Justice League of America #7

Rating: +2 Ranking. The basic question being asked by this JLA story is "Is religion worth it?" Although it asks it safely by introducing a fictional Kryptonian religion into the equation so that it can safely proclaim that the religion is a lie without offending its audience. But the basic premise is that religion is a lie but is it a lie that's worth believing? How much is one willing to give up to be uplifted by their faith in a lie? Is denying oneself much of the experience of living to believe in something more, something that gives meaning, worth the sacrifice?

The answer is easy in this story. Obviously the answer is no (even if Rao is actually making the world a better place which none of our gods have ever managed). Rao is asking everybody to give up their free will and their individuality to be content and satisfied while he gains immortality through their belief. Also, he's not exactly allowing people to do so willingly. But those are aspects of a super hero comic book that need to be in place so that when the Justice League decides for everybody on Earth that they will not be believers in Rao, the reader doesn't feel like they're forcing their choice on the masses.

But say Rao is the physical manifestation of any "god" of any Earth-based religion. What is the physical manifestation of god or religion? The church, its dogma, and its leaders. It is man that tells other men the "truths" of spirituality. It is just as much a lie as Rao. But that doesn't matter. The question, as I pointed out earlier, is whether the lie is worth believing or not. That's something every individual needs to answer. Many answer it in such a way that they're probably upset that I'm even claiming religion is a lie. They believe utterly and completely. And what the fuck do I care if they do? If it makes them happier, fine. Although if it makes other people less content with the only life they have because they believe they have a duty to force everybody else to believe the lie? I'm less content about that.

Keats once wrote "Beauty is truth; truth beauty. That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know." Truths are generally ugly. Lies are most often beautiful. Often we find we must choose which we want to color our life. Do we forsake the truth of reality to live in the lie of an eternally living ego? Or do we embrace the ugly thought of a cold, dark grave for the scientific truth of our random and utterly meaningless existence?

It's for this reason I own a Mulder UFO poster t-shirt. "I want to believe." I'd love to fucking believe. But I can't. The truth is out there and it isn't always great but if you throw out the bad truths to believe in some pretty little lies, you almost certainly throw out all the grand and beautiful truths of our universe. I'll choose truth any day.