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Fear And Paranoia

The disadvantage of religion.

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Fear And Paranoia
Hillsdale College

The news is sometimes so hysterical, we can’t help but be pushed into thinking the terror these stories produced is made just to sell us something which modifies, changes and manipulates habits, both positive and negative. It’s almost as if media is the Christian God who spouts out sacred words and people still praise it even if it’s inconsistent or wrong. Note that not all Christians take the bible literally but the worst of them do. And much as many want to deny it, I agree with Noam Chomsky when he said, “It is probably the most genocidal book in the literary canon." Like Islam, it’s ‘true’ believers interpret the words into spreading their religious idealism down the throats of people who already have their own beliefs and attitudes. But analyze it further and you’ll find, it’s the person who interpreted the words who is at fault as he or she read only what they want to believe, discarding the lessons and wisdoms contained within books which contain powerful ideas. While Christianity has its share of good and bad people and those who share both traits, the hypocrisy and thousands of years of abuse by those who have proclaimed themselves ‘close to God’ by spreading his ‘glory’ through warfare, have tarnished and tainted the ideas of the Holy Scriptures. Those who identify as Christians are either jaded, full of doubts or unquestioning (the most dangerous type). The last being the one often violating the Ten Commandments like anyone can.

Maybe because such rigid rules are too inflexible. It doesn’t allow for growth and the religion’s history suggests the whole thing was spread to control populations by conquerors who are in need of sheep because there’s strength in numbers after all, even if that huge swath of individuals have no minds or freedom of their own. It creates a habit of dependence, which rejects, inclusivity, diversity and/or anything new. The whole system is like an imaginary wall implanted on a person’s brain and gives it preconceived notions it then states as true despite any form of truth being relative and depends of other perspectives. The problems it causes outweighs its benefits. And even it’s benefits seem far too limiting, rendering a practitioner to follow iron-clad, outdated rules and offering no reason for self-sufficiency considering how the Christian deity does things for them. In real life, that’s not a healthy relationship. It’s like having a stalker 365 days of the year, 24/7. He’s everywhere. He’s in your thoughts, your dreams, your wants, your needs, always judging, never resting, who demands love like a kid having a temper tantrum. All he does is persecute, persecute and persecute. Break his rule, you go to hell. No exceptions. His judgment is as absolute as those coming from the lips of the truly arrogant, narrow-minded fool who despises anything which is different from his or her way of thinking. If man is created in the image of God, then of course the reflection tends to create a misogynist, sexist, racist, biased and stupid moron across every demographic, which is, in itself, ironic. There are a lot of awesome Christians. However, due to their beliefs, their actions are always riddled with doubts, with confusion, unsure, oppressed, guilt-tripped before a mistake is done. And they know this. It’s why many are abandoning the church and rejecting it.

As of the moment, it’s power is dwindling, only the illusion of it's hold over people’s consciousness keeps it alive, like a traumatic experience one tries to hide in the back of their minds but can’t because the scars won’t fade. The scandals, bloodshed and extreme bigotry have left people jaded, disappointed and fueled with fury. No matter how much they spin it, the Christian community has always been a divided one with multiple branches having multiple interpretations coming from a single source. Though some of it’s more progressive members are trying to update it, the best they can do is actually help with social and political issues, which is something not even in the bible at all, of if it’s there, another passage would probably oppose, considering how inconsistent the authors are with no one agreeing on one rule. Empathy is an innate instinct found in every living creature. So is common sense. If someone slaps you, don’t offer your other cheek, get even and put him in his place lest he start thinking he’s better than you for some reason. Some people need to be reminded that they are,in fact people, not gods. To be a god is to be placed on a pedestal and not questioned. It gives total freedom to someone who would, in all odds, abuse it. And for a religion founded on equality, it sure hates women. Going back to the age of antiquity, not once has it treated women with respect, with dignity and with love. There are a lot of problems in the world and one of them is giving power to something which not only exploits you but convinces you they’re right. It’s being dealt the wrong hand on purpose and given the illusion that if you keep spinning a wheel they intentionally rigged, the result will not be the same. And people are finding out more and more the hidden machinations of the cause of all their suffering and unearned treatment. It drives them insane and turns hearts jaded.

But people aren’t prone to giving up. Instinct drives each of us to our survival. It’s a built-in system which circumnavigates all outside forces in favor of what is already hidden but concealed inside each individual. The whole of a universe never remains static, each moment is caused by vibrations all around. We don’t see it but we feel the flow of movement, of one leading to one to one and so on, affected each time by what we think, feel and act upon. No, I don’t believe intimidation works. It never does. Empires fall doing the same stubborn mistake: hiding from those they robbed. Each time, a revolution springs up. Throughout history, revolts have reshaped and made lives better. And the ongoing determination by the powers-that-be to keep spreading their outdated and out-of-touch thinking is hastening their demise. Sooner or later, their heads might be headed to the guillotine the same way the aristocrats had theirs during the French Revolution. And this time, what wasn’t addressed in that one, might be addressed in the next one. Harmony entails balance. If a pendulum swings too far, the vibrations increases, resulting in chaos and disorder. The pendulum is being forced to favor one direction and when the strain breaks, the swing into the other extreme will be heard. Hard. Loud and clear. It isn’t natural to stay still. People are explorers. Curiosity is a genetic fact, an advantage hard-wired for survival. Everyone has it. To deny it is to stare at the sun and don’t notice your eyes are now cooked, forever blinding yourself of responsibility.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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