And Jesus said, "Blessed are the Consumers"... Wait, What?!

Dear Holy Trinity,

I have quite a beef with your religion.

First off, it seems like you have been attempting to trick us regarding the way this universe was created. With all of the amazing scientific discoveries over the last 500 years or so, there has been a lot of confusion regarding the "events" of creation. Either you speak almost completely metaphorically or you are playing some kind of sick trick. Not cool.

However, that's not my biggest problem with your religion and the way your "children" practice it today. My problem is that it has become a tool that is used to encourage and support a life of conformity and consumption. If one truly wants to be "Christ-like", they would have to be "crazy" and do things quite differently than the status quo, which is consumerism... Is this what you meant by "narrow is the gate to heaven?"

If it is, then you could have been a little more clear.

For whatever reason, most of your religious "leaders" seem to ignore that the teachings reject over-consumption, let alone "being rich." The desire to conform and chase social status seems to trump any condemnation of materialism and over-consumption. The "leaders" that are on stage speaking to their "followers" are wearing nice clothes made in a sweat shop in Cambodia, driving an oil hogging SUV, living in an over-sized, energy sucking house, eating food with high, fossil fuel embodied energy, while publicly supporting legislators that promote more and more consumption. Basically living EXACTLY like the vast majority of his listeners. All this while holding a Bible and saying, "I love you, Jesus." And the people eat it up, pretend that you are actually proud of them, and then go back to their "normal" lives of consumerism.

And to top all that off, you tell them that you are coming back soon to "rebuild" everything, so they pretty much take that as a free pass to eat and waste the planet to death, til their ego's content.

No one can tell which way is up with your religion anymore. It seems that social status, the hoarding of resources and mindless consumerism are both hedonistic AND Christian at the same time. It's like the Schrodinger's Cat of religions.

Amen.

It amazes me that we live in a world where significant populations still have limited access to clean drinking water, yet religious sects have ornate palaces and governments spend most of their money trying to kill each other. People on Earth don't have access to clean drinking water, yet a billion dollar robot is searching Mars for signs it MAY have had water at some point in the last billion years. Sick priorities from a consumerist society. Jesus, if he were as described, would be appalled.

I think you may have taken that fraction of a quote just slightly out if context.
Where did you get it from, and please dont say "the bible" or "new testament", i mean
what book, what verse?

Im not judging your words or saying that you are unjust in thinking that way, it is
just a perfect example of how people pervert good ideas...

Good post, S&F.

The second coming of Jesus is not going to happen, it's only taught so that those who want to bleed the world dry of its resources and beauty can do so without hindrance. What better way to kill the planet and profit off of it than by convincing people that this isn't heaven and that it only comes after this life?

Religion is the source of materialism and ego, and their teachings only add to the problem, they don't fix it.

I've find it fascinating that some believe they worship the real god yet fail to realize what that worship has turned Earth into. If we truly worshiped the real god, the world would not be the way it is today, plain and simple. Billions have been duped into believing Satan is god, which is why he has free reign over this world.

James 1
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Apparently the church never got this memo.

reply to post by DaTroof


He would definitely be appalled. And that's why it is such a joke that the "leaders" aren't. They aren't even a little mad. They are pretty much the opposite. They condemn homosexuality, adultery, other religions, socialism, nudity, cursing, questioning authority.... but not consumerism and the quest for being rich. God's ok with that apparently.

reply to post by RadicalRebel


What quote are you referring to? What exactly am I taking out of context?

reply to post by Reflection


Sorry if i misunderstood the title of your thread?

reply to post by 3NL1GHT3N3D1


Well, I don't believe there is some evil entity that is reigning supreme over the planet. I've never seen or heard of any empirical evidence for that, but I do agree that religion is the source of materialism and ego.

I believe most religion is ego disguised as love. Love on the surface, ego underneath.

"We love you, but if you don't follow us, you are going to hell."

reply to post by Reflection



Not all christians are this way.
I don't go by what people tell me. I go by the Bible.
So far I haven't seen anything that asks too much of me.

reply to post by GmoS719


I'm aware that not ALL Christians are mindless consumers, just most. It's obvious. I don't think I need to provide any charts.

Ironically, if there is a religion that has the highest percentage of Christ-like people, it's probably Hinduism... Or Hippies.

