Church, Religion and Control

Capt Lightning said:
I've said in many posts that my parents could never explain why they were religious or why I had to go to church or bible class - you just had to.
Alongside that was the belief that Catholicism was the work of Satan and the pope was the Antichrist. Nervelessness, we has good friends of various religions and we generally all got along as long as we didn't marry outside of our own church. Marrying a catholic was one of the greatest sins that one could commit. I know of a neighbour's daughter who married a Catholic man and was never allowed back into her parents' house again. I don't condone that, but I understand it.

The world would be a much better place is we rid it of beliefs in these mythical gods etc., and pulled together as people to solve our problems.
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Going to a Catholic school in the 1950's and taught by Catholic nuns, we were pretty much told that all Protestants were living in sin and unlikely to go to heaven. Catholicism claims to be the only Christian church that can track itself all the way back to the apostles. The Pope is alleged to be infallible on certain matters.
Many Muslims claim to belong to the only true religion and that Christians will go to hell. Many Christians claim to belong to the only true religion and that Muslims will go to hell.
I have long ago concluded that they all can't be right, so they must all be wrong.
 

I guess people need something to believe in, like a code of ethics to live by. Divine Supernaturalism provides mystery to the unattainable proof of godly existence. God is as you interpret God to be. I don't know how Atheists interpret God based on the belief that God doesn't exist to begin with, but for anyone who believes, supportive or non-supportive of God is your concept of God. God is unique to each individual.

The problem with religion is the absence of original thinking and failing to incorporate Eastern Philosophy into Western beliefs and practice. Unyielding faith-based religions teach people how they should live spiritually according to the Bible. The Bible however, does not include scripture about the relationship of balance, positive/negative influence, law of attraction or the meaning of Oneness.

God's image remains that of a singular aged male figure sometimes surrounded by mist or clouds. It is misleading understanding God in a humanistic fatherly relationship especially people like myself having experienced trauma caused by their father. The way I understand God is all that is, has been and yet to be, God is.

Most people interpret God as a humanized entity who decides what happens on earth and beyond. God is not a single being, but all things known and unknown to us. As you read this, you are a component to God as everything and everyone else. Believing in God is simply recognizing God is beyond our understanding. God is. Whatever you may believe in life it because a part of who you are. No one can control how you think or what you believe.

It's a lot easier to understand God as the whole of all things. Because you and I belong to the whole of all things have the power and ability to promote change. God is cool, are we not?
 
Was brought up as a Catholic in suburban California areas going to mass most Sundays. Went to public schools and no Sunday schools teachings, that had far more influence on me than church. My parents didn't demand anything more than the general 10 Commandments and left much teaching to what one heard as sermons in mass. My two best friends during prime single digit years were nasty, pugnacious kids. At age 12, my mother allowed me to stop going to church and I did after becoming skeptical over some of what I read in the OT Bible that seemed like fables, for instance Noah's Ark. Have since as a young adult been to Hell and gradually over decades back.

Many atheists conveniently blame God and Jesus for evils like war and slavery in the world that are more correctly the result of powerful political powers that have consistently infiltrated churches. The Old Testament is full of such history that was repeated in the NT era, yet people in our modern era conveniently tend to blame God because those religious powers claim they receive knowledge, wisdom, and direction directly from God which in my opinion is an ignorant way to assess what is arguably difficult and historically vague and vast.

There are many regions in the Creationist Bible Belt where churches have over recent decades stubbornly impressed their beliefs on all manner of society. In the limited world those regions developed in, in those days of limited communication and media, it was a wise thing to do and generally worked well at least for its intended ethnic. Today small minds without much understanding or sense of cultural history view them myopically through the lens of recent decade morals and ethics. In this modern world wide telecommunication science era, their world is rapidly unraveling. Many anti-religious have been quick to inflict overall criticism ignoring the enormous good many religious groups, especially in myriad local communities, have also done and still do.
 

