Religion is mind control?

Okay if religion is mind control, then what really happens when you die? do you just fade away? Just sleep for eternity? I don't get it. I mean if Christiantity is mind control then how come people have been possesed and stuff? Catholic religion is mind control. Defintely. They use religion as an excuse for money. I am not sure about Christiantity. I mean Chritiantity has got a lot of evidence to support it. The bible for one. But I guess without the bible, Chritians would have nothing to support their religion. But if there was no bible the religion wouldn't exist so I dunno.

I guess too much faith is put into a book really. I mean how did we get our hands on a millenium old book? I mean really howTF did we do that one?

Catholic religion is mind control. Defintely. They use religion as an excuse for money.

Really? That's funny. I have never seen a Catholic priest on TV asking for money. I have many times seen Pastors Hagee and Creflo Dollar on the tube talking about members 'stealing' tithes (a mortal sin, I might add). So, just who is out there preaching guilt and selling redemption? Isn't a 'pledge drive' just another way of saying "give us your money and we will (pretend to) give you salvation"?

This past Sunday, the Pastor at the local Bible Fellowship here asked us to repeat after him, "Jesus is Almighty God" several times. I have taken in some of his other sermons, and having the congregation repeat what he says is a standard tactic. Isn't that an attempt at imprinting of some sort, a form of mind control?

What Jesus actually said about His relationship to the Father was "I am in Him, and He is in Me."

If you have read the Bible, or are reading it, you would have/will notice that the Bible talks about how it came about. Moses wrote the first five books, and they were kept with the ark of the covenant for ages. Joshua added his part, and the book of Judges took up where he left off. When David came along, and the Israelites had their first real king, the books that had been written before were found when the ark was brought to Jerusalem, and David, then Solomon, who built the first Temple, institutionalized them and added Psalms and Proverbs. The Temple scribes (Levites?) took over from there, and we get Kings and Chronicles. The Israelites keep straying from the God of their fathers, run into trouble, get sold into slavery, etc., but the books are kept relatively intact from then on out, with additional books being added as time passes and more history is written. Then Jesus comes along, and the Council of Nicea codifies the New Testament around 400 AD or so. I am no Bible scholar, so please, anyone, feel free to add to or dispute this chronology. I can't leave out the Gnostic gospels, copies of which were found at Nag Hamadi in the 19th century. They are not, however, part of the Bible.

I believe the Bible certainly contains the wisdom of holy men passed down through the ages. I'm reading it again lately, more thoroughly, and the meaning it contains seems to jump off the pages at me now. I believe this is because the Holy Spirit has opened the eyes of my heart. I pray this blessing will be extended to everyone in good time.

Anything people feel strongly in can be twisted by another into a form of mind control. This does include religion, and I think every religion has at least once asked for money to support its cause. And anyways, isnt Catholicism a branch of Christianity? Be more specific when you point fingers.

Originally posted by Conspiracy Theorist06
Okay if religion is mind control, then what really happens when you die?

Religion isn't necessary for life after death. I happen to believe strongly in an existence after this one, but I'm agnostic. I don't believe in heaven or hell or even God, but that doesn't take away from my beliefs in spirituality or life after death.

Religion was made by man, the bible was written by men and all of that has nothing to do with the spirit or soul or what happens after we die.

I'm going to try this one last time. I don't know why but when i'm writing a post and I get this little itch that something might not be right, my computer will reboot itself before I can post it. It happend EVERY time.

Religion provides mankind with hope, which happens to be one of our greatest weakness's. Every con is born of hope, it can be used to take peoples money, control their lives and even convince them to commit suicide if abused just right. Religion exploits the weakness of hope.

Hope is also one of mankinds greatest strengths. Its gotten each of us thru crisis after crisis and led to our greatest achievements.

Religion is just a way of taking control by exploiting hope.

As for what happens when you die? well, all I can share is my own personal belief. Free will was not a gift to the mud and blood you call your body, it was a gift to you. You had it before you came here, you have it now and will continue to have it after you leave this world. What do you WANT to do when you die? Its up to you.

