I have imagined men sitting around, feeling superior to the masses, saying the same things about how to get more people to cooperate and do "good", and then coming up with a religion to better control the people. I can only assume that is how some started, because some liar has to start it all off or there would be no story for the religion to be based off of, and that is sadly the most noble cause for doing it, protecting people from themselves. What is wacky about this scheme is that you're choosing Christianity for your drug of choice. You can't think of anything better than that? for god's sake, how about making a new religion!
When you are able to trick a person into believing some big story that answers life's mysteries, that purposely inhibits a person's ability to hold a realistic view of the world they live in, this results in personal suffering and confusion (since the story you'd have us believe is INSANE), as well as robs people of the true wonder of life by telling them we already have the answers, and guess what, they aren't very good. It is truly a cruel thing to do to a person. It was done to me as a child and I would never EVER condone its being done to anyone.
It is not necessary to be superstitious just to cohabitate peacefully or build a culture. Our laws basically outline right and wrong in our cultures, and I'm pretty sure real jail time is more persuasive to criminals than reward/punishment in a far-off kingdom they won't see in this life.
I get this a lot; some crackhead who wants some money and wants me to believe they are truly a new person in Jesus, and so I should give them some money because they aren't anything like they "used" to be. In a lot of cases, IT IS A SCAM. And I do not support AA, because they would have their members believe they have no power themselves and a higher power must save them. I know this has proven a successful method for some people, but you have to wonder what percentage of those taking steps to change their life would have changed anyway simply because they were determined. Converting to Christianity is a way for people with a bad reputation to try to get other people to reconsider them. That, I believe, is why they so vocally become born-again and want everyone to know it. It is not the actual reason they changed their behavior, but rather a tool to get another chance in society. You build a lot of trust with people that way and also get a support group.
When you apply this method of brainwashing the public, you are left with a lot of complications on top of not being able to tackle issues of the world directly without the filter of whatever worldview instilled upon people. It has led to so much grief for people trying to confront real-world issues with rational and realistic approaches. You have to tip-toe around some load of garbage everyone is frantically imagining is real and posing some massive threat to them if they do the arbitrarily "wrong" thing. And you said you aren't from the U.S. It shows. Christianity is a filthy business here in Texas. And that is probably only because the population of believers is condensed and it makes stupifying opinions rampant and easily passed amongst the masses of ignorant self-righteous people who are by NO MEANS more moral than the non-religious. More people being christian in your town would make you regret you ever thought the thought in the first place. It squashes culture (makes it boring IMO), makes the inner-life of a person horribly stream-lined and conflicted because you always end up having to fight and hate part of your natural self, and creates for them a sort of virtual reality. And we wonder why we have so many depressed and neurotic people in this part of the world. Just imagine seeing only a virtual reality screen and trying to walk down a very real street, and they don't match up. You would have some difficulties, even if you truly believed what you saw on the screen. That is quite a rude thing to do to a person; forcing them to navigate their life using a totally made up map.
Not to mention Christian in-fighting. It can really get out of hand.
You may want to be a visionary peace-bringer, but at such a price! and it wouldn't even work! DOESN'T even work. it's not a new game in town. Please learn from history. Is life so great if it is just people behaving themselves in mental anguish? I think Christianity was originally used for this purpose but ultimately failed. Can't we try something new, something that doesn't involve lying? That may be a reason it failed so hard. and the thing about serial killers, well there aren't very many in the first place. And they're usually intelligent, and to top that off frequently very religious too. Christianity can never save us.
When you are able to trick a person into believing some big story that answers life's mysteries, that purposely inhibits a person's ability to hold a realistic view of the world they live in, this results in personal suffering and confusion (since the story you'd have us believe is INSANE), as well as robs people of the true wonder of life by telling them we already have the answers, and guess what, they aren't very good. It is truly a cruel thing to do to a person. It was done to me as a child and I would never EVER condone its being done to anyone.
It is not necessary to be superstitious just to cohabitate peacefully or build a culture. Our laws basically outline right and wrong in our cultures, and I'm pretty sure real jail time is more persuasive to criminals than reward/punishment in a far-off kingdom they won't see in this life.
I get this a lot; some crackhead who wants some money and wants me to believe they are truly a new person in Jesus, and so I should give them some money because they aren't anything like they "used" to be. In a lot of cases, IT IS A SCAM. And I do not support AA, because they would have their members believe they have no power themselves and a higher power must save them. I know this has proven a successful method for some people, but you have to wonder what percentage of those taking steps to change their life would have changed anyway simply because they were determined. Converting to Christianity is a way for people with a bad reputation to try to get other people to reconsider them. That, I believe, is why they so vocally become born-again and want everyone to know it. It is not the actual reason they changed their behavior, but rather a tool to get another chance in society. You build a lot of trust with people that way and also get a support group.
When you apply this method of brainwashing the public, you are left with a lot of complications on top of not being able to tackle issues of the world directly without the filter of whatever worldview instilled upon people. It has led to so much grief for people trying to confront real-world issues with rational and realistic approaches. You have to tip-toe around some load of garbage everyone is frantically imagining is real and posing some massive threat to them if they do the arbitrarily "wrong" thing. And you said you aren't from the U.S. It shows. Christianity is a filthy business here in Texas. And that is probably only because the population of believers is condensed and it makes stupifying opinions rampant and easily passed amongst the masses of ignorant self-righteous people who are by NO MEANS more moral than the non-religious. More people being christian in your town would make you regret you ever thought the thought in the first place. It squashes culture (makes it boring IMO), makes the inner-life of a person horribly stream-lined and conflicted because you always end up having to fight and hate part of your natural self, and creates for them a sort of virtual reality. And we wonder why we have so many depressed and neurotic people in this part of the world. Just imagine seeing only a virtual reality screen and trying to walk down a very real street, and they don't match up. You would have some difficulties, even if you truly believed what you saw on the screen. That is quite a rude thing to do to a person; forcing them to navigate their life using a totally made up map.
Not to mention Christian in-fighting. It can really get out of hand.
You may want to be a visionary peace-bringer, but at such a price! and it wouldn't even work! DOESN'T even work. it's not a new game in town. Please learn from history. Is life so great if it is just people behaving themselves in mental anguish? I think Christianity was originally used for this purpose but ultimately failed. Can't we try something new, something that doesn't involve lying? That may be a reason it failed so hard. and the thing about serial killers, well there aren't very many in the first place. And they're usually intelligent, and to top that off frequently very religious too. Christianity can never save us.
