Foul Play at the Heart of Religion

Why do we have religions? Why were they ever invented? Were they ever invented? These stories that we keep wrapped up in leather and gold— where do they all come from? God?

Most certainly not, I'd say. Not God. The origin of these old books and stories are human. If anything they are ancient or even archaic experiments of exploring sides of the divine that leaves you with the feeling of false pretences and ill intent. A way of making sense where there is none.

Like. How can you read the most swollen metaphor for «Do not Read on, lest you'll die», and still you carry on reading for hundreds of pages, as the meandering sentences of soothing soma crawls along on the parchment like snakes, back and forth, from top down? You can see it carries on can't you? And understanding this stuff is pretty amazing, like a tasty fruit, don't you think? «Don't eat from it, it's so long and boring that it's deadly!»

Point taken, God, we are most likely to die than fully sorting out his LORDship and his religion. However, if we could be alive and kicking healthy arse for centuries and centuries, that would be a good place to start. Telomere refill anyone? And access to all religious evidence and all the tools available to study it properly, that would be mint as well. And a little peace of mind and good troll repellant— I promise to laugh if I ever read this here sentence online a century or two from now. I promise, but that would improve things too.

SO: What is it with religion that makes your blood bubble and your heart tic?

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

Well now ....Jas 1:26 If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but instead deceives himself, his religion is worthless.
Jas 1:27 A religion that is pure and stainless according to God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. ISV The truth comes out and then a lie is produced to go around the world that takes on many forms to fit to the peoples and places of their time .

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

SO: What is it with religion that makes your blood bubble and your heart tic?

I have no problem with religion, couldn't care less where it originated or even what it teaches. What boils my blood is that what should be a personal spiritual belief and experience has become an "in-your-face", shoved down our throats load of nonsense.

It infects our governments, our communities and we can't live our lives without someone telling us what awaits us on the other side if we don't confess immediately.

That's what I dislike the most.

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

Religion gave us morals, made it possible to live in societies without well stuff from the 10 commandments happening.
Now we have laws and like religion they who make the rules make sure they don't affect their ways.
Priests made sure for along time that the common people didn't understand what they taught, kept it all in symbls (latin f.e.) that would go over the masses head for sure.
But it isn't gods fault it is all just a matter of definition. What is this god?

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

SO: What is it with religion that makes your blood bubble and your heart tic?

I don't like peoples faith people exploited and I don't like faith being imposed onto people.

Televangelists rub me the wrong way as well, they skewer the message so far that the original message is lost and it becomes the book of Kenneth Copeland or whoever.

Kenneth Copeland especially-he was creepy.

Religion™ is everywhere...

You can look at the Sioux Nation who said "Religion is for folks afraid of Hell, 'Spirituality' is for folks that have already been..."

Or a bumper sticker "I have nothing against God, I have a problem with His fan club"

To billboard: "Religion is like a penis, it is okay to have one, okay to be proud of it, just don't pull it out in public and by all means don't try and force it down My child's throat..."

namaste

a reply to: JimNasium

SO: What is it with religion that makes your blood bubble and your heart tic?

Religion is an important stepping stone for many on the spiritual path. It is possible to get a basic spiritual education in most religions. However, religion isn't for me. That being said...I am happy for those folks that are religious and that find light and comfort there. I have no reason to have any anger or ill-will towards someone who is involved in an honest pursuit of God and meaning in their lives. Only Atheists are dead inside and for them I have great pity.

For me, God and I don't need a middle man.

originally posted by: Metallicus

SO: What is it with religion that makes your blood bubble and your heart tic?

Religion is an important stepping stone for many on the spiritual path. It is possible to get a basic spiritual education in most religions. However, religion isn't for me. That being said...I am happy for those folks that are religious and that find light and comfort there. I have no reason to have any anger or ill-will towards someone who is involved in an honest pursuit of God and meaning in their lives. Only Atheists are dead inside and for them I have great pity.

For me, God and I don't need a middle man.

What could possibly be wrong in not believing there is an intelligent designer?

originally posted by: Utnapisjtim
SO: What is it with religion that makes your blood bubble and your heart tic?

The hidden agenda behind it for starters...

The stealth agenda is to keep you away from the genuine.

I would be VERY surprised if all of the counterfeits were not forgeries created to discredit the real.

Whenever you have a genuine, there will ALWAYS be a counterfeit..