As I said, this is nothing more than MHO.

Love and light,

Wupy

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying they don't pass around the offering basket at Catholic churches, too. In the Bible, the Levites received no inheritance in the Promised Land, because the Temple and the offerings made there by all the other tribes was their inheritance.

Churches have to be supported by their members in order to exist, and there is a lot of competition out there these days. Hence the efforts to say, "there is no way but our way, all other ways lead to hell." That is where the control mechanisms come into play, imo.

To me, religion is the study of God, just as science is the study of Nature. There are many paths, but only one true destination, that being enlightenment and understanding, and ultimately, peace.

I personally think this is partially right.

Relion is like mind control.

but also....

Believing there is nothing after death is mind ignorance.

Believing in spirituality is mind freed.

My thuoughts.

The collection basket is not bad. It gives you the option to donate. Plus the church needs money somehow. But, the confession thing that the pastor holds in that little room you go into. That is stupid. Paying money for your sins to be cleared? Wouldn't that make Bill Gates God? Money is not religion. The rich are not any more spiritual than the poor. Money is not power either. Money is the ability to buy objects that you want. It is not a personality. It is not religion. It is not spirtual. It is not Godly. Therefore it is not power. In my opinion.

Oh and a note tomrwupy I know your a computer person. Wouldn't that rebooting thing be the sign of a virus. Might want to get that checked out. Do a virus scan at least. Wouldn't hurt.

But, the confession thing that the pastor holds in that little room you go into. That is stupid. Paying money for your sins to be cleared?

This is not how confession works. The priest who hears confession does not have a tally sheet with the dollar value of each sin on it, lol. Donations to a Catholic church have nothing to do with confession. Penance is paid in the form of prayer, usually the Hail Mary and the Our Father prayers.

This does make a lot of sense to me, since prayer and meditation help bring us closer to our own innate spirituality, and connecting with our spirituality in the quest for peace helps us avoid wrongdoing. Maybe you should try it (meditation and prayer), if you haven't already. It might be a good idea to research your topic a little before making misinformed posts, as well.

Let's see, one adultery, two name of the Lord in vains, and a bearing of false witness against your neighbor, that will be $39.95, please. Lol!

Originally posted by Conspiracy Theorist06
do you just fade away? Just sleep for eternity? I don't get it.

If there is no afterlife or anything like that, then being dead will be exactly like what it was like before you were born. A big black nothing. What is confusing about it?

I mean if Christiantity is mind control then how come people have been possesed and stuff?

Its a psychological state and a hysteria. It happens in lots of religions. There is nothing miraculous about it. If christianity isn't mind control and is the truth then possession is more of a problem.

Catholic religion is mind control. Defintely. They use religion as an excuse for money. I am not sure about Christiantity.

Here's an update for ya. Catholicism is Christianity. Catholics are christians, they beleive in Jesus and God. Catholics give money to their church just like every other sect gives money to its church.

I mean Chritiantity has got a lot of evidence to support it.

There is absolutely no evidene to support the christian religion. If there was, it wouldn't be a religion.

But if there was no bible the religion wouldn't exist so I dunno.

You don't know what? No bible, no christianity.

I mean really howTF did we do that one?

What part are you confused about? There are other books far older than the gospels.

But, the confession thing that the pastor holds in that little room you go into. That is stupid.

Everything in religion is stupid. The idea that god got a jewish chick pregant without touching her and that their kid had magic powers is stupid. The idea that god doesn't want you to eat pork or an animal that hasn't had its blood drained is stupid. The idea that a fiery angel revealed an entire religion to a guy in the desert is stupid. Confession of sins to a preist is hardly unique in being stupid.

Paying money for your sins to be cleared?

...
The catholic church does not accept money to absolve sins. I don't know how you can be so unfamiliar with catholicsm and yet make sweeping generalizations of it and misunderstand it so much.
Actually, I guess that makes sense, you are critical of it, but don'tknow what you are talking about.