Religions make a Big Problem out of life's little problems

We've all got problems.

Some days it seems like life is nothing but one problem popping up after another. Car won't start. Forgot to pay credit card bill. Child came home with bad report card. Faucet has started leaking. Knee is hurting for some reason.

Of course, much of life is problem-free.

Or seemingly so. Even when things are going well, usually there's some nagging glitch that keeps an enjoyable experience from being perfectly so. I'm enjoying the movie, but, geez, why does that guy behind me have to eat his popcorn so noisily?

There's no problem in getting help with our problems. Family, friends, doctors, plumbers, You Tube, Google -- fortunately there are plenty of places to turn when we aren't sure how to handle a problem. 

However, now that I'm in a churchless frame of mind I do have a problem with religions that manufacture an overarching Big Problem. This isn't any of life's little problems, though supposedly it is the hidden cause of them. For example...

Christianity has Original Sin. Hinduism has Maya. Buddhism has Karma. 

These supernatural Big Problem concepts are used to explain why everyday life is so full of little problems. Religions also promise that if we can fix the Big Problem, those little problems will go away. Maybe not now, but after death.

Then we'll be saved, enlightened, released from the wheel of rebirth, or whatever other goodie is promised by some religion.

Only problem is, there's no evidence that the Big Problem exists, nor any evidence that after death all of our little problems will vanish and we'll still be alive in some form.

(For sure our problems will vanish after death, but without holding some religious belief the best bet is that so will we; no me, no problems -- yet also no me aware of having no problems.)

So here's something to ponder:

Given that we already have to deal with so many problems in life, does it make sense to embrace a religion that conjures up a Big Problem which we're supposed to deal with along with everyday little problems?

Or is it possible to live a meaningful life without believing in some hypothesized Big Problem that only exists as theological dogma, not direct experience?

Not surprisingly, I answer "no" and "yes" to those questions.

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