Why would anyone say ‘religion’ is here…to ‘control’ people?

Any ATS regular or lurker can see OT is online to represent his savior….no bait and switch here. It’s pretty darn clear, agree?

Proof…my threads here… www.abovetopsecret.com...

I have a few questions, if you may…please no flaming, ‘civility and decorum’ expected, right?

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?
2) Why?
3) Your evidence?
4) Did you once believe?
5) Did you change?
6) Why are you an atheist?
7) Why are you an agnostic?
8) Why you are a christian?
9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

Thanks guys for contributing…and please answer the nine questions, ok?

OT

PS: I respect your thoughts…if you disagree, I will explain my point of view, fair?

[edit on 4-2-2009 by OldThinker]

How did Rome conquer Europe ?

How did Mohammad conquer middle east ?

How do pastors get laid ?

[edit on 4-2-2009 by bignick]

reply to post by bignick



???


Bignick, glad you are here/online...but...your post is in the wrong 'thread' bud...


Sorry...


OT

reply to post by OldThinker


I personally do not think that religion or faith is here to control the masses. Religions, such as christianity, christianity allows you to make up your own mind, but if people want to use that to there advatnage thats up to them, they made a choice to use christianty as a weapon (Which Christianity allows them to make), when its not. It supposed to be used to lead people to God and the savior not a controlling mechanism that many people used it for in the past. If anything evolution can be thrown into here as well, what did Hitler use to justify his murdering of the Jews? What did Presidents use to justify the cleansing and seizing land of the indians? Its all up to the beholder of the knowledge to decide how he wants to use the knowledge.

[edit on -06002009-02-04T17:36:12-06:00282009bAmerica/ChicagoWed, 04 Feb 2009 17:36:12 -0600, 1 by TheMythLives]

Originally posted by OldThinker

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?
2) Why?
3) Your evidence?
4) Did you once believe?
5) Did you change?
6) Why are you an atheist?
7) Why are you an agnostic?
8) Why you are a christian?
9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

1) No
2) Because thoughts and ideas don't control people. People control people.
3) History Religion has existed for a very long time, yet man continues to have thought and some semblance of free will. If religion were in fact the great controller, wouldn't we all have the same religion by now? Someone surely would have created the perfect formula. Although it could be argued that the three Abrahamic religions are rather like Neapolitan ice cream, they taste different but come in the same container. Still, there are those in the world who seek and choose a path that is different. So if it isn't religion (read: ideas and words in general) that control the masses, that leaves only one culprit, in my opinion.
4) Yes
5) My beliefs, perhaps, but not the core values.
6) I'm not
7) I'm not one of those either
8) Nope, sorry, not one of those either
9) Like nothing I can imagine, yet so familiar that to touch the face of God is as comfortable as touching my own and those I love.

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


Wow nice answers Traveler, I can tell you actually meant what you said (Typed), #9 was very kind words, as well as moving.

Originally posted by OldThinker

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?
2) Why?
3) Your evidence?
4) Did you once believe?
5) Did you change?
6) Why are you an atheist?
7) Why are you an agnostic?
8) Why you are a christian?
9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

Thanks guys for contributing…and please answer the nine questions, ok?

While I decline to participate in your survey, might I point out a small error?

6) Why are you an atheist?
8) Why you are a christian?

How could anyone possibly answer all nine questions?

Perhaps if it was phrased differently...


Might I suggest

6) Are you an athiest, and why?
8) Are you a christian, and why?


gotta run, I'm late
Peace



[edit on 4-2-2009 by lernmore]

Originally posted by TheMythLives
reply to post by OldThinker

 

I personally do not think that religion or faith is here to control the masses. Religions, such as christianity, christianity allows you to make up your own mind

Great point early on in your post, here...

OT is really interested in your specific answers to the OP questions, when you have time, ok?

OT

Originally posted by TravelerintheDark

Originally posted by OldThinker


9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

9) Like nothing I can imagine, yet so familiar that to touch the face of God is as comfortable as touching my own and those I love.

WOW!!!! Great response for number 9, me,too!

OT

Originally posted by lernmore

Originally posted by OldThinker

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?
2) Why?
3) Your evidence?
4) Did you once believe?
5) Did you change?
6) Why are you an atheist?
7) Why are you an agnostic?
8) Why you are a christian?
9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

Thanks guys for contributing…and please answer the nine questions, ok?

While I decline to participate in your survey, might I point out a small error?

6) Why are you an atheist?
8) Why you are a christian?

How could anyone possibly answer all nine questions?

Perhaps if it was phrased differently...


Peace

[edit on 4-2-2009 by lernmore]

How bout I AM and I'm NOT...

or....

I'M NOT...or I AM...

Peace!

OT

Originally posted by TheMythLives
reply to post by TravelerintheDark

 

Wow nice answers Traveler, I can tell you actually meant what you said (Typed), #9 was very kind words, as well as moving.

Yep!

I echo, number 9....


