Man Made Religions and Holy Books- Religion Can Uplift, But Can Also Be Poison

In the short span of my lifetime, there has been the serious depletion of the things I value most. I always valued nature, which is something humans cannot create and seem determined to destroy. I never had an interest in religion. I would rather be in a forest, or at the ocean, or in a wilderness area somewhere, than inside of a building praying or studying. I find the presence of God, or a higher spiritual power, in the natural world, not in the buildings and structures humans create. Religion should not be mindless conformity and blind surrender to the thoughts and beliefs of another. There is not a religious book on this planet that I do not think is man made, whether it is the New Testament, Old Testament, Quran, or any other book that a religion might follow. This does not mean that if a person follows one of these books, or believes it is the word of God, there is anything wrong. There is only something wrong if following a religion, or a religious book, becomes an excuse or a reason to hate and be intolerant and violent towards others. Religion can uplift mankind, but it can also be pure poison, as the world is learning only too well as religious intolerance and hatred spreads like wildfire. Far too many are willing to kill and harm others of different faiths, religions and beliefs. A child of today will be lucky to see the things in nature I was able to see in my lifetime. And I was not able to see things in nature a person thirty years my senior could see. Gone are many of the vast rain forests, oceans rich with diverse and large marine life, large tracts of unspoiled land in all kinds of habitats. Humanity cannot survive in an unhealthy environment, so that protecting our environment, even if we could care less about nature, ultimately protects ourselves. The world will do far better with less religious intolerance, bigotry and fanaticism. We should be concerned with what we conserve and bequeath to the children of the future, and ensure it is not our hatreds.