February 2016:

300 dead in an execution fired by the Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq

March 2016:

Melee attack – A Uruguayan businessman stabbed to death the head of the Jewish Community in Paysandú; he stated Allah was responsible for this.

Toronto, Canada – 2 Canadian soldiers stabbed by a Canadian citizen while praising Allah

Brussels, Belgium – Airport attack: 32 dead.

June 2016:

Orlando, USA – Pulse Shooting, 49 dead. Part of Islamic Extremism

Istanbul, Turkey – Airport attack, 45 dead.

July 2016:

Nice, France – A cargo truck was driven into crowds killing 86 people that night

December 2016:

Berlin, Germany – 12 dead. A truck driver ran into a Christmas Market, later on the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

The number of fatalities shown in this very summarized number of attacks that happened all over the world in 2016 are not just numbers, they were people who had something to do the day after, they had plans, dreams, children waiting for them at home, they were just like you; and why was their life taken away? The answer to that is clear: religious extremists and/or religious issues

Religion; defined as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power”, is a very simple word but with a hell lot of meaning. Religion is not only worshiping a God, it’s a word that can start an endless amount of wars, fury, and rebellion around the whole wide world.

As of 2014, 4200 different religions were documented. People have been practicing them for hundreds of years, but practice is really not the issue… It’s the mindset that comes along with it. Truth is, religion has been fucking us up for many years, but 2016 was one of the biggest victims. Are we supposed to let 2017 be a victim too?

The greatest issue with beliefs is that either you’re inside the clique or you’re out. Either you’re a sinner for not believing in THEIR God, or you’re going to heaven straight away for believing in them. But… out of the 4200 different worships which one are you supposed to believe in? What makes YOUR religion better than the others? Why is Christianity better than Buddhism? And why is Hinduism better than Taoism? Why is Islam worse than Jainism? People have the right to choose which religion they want to follow, if any at all, and no, your religious beliefs are not better than anyone else’s. Just because Christianity is the most common in the world, does not mean it is the best and everybody should think like them.

If people want to have faith and believe in their God, LET THEM; and if people want to believe in science and not in any God, LET THEM. Newsflash: your religion doesn’t make you a better person, and if you get into arguments about how yours is better than the guy next to you and start hating someone just because they think differently than you, let aside all beliefs: are you even a good person?

To think an 8-letter word caused so many deaths the past year is really mind-blowing. Killing people because their God told them to? Killing them out of hatred because they do not believe in the same things you do? Sure, maybe in the last year there has been more “Allahu akbar” (AKA Islamists) statements in different mass shooting around the world, but lets not be hypocrites, there are religious extremists everywhere and of every religion. Lets not forget the hundreds of Catholic church sex abuse cases and the way that most religions used to hate or still hate the LGBT community and sees them as a sin.

If we do not want religion to fuck 2017 up, then we should begin by doing something other than pray so these massacres do not happen again; we should stop making silly excuses such as “God knows why he does things” (talking about different mass shootings). Start by not talking about your beliefs, if your faith and God make you happy that’s amazing, but please keep it to yourself; not everyone needs to think like you.

Respect Christians, Islamists, Atheists, Buddhists... They are people too.

Stop being slaves of your own faith, be humans first.

Lets stop praying and start doing.