God and the Toilet Bowl

A recent conversation with a friend of mine turned to religion. He posited that all religions are exactly the same; they provide humans with the same necessities and myths, whether the messenger wears an episcopal miter or Buddhist robes. He reasoned that every religion involves a transfer of value from the self to the divine path, the cause, or the ideal. Indeed, logia and precepts universally urge us to follow a code that, if upheld, will lead to a graceful life and a privileged afterlife. But I argued that these foci are ubiquitous to a fault. Surely the relationship between people and religion is similar (if not exactly the same) all across the board, but the relationship between people and their surroundings varies widely, and much of this discrepancy is attributable to religion. Different religions espouse different maxims and advocate different mindsets. They implant different beliefs and foster different relations between man and nature, nature and the cosmos. They urge different lifestyles, subordination and sovereignty. They are different, says I.

This is where the conversation shifted to my critique of over-generalization. The similarities my friend highlighted are so broad they can be applied to everything; philosophy, art, education, vocation, etc. all involve devotion to a higher order, a better life, an understanding that may never come. The aspect of worship is always there. Each field has its idols, and each disciple strives for some sense of piety and nirvana. We all have a purpose. Every action, down to the most trivial of motor functions, involves a cause and requires subservience to its method. So while my friend may have oversimplified religion, he revealed man's entire earthly existence to be an unwitting pilgrimage. Even shitting has its heaven: "ahh...sweet relief!"