puritanical evangelical ideology

[loganonekenobi]

My new favorite show is "Adam ruins everything". If you don't know who this is check it out

http://www.trutv.com/shows/adam-ruins-ev...index.html

Short story is that he cracks long held myths and beliefs for the average American.

The last episode was about sex (our favorite subject right.) Everything from circumcision, to herpese, to the hymen.
Many of the myths he hold are harmful to a good healthy guilt free sex life. The main culprit of course is puritanical evangelical ideology. The other usual culprit in most of these shows is corprate greed but that is for another time.

I learned a man named Kellogg was a fanatical Christian that decided to enforce his ideas of puritanical life on every one else by claiming that circumcision could stop boys from masterbating by making the penis less sensitive. For women he wanted to use acid on their clitoris.

I learned that the hymen is NOT a reliable source of info on virginity but due to the current religions of some of the world it is used as a purity test by government officials. Can you say "sexual assault"?

Here in America slut shaming is in full swing due to (wait for it)..... puritanical evangelical ideology.

I see all of this as disgusting and a very good reason to oppose organized religion.

The question that poses in my mind is why do they (the religious) consistently force others to adopt or at least adhere to their ideas on anything but especialy sex? The claims about circumcision, herpes, and the hymen can and have all been tested and mostly disproved.

My answer is that it is all about control of others because man as always desired power and insecurity because it is is much easier to claim "rightousness" when you are part of the majority

Which leads me to the next logical question.

If Jehova is real then what need does the Christian have with power over others.
Why should there be such insecurity if yaweh is real?

I know from being on this forum the Christian will argue either that there is no proof that "religion" does that or that God is not the one doing it.
To the former one need only look at history and the acts of people like Kellogg. To the latter I agree since i see no evidence of a god involved with any of it. Instead the idea of god is used as a tool (weapon) to Justify, coerce, or force any and all acts that will promote the virus of Christianity.

give me your thoughts on the subject

[vorlon13]

Damn, can you imagine the dossier the slut shamers are amassing on me ?


Jesus Fucking Christ !!

[Angrboda]

Control is one way memes propagate. The meme need not be false to require a means of propagation. Yahweh could be real and the way to spread that knowledge might still benefit from appealing to the mechanism of control. You've mistaken a value added part of religion for a necessary one. Control isn't necessary, but it is useful.

[dyresand]

Religion has always been a tool of hindering progress and snuffing out any ideas that doesn't conform with the norm.
One only needs to look at the middle east they used to be progressive in science and mathematics until religion well
took over and made it a hell hole. One doesn't need to go that far and look at what religion is doing to us religion separates people
instead of uniting them. Religion is the cause of a lot issues like slavery and other immoral things. Marriage equality, social issues, racism,
etc. You have the christian religion which has well weaseled its way into the secular government and prevented marriage equality for years.
Not to mention England a very religious country mind you ended slavery before the early colonies. The only real reason why people use religion as a tool
many people are believers in said religion. If a god were real mind you the christian god christians have no power over anyone maybe god would tell them to go on a crusade or you know just go to a different group of people like he usually did. As far as insecurity goes i guess one would be insecure with a god always watching.

[Chad32]

It seems that the more powerful you are, the more sensitive you are to differing beliefs. The old testament god will kill you for just about anything, including picking up sticks on the wrong day of the week. Some people are just violent by nature. My father doesn't beat me like he used to. I'm sure it has more to do with the fact that I'm a grown man now, than the idea that he may have had a change of heart. It's the same reason christians in America cry persecution nowadays. That's why they want to control basic functions like sex, and make people codependent because it's hard to resist an urge that your brain is hardwired to do.

[loganonekenobi]

Control is one way memes propagate.  The meme need not be false to require a means of propagation.  Yahweh could be real and the way to spread that knowledge might still benefit from appealing to the mechanism of control.  You've mistaken a value added part of religion for a necessary one.  Control isn't necessary, but it is useful.

I'm not sure i understand what you mean. If you could explain in a diferent way. It seems to me that the religious think that control is neccessary. It also apears that this is the real reason why the ideology of restraining ones normal healthy desires continues. At least that what i get out of it.

[Angrboda]

Control is one way memes propagate.  The meme need not be false to require a means of propagation.  Yahweh could be real and the way to spread that knowledge might still benefit from appealing to the mechanism of control.  You've mistaken a value added part of religion for a necessary one.  Control isn't necessary, but it is useful.

I'm not sure i understand what you mean.  If you could explain in a diferent way.  It seems to me that the religious think that control is neccessary.  It also apears that this is the real reason why the ideology of restraining ones normal healthy desires continues.  At least that what i get out of it.

Religion functions on multiple levels. Sure, it aims to control but it also strokes the pleasure receptors in the brain. That it uses the modus operandi of control doesn't mean that this apparatus is the reason for its being. You're confusing an explanation for why religion emphasizes control for the explanation for why religion uses control. Control is just one tool in its arsenal of weapons.

[loganonekenobi]

If i am understanding this correctly its like seeing the tree that i have often run into (control) rather than the whole forest (religion).

Fair enough then lets look at this tree only.

In this country (America) I have seen a fair amount on social damage done due to the popular sex culture. Its as if they (Christians) tried to supress the sex drive but instead only ended up attaching guilt and shame to it. Few actually consider their religion when it comes to premarital sex at least not till confession time. In essence the tactic appears to be a failure.

What lingers however is the unneccessary bad feelings about a normal human desire.

As an atheist or at least as a progressive how can I(we) counter this cultural problem?