The "Rose God"

Hello all-

First if this isn't in the right area please move it.

The Rose God

Let’s say in the beginning there were no flowers. Then one day a magical moment happened and the first rose bush sprang from the ground. The first man who found this rose bush saw the beauty in the flowers and said this must be our creator. He prayed to this rose bush and showed other people the beautiful flowers they produced and told people “This” rose bush is “God” and anyone who destroys the rose bush would be put to death. The people agreed that yes, this was the most beautiful thing they have ever seen and that it must be “God” for how beautiful it is. Over the years thousands of rose bushes were produced from this single beautiful rose bush and people worshiped the flowers as there god. Then one day things changed.

One day a man came to the town with a wagon full of tulips and a book on the “tulip god”. He went to the town and showed people his wonderful tulips and tried to spread the word of his “tulip god”. When he tried to tell people in this town of his wonderful tulip god he was told to leave and never come back, there was only one god and it is the “Rose God”. The man was chased away by the town people and as the man tried to speed away in his wagon he lost control and fell out, the wagon turned hard left and the wagon tipped throwing tulip bulbs everywhere. The wagon tumbled into a plantation of rose bushes destroying many rose bushes. The people furious took the man and brought him to the town where they made the law that if you destroy a rose bush you must be put to death. The man on that very same day was put to death for his actions.

My point to this quick story is that religions have a major problem. What is this problem with religions? The problem is religions think everyone else is wrong. What I mean by this is they all have the central “God” but with a different attitude. Different stories that all lead to “God” and what we need to do for him to make him happy. The amount of religions is endless and anyone can start a religion. There are so many religions out there and they all say they are right, how can that be possible? I’m not saying there isn’t a “God” because I feel my creator every day I wake up; I do feel however many religions out there are used for fear and control.

If I wake up every day with the sole purpose of helping others but I don’t belong to any religion does that make me a “bad” person? If I strive to be the best person I can but on Sundays I watch football instead of going to a church, am I going to burn in “hell”?

If “God” created us all but one religion tells another religion they are going to “hell” because they don’t believe in their “God” is that right? How can telling someone they are going to “hell” be a good thing? If I think all rose bushes are “Gods” and you cut one down and I tell you that you are going to “hell” for doing so, who is right? We need to wake up and understand there is an infinite number of ways to find "God" not just 1.

Wonderful story! And it should hit home to most, who still have a mind.
I believe the problem with religion, is the idea of submitting in FEAR to the concept of a Higher Power, and that this idealized Higher Power needs to be worshipped, praised, exalted, and OBEYED. Religion seeks to unify one or more beliefs in its group of followers, ANY BELIEF (including The Golden Rule) that anyone says everyone should follow, is creating Religion.

We are who we are, and what we are, so let us be, right or wrong. If we are beasts and animals, then beast and animals we shall be, until we are all gone.

Originally posted by leira7
Wonderful story! And it should hit home to most, who still have a mind.
I believe the problem with religion, is the idea of submitting in FEAR to the concept of a Higher Power, and that this idealized Higher Power needs to be worshipped, praised, exalted, and OBEYED. Religion seeks to unify one or more beliefs in its group of followers, ANY BELIEF (including The Golden Rule) that anyone says everyone should follow, is creating Religion.

We are who we are, and what we are, so let us be, right or wrong. If we are beasts and animals, then beast and animals we shall be, until we are all gone.

edit on 30-9-2010 by leira7 because: SP

Hi leira7-

Thank you for your reply. I agree that any "rules" that others try and make everyone follow is a religion. When we start putting so many rules on ourselves, it stops us from becoming ourselves. What I mean by that is that if everyone tells us how to act and we accept that then that is how we will become and we won't grow as much as we could if we learn certain things by ourselves. If when you are born you are raised and taught to pray a certain way or believe in a certain religion then most of the time that is who you will become, someone who follows rather than becoming a leader.

Added- Forgot to respond to the fear aspect. Yes fear is used in all religions to keep people in "control" and to not ask questions. If you believe that you will go to "hell" if you don't "follow" then you are already in hell.