I have never been drawn to organized religion, ever, not even as a child. I went to church because I had to but something about the entire process always felt wrong to me. Fascists will say it was my wicked nature or the Devil, but I know that's nonsense. I've done more good in my life than most of the religious devotees I've met in my travels.
Religion, the Catholic one in particular, is control. It does not offer freedom it offers rules and guilt and manipulation to keep you coming back and donating. Every so often they, the preachers, priests, and zealots of the world, throw in a "Be kind to your neighbor" to even things out but ultimately it's about seeing the world in a certain way and being trapped by your guilt and fear of supernatural judgment from an invisible force no one has ever seen.
I believe in the spirit of the individual because I've seen it, in my sister. I've seen a body with and without that spirit so I know it exists because of the physical difference between the stages.
The concept of God taught in church, and written about in the Bible is a Father, a protector, someone who loves "all his children" equally. He, according to Them, gave us Free Will.
So how can we have Free Will and yet be expected to follow doctrines and rules systems set up in a book by human beings who are obviously flawed? It's a contradiction. If God exists he exists within us good or bad. In the New Testament Satan was the main villain but he didn't exist as The Big Bad in the Old, God was both loving and wrathful in that one. He sent down plaques and struck people down with lightening and marked people for their crimes against their brothers...so like us God was both good and bad.
But that started to work against the church so they re-vamped "the word of God" and laid out the New Testament.
How can anyone re-write the word of God? It's God, his word is final, right? There should be only one book, but because the church has to keep up with an evolving society, thousands of years after mocking the existence of dinosaurs, for example, now they acknowledge their existence.
Why? Because intelligence keeps growing, people keep learning and the old lies cannot stand against new levels of knowledge.
Religion is control. It is an act of relieving yourself of any responsibility and dropping it in the hands of Tha Almighty. That is wholly irresponsible and childish.
God has a plan, God will provide, God will answer your prayers.
No He won't. No he doesn't. No he can't.
It's also said that God helps those who help themselves. But if you're helping yourself then you don't need his help. And if He's just waiting around for you to do for yourself then why worship him? Worship yourself. You do for you. You can't sit around waiting for an invisible man to come and magically fix your life.
The instant I decided to stop praying and looking to God for help and salvation I felt free of guilt. You figure if you are reaching out to some God to fix everything wrong with you and it doesn't happen then because of your religious upbringing, its your fault and you should feel guilty because something you did keeps God from you. So if we are powerful enough to keep God at bay then shouldn't we be powerful enough to change our own lives without guilt and needing a supernatural handout?
Catholicism is an enabling religion. It breeds dependency and selfishness and piety. It gives shelter to Know-it-Alls, and judgmental zealots who try to fix your problems while ignoring teir own in an effort to feel superior. They hide from their own flaws and bury themselves in yours because it is easier. there are pedophiles and perverts and murderers in that religion who simply blow off their own behavior by thinking that God will forgive them if they go to confession. If they simply talk to a priest in a dark room and recite the prayers he orders them to recite then all is well and forgiven.
Is God really that simple when humans are so complex? All you have to do if you kill or rape someone is say you're sorry? You don't have to improve yourself, teach yourself right and wrong, you just have to apologize?
That's what we tell children when they do something wrong. Say you're sorry, which is why religious devotees are always so childish in their arguments or debates. When they can't cajole you with their point of you they use threats and intimidation, or bribery. If you can't see the "wisdom" of their ways then "The Devil's gonna get ya" or "You'll find your REWARD in Heaven."
They'll do anything to keep the attendance high.
But every sermon ever tells you at some point that God will be there if you just give yourself over to him...give yourself over...releasing control over your own actions. Catholicism relieves you of responsibility so long as you attend church regularly and donate money.
What does God need with money? Isn't it the root of all evil? Yet on the dollar it still says In God We trust.
Which God, the Holy One, or the Financial One?
We are God unto our own private section of reality. Our little corner of the world is out universe, our temple, our church.So we must practice kindness and compassion and understanding unto ourselves before we can EVER hope to practice it in the company of others.
God is not in the Bible, he, It, She, Them, is in us, our actions, our hearts and minds.
Religion is control and that contradicts Free Will.
If we have free will then we have no business being in church, following religion and letting others tell us how to live.
So long as someone else controls what you do, say, feel, eat, wear, listen to, and watch...you're not living. You're not in control of your life and your out of sync with the universe and nature.
Think, feel, even if its anger or depression, feel them to the fullest then let them pass right through you like air because they always do. Anger never lasts unless you feed it, depression never lasts unless you feed it.
Doesn't it make more sense to feed happiness and compassion and understanding? Because they too will pass. They'll go away for a bit just like anger and depression but they'll be back, so in the mean time enjoy them while they are here, feed them and they'll stay as long as they can.
You can't take happiness for granted just like you can't take anger for granted. They have places to be, others to visit and can't stay as long as you like. You have to fortify your house until they return. Block your doors against depression and anger and open your windows so happiness can find its way back in. Anger and depression have to force their way into your home like bandits. Happiness and compassion wait for you to invite them in like welcome guests.
Be free on control and learn to accept things as they are meant to be in nature. The only thing you can ever control is yourself, the only thing you can ever change is yourself. You can't control the weather, life, other people. You can try but it will always fail. You can beat your dog into submission but will it ever love you? No. And one day it will look for a chance to turn on you because ;like us, it doesn't want to be controlled.
Teach, don't control, don't force.
Accept...and keep your windows open.
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