Religions are slavery not salvation

Submitted by Craig (Canada), Aug 11, 2005 at 03:51

I am about to be shot at by all sides...

Religion of all denominations have caused more grief to humanity than any disease or natural disaster. The reason is that religion is an instrument of the power-monger which can be wielded to enslave entire nations. Arrogance + Ignorance = Deadly. This formula is accurate for just about anything in everday life. Sadly, it is the formula used by religion; to the ruin of humanity and what good we are capable of.

The majority of humanity believes in a higher power. I include myself amongst the majority. It is human nature to try and 'humanise' this higher power in order to comprehend what it is. It is also human nature to fear what we don't understand (i.e. what happens when you die, or God).

Throughout our recent history (i.e. the last 6000 years) we have been blessed with many teachers that understood what we did not. These holy people would attempt to teach as many as would listen, with messages that the populace could understand; given the culture and environment of the time. Alas, they came to us as humans and so suffered our fate and departed the flesh as we all must. Their teachings would be written down by those that wished to preserve the messages so that they could be passed on to others. Unfortunately, if 3 people witness something, there are at least 3 versions of the 'truth' regarding the event.

The problem arises when men convince other men that what was written is 'The TRUE Will of God' and that the only way to recieve everlasting life is accept their interpretation of the writings. If it suits their purpose, they are willing to leave out some of the writings or alter those that don't serve the plan. These power-mongers play on humanity's fear of death, offering comforting words, but at the price of your mortal freedoms (don't confuse this with morality...I mean the masses are willing to be enslaved). In order to recieve life everlasting you are required to conform to rituals and rules governed by the power-monger. Failing to comply to the power-monger's will, you face death in a gruesome fashion as punishment for your 'heracy'.

Every religion suffers the same fate. You praise the same God (Gods, or Goddesses) yet some one interprets the text differently and begins teaching their view. Suddenly you have a splinter group. Next thing you have is hate growing between worshipers of the SAME GOD. The irony is that the majority of religions preach love and morality but condone hate and immorality (i.e. killing) towards those that do not worship like they do.

Take that a step further and open war is declared between worshippers of a DIFFERENT GOD!!! The sad thing is, they worship the same higher power but because the teachings they recieved were flavored with the culture and environment of the time and location of their teacher(s) they call the higher power by a different name.

Along the path of history, many have been willing to prevert the words (or status?) of these teachers if it meant greater power to them. Just suggest a curse on those that alter the writings then no one would believe you changed them. (i.e. 70+ versions of the Christian Bible). If your teacher was a messiah then obviously the words carry more wieght than that of a simple Holyman. But wait...what if he was actually God? Then the words mean more than those of a messiah.

As is your right (or perhaps not) you should worship a higher power in a manner you see fit. Call it/him/her what you see fit. But when your book says killing is wrong, but then tells you to kill those that are 'heretics', 'infidels', 'barbarian', etc. then perhaps it is time to use the grey matter between your ears and realize that you are being tricked.

Personally, I believe God requires no name. If your name is Robert but your friends call you Bob, should they be put to death by those that call you Robert? Humans are fairly limited creatures, even in our own environment. If God did have a name, it would be from a realm that we can't begin to comprehend and I don't believe we could even pronounce it.

I was raised Christian and believe in Jesus Christ though I don't believe he was 'God on Earth'. I believe he was a 'Gift from God' and a shining example of what a human could be through faith in the love from God. He taught FAITH...not religion. Sadly, his teachings were turned into one of the bloodiest religions of all history. I believe in a God that loves me because I am faulty and frail (aka human) and I offer my love in return. I am fairly certain that 'your' God loves you too for the same reason.

The truth of it is, too many people would rather have some one tell them how to find God rather than actively seek for Him. This is exactly what the power-monger is looking for. "Seek and ye shall find" is a famous quote from Jesus. I wouldn't be surprised if all the great teachers said the same thing in their own way.

Perhaps we could all benefit if we dropped our Arrogance and admitted our Ignorance. Only then will be ready to achieve our potential.

With Love and Respect to All Faiths,

Craig

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".