"Most people" don't blame "God or Jesus". How can you blame something that doesn't exist? Nor do they use information from the present only. Some of the most vicious behavior dates back 1000'S of years. Of course there is some good done - unfortunately, it is often done selectively - i.e. only for certain groups they approve of. Many whites will not help minority groups or immigrants who need help . The religious are too often extremely judgmental and equally often base their evaluation of the need for help on the outcome of that evaluation.. For myself personally,I have no problem leaving an individual in peace to practices any religion they choose as long they allow the same freedom for me ,
 
That is why I vaguely used the term "Most". Whether that is a majority or not would be a long fruitless off topic discussion. For instance many blame God when they pray for sick or dying loved ones if such has no effect and subsequently lose faith. The general point IMO is still valid

@Raddragn >>> How can you blame something that doesn't exist?

Statement shows both your opinion and attitude.
 
I have to say I've never experienced that! And I'm a nurse who haa seen much death while working in Critical Care.

"Statement shows both your opinion and attitude."
Absolutely! I do not believe in the existence of any God of any religion, but - again - I am content to let other believe as long as they do the same for me. Live and let live!
 
David777 said:
That is why I vaguely used the term "Most". Whether that is a majority or not would be a long fruitless off topic discussion. For instance many blame God when they pray for sick or dying loved ones if such has no effect and subsequently lose faith. The general point IMO is still valid

@Raddragn >>> How can you blame something that doesn't exist?

Statement shows both your opinion and attitude.
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As yours also does - which is the inability to accept the beliefs of others. "My belief is the only right belief."
A trait found in many religious people.
 
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Raddragn said:


" ' I don't have any statistics on the issue, but I strongly suspect that a comparison would show that overall. religions have done far more damage to human beings (burning at the stake, torture, starvation, etc.) than good - especially to women - subjugating and enslaving them. I could be wrong, but given all the history I've read, I don't think so '

If you don't mind my saying anyone trying to judge a movement or religion in the way you've done is bound to be stymied by this obvious weakness, no one can say for sure whether the last two thousand years without any religion would have been better or worse "overall"!
The question is both futile and unhelpful too, because the impact of religion on everyone's lives during such a huge period of time, covering many many generations, goes far beyond what anyone thinks of it now in terms of its significance."

I disagree. Past behavior is too often a prediction of future behavior. I do agree that trying to ascertain whether or not the past would have been worse without religion would, at best , be difficult. There aren't many cultures to study that do not have at least one religions.. Almost all of them use religion to explain phenomena, behaviors and other "inexplicable" events. - as well as to control their populations - by any means possible!
 
I never argue politics nor religion because I can never win. It just upsets and get people mad because everyone thinks they know it all when it comes to religion and politics. I believe in "letting sleeping dogs sleep" especially if they are pit bulls.
 

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The Dark Ages were that way because of the power of the church during those centuries. From the American perspective, our Founding Fathers were part of the Age of Reason, which was a movement away from and rebellion against religion.
 
helenbacque said:
A wise man once said "Don't get your politics from a pulpit or your religion from a politician."
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No, a wise man never made such a statement, can't believe anyone came up with that one, (any names come to mind?)!
I do know a politician once answered a question about whether or not he was religious by saying "A wise man never says one way or the other", and I think this is a clever answer because it shuts off a whole heap of awkward questions! :)
 
SeniorBen said:
The Dark Ages were that way because of the power of the church during those centuries. From the American perspective, our Founding Fathers were part of the Age of Reason, which was a movement away from and rebellion against religion.
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No, I don't think so, (think "the enlightenment", and most if not all colleges set up in Oxford in the 12th or 13th centuries had religion or religious thought as their motivating factor, and many monasteries were centres of great learning when there were probably no others!).
 
grahamg said:
No, I don't think so, (think "the enlightenment", and most if not all colleges set up in Oxford in the 12th or 13th centuries had religion or religious thought as their motivating factor, and many monasteries were centres of great learning when there were probably no others!).
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Of course 12th & 13th centuries not really part of so called 'Dark Ages.' But yes, you are correct re: the monasteries, etc.
 