This post makes a good point and points out a few problems that are going on behind the scenes of religion...As for myself, i am a strong catholic and I do my best to practice that religion everyday.

That being said, i think you make a few good points about money and such, but at the same time, you can't put every single religious leader into that category. There are many people out there, both leaders and followers of religion that don't add up to what you're saying. That goes for everything in life...

Most religious leaders spread peace and try to help people find happiness and hope in their lives and I think that is something that we need to take into account. Even if the leaders don't practice what they preach (which i agree is wrong) their followers take what they say to heart and usually go out and do good for the world. Sure, there are some who don't.

Basically, the point i'm trying to make is, i don't think religion is something to be harsh about just because there are some bad apples who don't practice what they preach. Overall, the idea of religion (FOR THE MOST PART) helps people find the good in their hearts to make the world a better place and i think that is good. Even if it leads to conforming. But is it bad to conform to something that preaches goodness?

Originally posted by Honestabe28 you can't put every single religious leader into that category. There are many people out there, both leaders and followers of religion that don't add up to what you're saying. That goes for everything in life...

Again, I'm not implying that everyone in the religion are mindless consumers, just most.

Most religious leaders spread peace and try to help people find happiness and hope in their lives

How's that?

By condemning homosexuals, single mothers and other benign ideologies?

Even if the leaders don't practice what they preach (which i agree is wrong) their followers take what they say to heart and usually go out and do good for the world. Sure, there are some who don't.

How can the majority of the followers practice what is preached if the majority of the preachers do not?

Basically, the point i'm trying to make is, i don't think religion is something to be harsh about just because there are some bad apples who don't practice what they preach.

Again, this is not a "bad apples" problem. It's a majority problem. A majority, mind you, that makes up the majority of the U.S. population. I'm tired of hearing people say that we shouldn't be "harsh" on religions. They get a free pass too often. They need to be called out on their hypocrisy and fundamental flaws MORE often.

Overall, the idea of religion (FOR THE MOST PART) helps people find the good in their hearts to make the world a better place and i think that is good. Even if it leads to conforming. But is it bad to conform to something that preaches goodness?

Is that what religion is doing? Making the world a better, more peaceful place? By telling everyone its "my way or the highway."

You can only conform to an ideology and "goodness" is quite vague. It's quite debatable that Christianity, especially in the way that it is practiced by the majority, could be described as "preaching goodness."

reply to post by Reflection


Dear Reflection of a Kundalini Blockage,

Let go.

The Holy Trinity

reply to post by Reflection


I guess you got me, there are quite a few flaws in my response. I'm new to this and still trying to figure out how to put together a good argument
On the other hand, there is no way to get rid of these religions and you're right they all are preaching "my way or the highway"

I suppose the mindset I have towards all this is that, I wish everyone could care about eachother equally and not fight about which is the right way and which is the highway.

Let me know if you ever figure out how to do that...I think there used to be a guy named Ghandi or something that was close to a solution...

reply to post by Honestabe28


Well, like any solution, you have to define what the problem is. And regarding religion, I believe there are a lot of different problems, so it has to be handled on a case by case basis. Examples of problems I see would be the teachings that the planet was created for "man" to have "dominion over" or that man was born with sin at birth because of his parents disobedience and needs redemption or the actions, or lack of, that people take based on prophecies of those horrible end of time scenarios or the degrading of women.. I could go on. Each has it's own reason for why it creates certain problems.

I guess if there's anything in general I would propose as a solution would be for society to become more scientifically minded thinkers as opposed to basing so much belief on dogma, or "that's just the way things are" type of thinking. Anytime you act on a belief that isn't real, it will inevitably lead to problems on some level. And when you don't know for sure, you shouldn't make assumptions. Instead, you search for answers and base them on empirical evidence. This is how science works.

I don't mean to discredit any of the positive things that some people DO that happen to be religious. I just think those positive things could be done just as well without the religion and all of its dogmatic baggage. You can be a moral person without being a religious person.

BTW, I like your attitude about "getting it right." That's also how science works, or should work, at least. It's not about who's right or wrong. We all have been on both sides at different points. It's about getting to the right answer that matters.

Of course religion can't work this way because there can be no questioning or debate.

reply to post by Reflection


I don't either, I think "Satan" is nothing more than man's ego. Yes, you are right, religion is ego masked by love. They don't love us, only the power and money that we give them.