organized religion

[debbie mannas]

I agree.



We see it happening around us every single day. Its especially bad if the masses are poor or poorly educated.

[Rev9Volts]

was created/used to control the masses... once there were a few people the local king etc. had an army to control the serfs. then the people populated too much so organised religion was creqated to scare people into behaving properly...





agree? disagree?

Edited by: Rev9Volts at: 7/21/03 4:48 pm

[DreamTone7]

I agree that it sometimes is twisted in this fashion. But it was never planned that way (at least not for Christianity and Judaism).



Currently, there is one religion that justifies just about anything you care to name, and then some. It's called Business. (Think about it).

[debbie mannas]

Like I said, I believe that the originators were messengers, and the message was always the same: love and peace, told to the people in the language of those times. It was also a guide of how to live in those times, matters of hygiene, (how to clean food) and living etc just for the species to survive and not die of dreadful diseases.



Then men came along and started throwing in stuff to control the masses - God said you cant do this, God said you cant do that... and the scared masses blindly followed. And the water jar of faith gradually fills up with ugly stones while the pure water overflows and trickled away down the side.



I tend not to quote the bible either. Except for the two new commandments.



And you're right, the new religion now is money and materialism and capitalistic success. Funny how the guys running the show use THEIR religion (Christianity or whatever) to sell it to the masses though. "God said we are the chosen religion. We must protect our religion, "they" want to kill us all...."



I've seen leaders do this kind of @#%$ in India as well, and thousands upon thousands of people die in "religious" violence every year.

[NRKofOver]

I think religion was created through a somewhat inherent need to make sense of human self-awareness. The history of 'religion' is entirely too diverse to think that it was designed just as a control mechanism.



However, as time has progressed, I do believe that people have used religion for their own purposes but people use mass media and education/indoctrination in much the same way.



Free thought really needs to be void of religous expectation. The goal of any religion, if any kind of God does exist, should be the growth of the spiritual individual. Not adherence to blind dogma created by dead guys.



I think in the US one of the most obvious elements of religion as a control mechanism is in conversations about gay rights/legislation. I don't really care which side of the issue one may fall on, but I do take exception to people justifying anti-gay positions because of religious fervor. Ultimately, discussion of socio-political topics needs to remove religion as a basis for behavior because not everyone will ever believe in the same God and when it comes to freedom and individual equality, God is of no consequence. Just as many people in the US are afraid of Islam, I'm terribly frightened of Christianity and the perpetuation of difference that fanatical adherence to a religion creates.

Read all about ME!

[Galmin]

I tend to agree.



I didn't know you entertained Marxist ideas, Rev



















"Religion is opium for the people"

-Karl Marx

[Rev9Volts]

i do not think it is or should be, but rather organized religion has been turned into if you put it into food terms it is like fast food that uinheaoltily fiills you up to fulfuill a need and/or desire for spirituality. i think what it does is keep a person on the fast food level instead of growing spiritually to a gastronomic level.

[Rev9Volts]

i think government fosters it to controll people. we don't have enough cops/police to keep everyone in line so we will scare you into behaving and use guilt to make you behave or else the "debil" will take you soul for eternety.



so not only people miss out on a deeper spirituality but feel guilty etc.



now i am not saying their is or isn't a "debil" or that "god" is the judeo/christian image.

[DreamTone7]

NRK - "I think religion was created through a somewhat inherent need to make sense of human self-awareness. The history of 'religion' is entirely too diverse to think that it was designed just as a control mechanism."



OK....take it one step further and ask yourself the question "WHY". Why do we have this inherent need? Maybe because we were designed that way?



And then: WHY were we designed that way?....and by whom? (Are we there yet? )

[Galmin]

An evil force did it just to watch us go through life were everything fun is not allowed (or at least gives us agony and unwonted guilt) in hope for reward in a nonexistent heaven?



If it's thus that evil force had a great sense of humor.

[DreamTone7]

So you say heaven does not exist? Prove it Mr. Galmin! Where's your documentation?! (hee-hee-hee-hee! )



I would also like to see your definition of "fun".....just for giggles.

[Galmin]

I never claimed that heaven doesn't exist.



The old norse faith of the ASA was stuffed with good advice and not so utterly rigid by dogma as all our contemporary religion in the western world, though.



Or: have a boring life and god will reward you for it at its end.



Take the dogma away from more or less any religion and it's a pretty alright one.

[Rev9Volts]

well i was thinking more of the 10 commandments to start. remember say moses did not have prisions. although that brings up a good point. in the south usa there are many baptists who do not drink alkohol and so the church controll things like that.

[Galmin]

Quote:

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I would also like to see your definition of "fun".....just for giggles

---

Imagine that the meaning of life is to reproduce and drink beer.





Lets think...hmm.. sex?



Wouldn't it be a bummer for all the nuns and monks that dedicated their lives to celibacy and serving a diety if it turns out that there is no afterlife, no room for them booked behind that pearly gate and they blew the one chance they had?



Are you giggling yet?

Quote:

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in the south usa there are many baptists who do not drink alkohol

---

That's another potential bummer.













"Maybe some Eskimo tribe has been right all along and God is an Icebear. How surprised all the others will be" -Gardell

[DreamTone7]

Sex and beer? What would really be a "bummer" is if sex and beer were the only things in life that WERE any fun.



I'm just glad that the Bible says nothing about making music!