Mr. Ed said:
I guess people need something to believe in, like a code of ethics to live by. Divine Supernaturalism provides mystery to the unattainable proof of godly existence. God is as you interpret God to be. I don't know how Atheists interpret God based on the belief that God doesn't exist to begin with, but for anyone who believes, supportive or non-supportive of God is your concept of God. God is unique to each individual.

The problem with religion is the absence of original thinking and failing to incorporate Eastern Philosophy into Western beliefs and practice. Unyielding faith-based religions teach people how they should live spiritually according to the Bible. The Bible however, does not include scripture about the relationship of balance, positive/negative influence, law of attraction or the meaning of Oneness.

God's image remains that of a singular aged male figure sometimes surrounded by mist or clouds. It is misleading understanding God in a humanistic fatherly relationship especially people like myself having experienced trauma caused by their father. The way I understand God is all that is, has been and yet to be, God is.

Most people interpret God as a humanized entity who decides what happens on earth and beyond. God is not a single being, but all things known and unknown to us. As you read this, you are a component to God as everything and everyone else. Believing in God is simply recognizing God is beyond our understanding. God is. Whatever you may believe in life it because a part of who you are. No one can control how you think or what you believe.

It's a lot easier to understand God as the whole of all things. Because you and I belong to the whole of all things have the power and ability to promote change. God is cool, are we not?
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I seem to remember those going into battle hundreds of years ago, when yes religions were much much stronger than today, wanted to believe "right" or "God" was on their side, (both sides in mediavel battles doing this)!

Going into any battles before any kind of painkiller or medicine/antibiotics existed, and maybe facing overwhelming odds, might make the most sceptical consider a little bit of religion a good thing!
 
Religions in general and Christianity in particular has for centuries been guilty of one of the greatest sins of humanity against itself - the enslaving of groups of human beings by groups of other human beings who claim to have the right because they are supposedly superior. Many still do today on the QT. That is not humane, compassionate, ethical behavior, or "Christian", for that matter. The hypocrisy is extensive and long lived.
 
Raddragn said:
Religions in general and Christianity in particular has for centuries been guilty of one of the greatest sins of humanity against itself - the enslaving of groups of human beings by groups of other human beings who claim to have the right because they are supposedly superior. Many still do today on the QT. That is not humane, compassionate, ethical behavior, or "Christian", for that matter. The hypocrisy is extensive and long lived.
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Like what the Catholic church did to Native American children to "civilize" them in boarding schools......
 
Raddragn said:
Religions in general and Christianity in particular has for centuries been guilty of one of the greatest sins of humanity against itself - the enslaving of groups of human beings by groups of other human beings who claim to have the right because they are supposedly superior. Many still do today on the QT. That is not humane, compassionate, ethical behavior, or "Christian", for that matter. The hypocrisy is extensive and long lived.
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Who are you to judge though, (or any of us?), given we've probably not got a clue what it was really like to live in those days, with " the devine right of kings" being so prevalent in everyone's thinking, and all the rest of it, (no easy communication, few people literate, and little understanding of science etc., etc., etc.!). :(
 
I am a Christian although I do not go to church, I find the rules of churches to be too extreme and I do not like the so called highly religious people there doing the shame game on me. I like the forgiveness that Christianity offers. What I believe is very simple do as much good as you can do.
 
oldaunt said:
Not being christian, i feel inclined to judge something very wrong as being...wrong. As for ignorance, my family was one of those affected...
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Another snipe at Christians I notice, and on behalf of your whole family too, (sorry for my part in whatever happened to them, if I had any!), but as a suggestion, just take a look at the Dr Martin Luther King jnr autobiography, (completed after his death from his papers, assisted by those knowing him very very well).

There you will find liberated thinking much of which came from the bible, some of it written when in solitary confinement, jailed on trumped up charges, and yes he answered other churchman trying to condemn him, but in a very friendly way that must have made them feel complete fools!
 

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