Satan always creates a counterfeit in order to discredit the genuine.

Our world is FULL of imitations! WHY should religion be any different?

Now, passing counterfeit money is a crime, causing inconvenience, loss and disappointment to the victim. But counterfeit religion is even worse. It’s deceptive, because it looks so much like the real thing. But sooner or later, it will catch up with the person who tries to pass it off as genuine religion. And when that happens, people get hurt; especially the people who know genuine religion. They often get turned off on all religion, and want nothing more to do with it.

Counterfeit or Genuine

When the Secret Service trains its members to recognize counterfeit money, they begin by studying and learning the genuine article. They study in great detail all of its protections, its paper and markings, and the very smallest details to ensure they know the “real thing” better than anything. A bank teller deals with money all day long and he or she can get a good feel of the currency and know the “real thing” from experience and handling the bills on a daily basis.

We begin by finding the genuine article by looking at the name…one that honors its founder and creator. As Christ pointed out to Peter, in Matthew 16:18, Christ is the founder…any other is an imposter/man-made/counterfeit.

Counterfeit Religion

a reply to: Peeple

I'm pretty sure we come into this world with morals. Look at small children and babies, you don't see them snapping each other's necks and ganging up on each other. We instinctively want to be treated well, and know to treat others how we want to be.

There are exceptions, obviously -- sociopaths and psychopaths. The vast majority of people, however, are naturally good.

Religious "morals" were only written down and held over over people's heads as a way to justify punishing and controlling people. Saying, "I know how it all works -- I know the secret of the afterlife" gave the priesthood and church massive power over the uneducated and illiterate.

Power, control and money.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

The Book of Jasher you seem to refer to is a proven 18th century forgery as far as I know. Which is relevant, for isn't Religion a packet of old lies; twisted archaic logics and morals that need magic and force, blind senseless submission for it to work?

If this guy is a genuinely good person, would you recommend for him reading hundreds of pages about, well, crimes mostly, and bronze-age justice involving stoning and animal sacrifice? Would you recommend studies in war tactics involving the killing and torture of civilians, and descriptions of so many murders and massacres that it takes the whole of Hollywood to match it?

Nah, I'd recommend for him to stay off the Bible, and he'd be better off in keeping track of his soul and his sanity.

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

I'd recommend for him to stay off the Bible...

FYI, religion will tell you the same thing.

Why?

Religion was created to HIDE the truth from you about God.

Like the sig quote says:

religions destroy spirituality... ~ Michael Ellner

Behind religion stands the father of ALL lies.

This is why religion ALWAYS lies.

Jesus OPPOSED religion and religious people hated Him.

As you can see from their own writings the Catholic Church has always opposed the Bible...

www.portlandchristians.net...

After The Roman Catholic church got underway, they immediately started killing Bible believing Christians with the Inquisition.
www.youtube.com...

"Opened on Thursday alongside the Inquisition archives was the infamous Index of Forbidden Books, which Roman Catholics were forbidden to read or possess on pain of excommunication. They showed that even "the Bible" was once on the blacklist. Translations of the holy book ended up on the bonfires along with other ``heretical'' works...

"Canon 14. We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; ...we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books."
paintingpictures.xanga.com...

a reply to: Peeple

I think most people are born with some type of moral barometer, and well learn throughout childhood experience what is right and what is wrong.

I also think that religions came along and codified some basic morals that were accepted by a large majority but then thru in a bunch that was mainly to unite a large group of people and convince them to become a city, a state, a nation.

morality and those codes are not the same, never have been...
and well, when left unchecked those codes can produce some pretty danged immoral acts!

Religion, it's not what the cool kids do.

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

That quote comes from the book of James NT .

If this guy is a genuinely good person, would you recommend for him reading hundreds of pages about,

who gets to define "a good person" ?

originally posted by: HUMBLEONE
Religion, it's not what the cool kids do.

Good, because cool kids tend to be shallow and vapid mouth breathers.

a reply to: introvert

In other words, you have a problem with religion.

You are like the man in VA who saw everyone and everything around him as racist or bigoted only for you it's religious or religiously motivated.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Little hard for a baby to snap another's neck. They don't have the physical capacity.

However, as for babies having morality. Put down two toddler and one toy. See what happens.

a reply to: ketsuko

That's a little harsh don't you think? Comparing him to a guy who murdered people in cold blood. Not very nice of you.