What is religion...really?

Creationist or evolutionist. Atheist or devout follower. Everyone has an opinion on religion. post yours here. Be polite and considerate of others....this is not a debate forum...just a place to express your ideas.

[edit on 14-8-2005 by oveon]

I think that religion has two purposes. 1). provide an explanation of the unexplained to mankind. How we as a race explain things to ourselves.(especially about death) 2). A way to govern how people interact with each other.By saying that "GOD" said this is how you do something, you are governing in a way. This also allows for theologists to interpret biblical passages to suit their needs. Obviously leaves the door open for intentional and mistaken interpretation.

Religions are created in order to enslave mankind through psychological manipulation. I have found proof of this by treating the Bible and other ancient writings as being written in an allegoric code which also serves as the basis for the so-called DaVinci Code. Here is a sample of my approach:

The Gospel of Mark 4:10-12 (NIV) reads:

10 When he (Jesus) was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"

In Theaetetus Plato (4th century BC) quotes Socrates as remarking:

"In the name of the Graces, what an almighty wise man Protagoras must have been! He spoke these things in a parable to the common herd, like you and me, but told the truth, his Truth, in secret to his own disciples."
Microsoft Encarta says:
"Protagoras was the first thinker to call himself a Sophist and to teach for pay, receiving large sums from his pupils."
In Protagoras Plato states:
"Now the art of the Sophist is, as I believe, of great antiquity; but in ancient times those who practiced it, fearing this odium, veiled and disguised themselves under various names, some under that of poets, as Homer, Hesiod, and Simonides, some, of hierophants and prophets, as Orpheus and Musaeus, and some, as I observe, even under the name of gymnastic-masters, like Iccus of Tarentum, or the more recently celebrated Herodicus, now of Selymbria and formerly of Megara, who is a first-rate Sophist. Your own Agathocles pretended to be a musician, but was really an eminent Sophist; also Pythocleides the Cean; and there were many others; and all of them, as I was saying, adopted these arts as veils or disguises because they were afraid of the odium which they would incur."
From Plato's Sophist: "Socrates. Is he not rather a god, Theodorus, who comes to us in the disguise of a stranger?"

Gospel of Mark 3:11-12:
11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
Gospel of Mark 8:27-30:
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Correctness
HERMOGENES: "I should explain to you, Socrates, that our friend Cratylus has been arguing about names; he says that they are natural and not conventional; not a portion of the human voice which men agree to use; but that there is a truth or correctness in them, which is the same for Hellenes as for barbarians. Whereupon I ask him, whether his own name of
Cratylus is a true name or not, and he answers 'Yes.' And Socrates? 'Yes.' Then every man's name, as I tell him, is that which he is called. To this he replies--'If all the world were to call you Hermogenes, that would not be your name.' And when I am anxious to have a further explanation he is ironical and mysterious, and seems to imply that he has a notion of his own about the matter, if he would only tell, and could entirely convince me, if he chose to be intelligible." Cratylus Plato

SOCRATES:"…a king will often be the son of a king…and similarly the offspring of every kind, in the regular course of nature, is like the parent, and therefore has the same name. Yet the syllables may be disguised until they appear different to the ignorant person, and he may not recognize them, although they are the same… in like manner the etymologist is not put out by the addition or transposition or subtraction of a letter or two, or indeed by the change of all the letters, for this need not interfere with the meaning" Cratylus Plato

"I (Callicles) feel towards philosophers as I do towards those who lisp and imitate children. For I love to see a little child, who is not of an age to speak plainly, lisping at his play; there is an appearance of grace and freedom in his utterance, which is natural to his childish years. But when I hear some small creature carefully articulating its words, I am offended; the sound is disagreeable, and has to my ears the twang of slavery." Gorgias Plato (OVER)
Rom. 6:22 "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God…"

The "lisp" in practice—Pule (Greek for "gate") = Paul = Paulus (Greek for "small") = Phaulus (Greek for "evil") = Philos (Greek for "friend") = allegoric interpretation [Protagorus = protos (first) Horus or protogonistes (chief actor)?]