Great thought...huh?

OT

reply to post by OldThinker

Originally posted by OldThinker

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?
2) Why?
3) Your evidence?
4) Did you once believe?
5) Did you change?
6) Why are you an atheist?
7) Why are you an agnostic?
8) Why you are a christian?
9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

1) Nope.
2) Because if religion controlled people there would be one unified religion, when simply put there is not.
3) Well there are thousands of religions, atheism, chatolicism, judaism, etc.
4) Always have
5) Only in growing stronger in faith
6) N/A
7) N/A
8) N/A Not a christian either..
9) God should be whoever he wants to be, to limit him to our standards is not only wrong, but dampens our outlook on what he can do.

Originally posted by TheMythLives

9) God should be whoever he wants to be, to limit him to our standards is not only wrong, but dampens our outlook on what he can do.

Thumbs up!!!

OT, too, liked your number 9!!!

Originally posted by lernmore

While I decline to participate in your survey....

OK?

But WHY decline?

OT won't bite...or maybe you are too busy....no biggie!!!

Thanks,

OT

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?

Faith is a personal thing, so no.

But religion... as in beleifs rigidly organized into a dogmatic system... I don't have to beleive that it is here to control people, that speaks for itself.


2) Why?

History, and current events, speak for themselves.

3) Your evidence?

Any number of things. Look at current events for starters. Take the Fallwell-esqu idea of saying "X sin caused X event." Take GWB selling his wars, in part, as a crusade. Today religion is used to justify the prevention of homosexual marraige.

As little as five decades ago, the Bible was used to justify racial separation. White men were beleived to be biblically and genetically inferior. Goodle "White Man's Burden."

Before that you had the idea of Manifest Destiny in America, and equivilants that I don' tkno w the name for in other Colonial countries. That is, God has given the colonialists the right to expand througouht the land, native residents be damned.

Before that you have numerous examples of the Chuch using control. How about the idea that Kings had a divine right to rule, regardless of how cruel they could be? Or that science was heretical? Or that only the priestly class could learn to read and write Latin to actually understand the Bible? And sorry to bring up an old cliche here, but what about the religious-based justification for the Crusades?


4) Did you once believe?
Yes
5) Did you change?
Yes
6) Why are you an atheist?
I am not.
7) Why are you an agnostic?
I beleive that "God" is too big to be defined by any of man's contrivances. I also beleive that subscribing to one religion limits my ability to actually understand him.
8) Why you are a christian?
I am not.
9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?
I do not beleive that God actually has a will and interferes with man's daily life. It's difficult to explain but I think of it more as a collective spirit(sorry, another cliche) that is everything ant nothing at ones.

reply to post by TheMythLives


How does Christianity let people make up their own minds? Christianity threatens people with eternal damnation and torture and pain forever if they dont believe exactly how they're told!

1) Do you think faith/religion is here to control the masses?

Not faith or religion. Organized faith and religion.

2) Why?

Organized faith is certainly a catalyst for control. And they've all abused the power over and over again.

3) Your evidence?

Misquoting the bible to make people believe that homosexuality is wrong, just because they think its yucky. And yet they neglect to remind their followers that people in the bible had sex with their children and got away with it in the eye of their savior.

The vatican has legal power, as do other churches.. WHAT?

The 2 books. Old and new testament, are completely a different "color" emotionally. First, to scare you into the merciless God who will let you burn for eternity, and second, to show you hey, follow this new young guy and you'll be saved.

Its just psychology done right....

4) Did you once believe?

I believe strongly.

5) Did you change?

I used to be catholic, but learned that most of the people i practiced with were not pure in any sense of the word. In fact, I believe they practice their faith to make themselves feel better for being so spiritually apathetic and for the bad ways they lived their lives.

6) Why are you an atheist?

I'm not, but I understand those who are..

7) Why are you an agnostic?

I wouldn't call myself agnostic. I know my God very well, he just allows people to worship him in different ways. He isn't prideful, and he loves all faiths.

8) Why you are a christian?

Already explained.

9) What ‘SHOULD‘ God look like/act like/be like?

He shouldn't be anything but pure joy. We will all experience him one day, regardless of the people we are now. He is all that is good, and to some extent (shallowly) all that is bad.

What we need to realize is that things can happen no other way. We are all free to be who we are and worship how we'd like. As long as you feel in tune with your universe, then you are in touch with God.

reply to post by asmeone2


asmeone2,

Thanks for posting here...you are always welcome.

Appreciate the answers to the nine...

OT


PS: How's Texas these days...

PSS: Good points about crusades there....hope all is well!

reply to post by asmeone2


I like the way you think

Originally posted by 420prajna
reply to post by TheMythLives

 

How does Christianity let people make up their own minds? Christianity threatens people with eternal damnation and torture and pain forever if they dont believe exactly how they're told!

420prajna!!!!!!!

Focus bro...please?

Re-read the OP and OT welcomes/wishes your input....


Please answer the questions ok?

OT