s take into
consideration Christianity and
Islam, the two religions with the
first and second largest followings
in the world. Undoubtedly both
of the religious scriptures have

: an abundance of positive and
: progressive messages for their
: time. But once we take these

: religious scriptures off the :
: pedestal and study them critically, :
: we see teachings that can be :
: considered archaic and grotesque
: in present time.

For instance, both the

: Bible and the Quran promote

: sexism in some shape or form by

: endorsing the solidification of

: outdated gender roles in society

: and discouraging women from

: taking leadership positions (e.g,

: Timothy 2:11-12 in the Bible and

: 4:34 in the Quran). However,

: it must be noted here that

: Christianity and Islam are over

: 2,000 and 1,400 years old. Both

: holy scriptures are chock-full of

: teachings most people would

: never think to apply in the 21st

: century. When we think about

: how much the world has changed
: in the last 50 years alone, howcan :
: areligion or its teachings ever be
: timeless? Due to the inevitable

: fact that most religious teachings
: cannot face the force of time,

: [ think it’s safe to rule out holy

: teachings as a factor on our scale
: of spiritual superiority.

Another problem that one

: encounters when comparing

: religions is the significant room
: for variation and interpretation.
: Even within the same country,

: the same religion is practiced

: ina variety of different ways.

: For example, in Swat, Pakistan

 

: women aren't allowed out of

: their houses, but 580 kilometers
: away in Lahore, women have

: much more freedom. There are

: more than 73 sects within Islam,
: and the Christian encyclopedia

: counted 33,830—and of course,
: they all believe they are following :
: the “right” version of the religion. :
: How is one to compare two

: religions when there is so much
: variation within them?

Is there really no way to

: systematically compare two

: religions? I ask: why do we

: need to compare religions at

: all? Do we really need to prove
: all other religions “wrong”? For
most people religion is less of a

rulebook and more of a source
of spiritual solace. One religious

: scripture can resonate differently
: totwo different people. That
: doesn’t mean one of them is

  

>
Q
vo
xX
Q
* Q
<=
ao
ww
cg
°
2
©
fort
a
a
3
oo
io

: higher in intellect, it just means

: they are two different people,

: who have lived two different lives
: and see the world through two

: different lenses.

As long as your faith makes

: you a positive, constructive, and

: progressive person, spending time
: trying to justify its superiority to

: yourself or to others is irrelevant

: and unproductive.

 

Faceless Day

» Gimmicky office stunts won't increase productivity or ease stress

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
© opinions
@theotherpress.ca

QO: July 14, Woffice, a Chinese
property service company
located in Handan, took part

in an exercise that appeared to
be quite similar to Halloween.
Employees were given the choice
to wear a black-and-white mask
at the office, in an effort to reduce
stress. With faces hidden behind
thin plastic, workers could focus
on their duties without worrying
about the pressures of smiling,
the stigma of yawning, and the
boorishness of rolling their

eyes. So, what mask did all the

workers chose? For the day known :
: male employees have to wear

: black or beige pants—excluding
: jeans and sweat pants—while

: on the floor. I always wondered

: why the fabric mattered. Who is
: peeking behind the bar, looking
: under my green apron, and at

: my pants? I don’t know, but

apparently what I wore made your were allowed to wear T-shirts

as Faceless Day, employees at
Woffice chose the character No-
Face from the beloved anime,
Spirited Away, and Guy Fawkes
from V for Vendetta.

Now, it might just be me,
but I am not sending my resumé
to Woffice anytime soon. Ifa
business needs to use masks to

: ease tension within the workforce, :
: [can’t imagine the monotony

: of working there any other time

: of the year. True, unorthodox

: exercises such as Faceless Day are
: gaining popularity in offices all

: around the world, but how about
: something less juvenile?

I hate the idea of dress codes.

: I hate it at fancy restaurants, I

: hate it at nightclubs, and I sure

: as hell hate it in the workplace.

: Yes, there is an emphasis on

: professionalism, but having to

: wear a suit and tie does not make:
: you a productive worker, It’s funny :
: that wearing jeans to work fora
: day is considered a perk in some
: offices.

Fora year and a half, I was a

Starbucks barista. Starbucks has

a relatively strict dress code where DW :
: jeans for most of my employment :

: and nobody (except the manager)
: madea big deal about it. Well, a

: few co-workers pointed it out, but
: they were merely inspired, anda

: bit frightened, by my rebellious

: ways. Don’t even get me started

: on Fridays at Starbucks. During

: my stint, only the day partners

: mocha taste better and myself a
: leaner thinker.

Needless to say, I wore black

 

: instead of collared shirts. Ignore
: my sarcasm, but that wasa real
: privilege.

I believe many companies

: waste too much time, money, and
: effort trying to find creative (and
: not so creative) ways to motivate

: and calm their employees;

: Faceless Day is creative, while

: laid-back dress code days aren't.

: Ultimately though, these efforts

: are not going to see much, if

: any, return of investment. Don’t

Image from Vincent Diamante via wikimedia

: enforce rules and then take them

: away, expecting the workers to be
: more relaxed. Don’t be gimmicky.
: A workplace is for grown-ups, so

: treat employees as such; let them

: make their own decisions. And if

you really want them to relax after
: ahard product sprint or dinner

: rush, buy them a beer, give them a
: day off, or take them ona retreat.

: Don’t give them something else

: to wear.