SOCRATES: "And therefore I have the most entire conviction that he (Hesiod) called them demons, because they were daemones (knowing or wise), and in our older Attic dialect the word itself occurs." Cratylus Plato
Correctness at work
"demon" ="dam" (Hebrew for "blood") = "damam" (Hebrew for "dumb" or "silent") = "silent" = "tacit" = "tranquil"
From Microsoft Encarta
Tacitus, Cornelius (55?-after 117), Roman historian, born probably in Rome.
Suetonius, full name Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (70?-130?), Roman biographer and historian of culture
Josephus, Flavius (ad 37?-101?), Jewish historian, born in Jerusalem of both royal and priestly lineage.
Joseph of Arimathea = Joseph bar Matthias (a.k.a. Josephus)

Isa. 36:11 "Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, 'Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.'"
"…Shebna the secretary…" (2 Kings 18:18,37;19:2;Isa 36:3,22;37:2)
Isa.22:15 "This is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: "Go, say to this steward, to Shebna, who is in charge of the palace: 16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave for yourself here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock?" ("grave" = "written history")

Matt. 27:59 Joseph (of Arimathea) took the body (of Christ), wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock(G. petra). He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.
John 19:38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away.
-- From Microsoft Encarta:
"According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea kept the (Holy) Grail after the Last Supper and collected Jesus’ blood in it when Jesus was crucified." © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
"I (Josephus) saw many captives crucified, and remembered three of them as my former acquaintance. I was very sorry at this in my mind, and went with tears in my eyes to Titus, and told him of them; so he immediately commanded them to be taken down, and to have the greatest care taken of them, in order to their recovery; yet two of them died under the physician's hands, while the third recovered." (Life of Josephus para. 75)
John 1:42 And he (Andrew) brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).
Simon = Shim'own (Hebrew) = shemen (Hebrew for "oil" as used in "anointing") = shem (Hebrew for "names")
[Peter, by some accounts, was succeeded as Pope by "Linus" whose name means "linen" in Greek.]
Josephus = caphar (Hebrew for scribe) = Cephas = rock = Peter = Pater (father) = Joseph the "carpenter" and earthly father of Christ ["caphar" = "cipher"? Coincidence?] Josephus' histories are allegories that hide a history of early Christianity.
"carpenter" = "charash" (Hebrew for "carpenter" AND "silence") = "Kowresh" (Hebrew name for Cyrus the Great who freed the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity.)
Matt. 16:18 And I (Christ) tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Plato=Pluto=Hades) Paul's version of Christ belonged to an earlier incarnation of the Phoenix.
-- From Microsoft Encarta:
"Philo Judaeus, also Philo of Alexandria (circa 20bc-ad50), Jewish-Hellenistic philosopher; although considered the greatest Jewish philosopher of his age, he appropriated so completely the doctrines of Greek philosophy that he must be considered also a Greek philosopher…" (© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.)
Maria = merea' (Hebrew for "friend") = Philos (Greek for "friend") = "mother" of Christ (Plato's Ion defines "John")
Judas = Judah (H. Yehuwdah) = yada' (Hebrew meaning "to know")—KNOWLEDGE BETRAYED CHRIST
The Gospels are allegoric interpretations that combine elements taken from Josephus with those of John/Philos.
When the true secrets of allegoric interpretation were exposed, Philo used disinformation to create/resurrect Christ.
Da Vinci and many other "demons" knew and did not tell. Instead they left "parables" that pass on the truth to those with the ability to see. This is the nature of the Great Mysteries. Cratylus is a key. Josephus is a key. Alchemy is a key. Clues (balls of thread in the Labyrinth) are everywhere, they only need to be seen for what they are and followed.

Anyone care to comment?

I posted in the DaVinci Code thread what I thought, but I'll post it again here:

Why I Believe Religion is False


If you have taken any classes that deal with the ancient history of man, then you know that we did not worship a "god", we worshiped the Earth. As man progressed in the brain area, some figured out how to use this to their advantage. The more powerful ones of the people, claimed that there was a greater being. One whom only they could talk to. These people used the newly found religion to govern the people and force them to do their bidding. As civilization progressed, religion stuck strong with the powerful. Can you name me one group of people that were just as influential and powerful as the Kings? It was the Priests. They took the offerings that supposedly went to God, and used it for their own wealth. I believe it was not until the time of Jesus (yes I think he was a real person, but that he was as mortal as you or I) that religion took a turn for the better. It was during his time he preached goodness to the people. Instead of using religion against the peple, it was going to be used for the good of the people. It was going to keep the people ruly, as it had always done, but with a "better" side. To this day people fear committing sins for the reason that they will go to Hell. This has helped keep the world safer than it would have been had there been no religion. Religion is a government. It is nothing more. I do not believe in any religion, but i feel religion must be around. Why? It keeps the people under control. i don't mind religion being all around me. It is when it becomes a serious problem that I have a problem with it. I can't really explain as good as I want what exactly I believe, but I did my best.

I forgot who said it:

"Religion is the opiate for the unwashed public."