The Reality of Religion

by Ra-Harakhte

Masses in society believe that religion has helped shape the world we live in and gives people hope and some sort of magical faith to their lives. Although this may seem true on the surface, overall it does not negate the fact that humankind still struggles against itself, still delights in wars and rebellion, bigotry and selfishness. Even after so many have accepted the Bible and God, our planet is still no better off today than it was two thousand years ago (It's just really a question of the degree of our savagery).

But what does this also say about the Bible and God? Quite simply this: The word of God has failed. It does not mean that evil, mean-spirited people have neglected the Bible and turned the world into a cesspool, for there are millions upon millions of non-religious men and women who are loving, affectionate, and giving, too. It means that the stories and hymns and testimonies in the Book of Books has not really changed the world, nor heightened anyone's spirits, it has simply moved us along (and not very well at that). When there are so many different religious interpretations and institutions claiming to be the "true" word of God and all others wrong; when Christians find it necessary to battle other Christians (like the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland); when one human being takes up arms against another in a world supposedly loved by an all-powerful, all-knowing being who created the planet in six days (144 hours), the the word of God Himself has failed.

But how can that be? This is God, right?

Apparently not. It did take men putting pen to papyrus to write the Book of Books. From their point-of-view, they were writing what they felt was "divinely inspired" and that is how the world has been taught to think ever since. Actually, the writers themselves may not have considered their works inspiring -- it was a council of men who sat down and VOTED, making the CLAIM that the stories were inspired. And then they passed it off as BELIEF to the general populace (which was usually highly uneducated and not used to the concept of free-thought).

Belief is not necessarily truth

Didn't we once believe the planet was flat? Unfortunately, our actions throughout history speak louder than the Biblical authors' words.

"Because of religion, more human beings have been murdered, tortured, maimed, denigrated, discriminated against, humiliated, hated and scorned for any other reason in the totality of the history of man"

Bill Jenkins, former ABC talk show host ⁽¹⁾

When one gets into the history of the church and organized religion, it is quite a shock to realize that several hundred million people have been burned, tortured, disfigured and killed, all in the name of "divine" authority. Imagine that. Imagine winning the lottery, one with several hundred million dollars. Then change those one dollar bills into living, breathing men women and children -- murdered.

Some interesting facts:

In the beginning, all members were to give up his/her personal possessions and live wholly for it. That's not spirituality, that's slavery.
Money was also raised off the sale of indulgences. There are records recording members of the Papacy marching into towns and putting on lavish, overly dramatic expositions of how people's loved ones were writhing in Hell, but if they were to pay, say 12 pence, the dead one would be promoted into heaven. Several parts of St. Peters in Rome were built off these indulgences.

A murdering deacon could be freed for twenty crowns.

A bishop of abbot who had killed could be sent to Heaven provided he paid three hundred livres.

Saint Bonaventure declared Rome was nothing but "lust and simony, even in the top ranks of the church." Popes were elected not by their piety, but by how well they could pay the body of men who would elect them. And don't forget the Crusades, which slaughtered thousands in "the name of Christ."

After the Golden Age of the Greeks came the onset of Christianity, to which we ventured into the Dark Ages . . .

This 2000 year old belief system has also been the cause of some of the worst social bigotry imaginable. It has given rise and credence to Slavery ⁽²⁾, the deplorable treatment of Women ⁽³⁾, and ultimately the raping of the planet ⁽⁴⁾.

And what about today?

Millions of dollars go overseas to Israel in "helping" the fight against the Moslems to free the Holy City and prepare for Christ's return. Is that spirituality?

Religious fanatics threaten, beat, bomb, and unfortunately end another's life in protests against abortion. Is that spirituality?

Ideologies are past down to generations, labeling each human a "sinner" and being nothing more than a barnyard animal (lost sheep), which ultimately engages the mind to be forever suspicious against fellow humans and itself. It degrades the soul in its real wisdom, which, at its very worst, makes an individual sadly underestimate himself/herself, and the ability to have control over his/her own life.

Some people would say "The Bible doesn't do that. Man does." And that proves my point: Religion and the Bible has failed, for if such a book had ever been inspired or written by any God or Holy Spirit, its words would shine so true and so clear, even the most ardent skeptic could not deny it. Remember, this is God we're talking about. If such a being can create this entire universe, then why can it not prove to humanity since its inception on the planet of its existence? It is not that people are deaf or blind. Many have asked for God and for proof and validation of His existence, yet they still come up empty-handed.

Then what about those who do claim they have found God and also hear him?

What about the people who go out and murder, and then say "God told them to do it?"

What about a group of people who commit suicide believing their salvation lies on a spaceship following the Hale-Bopp comet?

When one does an objective view through history, one realizes, it is all the same thing. It is a perspective and belief. And like I said earlier, belief is not necessarily truth.

Look at where we are at spiritually today as a planet. Everyone can agree the goal of the Church is to "Holy civilize" the planet, by turning everyone over to its God and Savior. Yet these church organizations themselves are not "holy civilized" as evidenced by their past, and even the present. Again, the whole thing has failed. The church has had an opportunity to prove itself, God, Savior, and Bible as the Real Thing for 2000 years. That people still deny it proves it wrong. That means they have failed 2000 times (once for every year it has existed). This performance is hardly acceptable for a God who created the universe and who supposedly loves all of humanity and is using a book and institution as His means of expression. This is not an all-powerful God. This is the failure of ignorant men trying to propagate a mythological concept onto the soul of the universe which they knew nothing about.

FOOTNOTES

(2) Where were Christian values and God when slavery was going on? Most people don't know that thousands of blacks brought over from Africa came on a ship named "Jesus." Likewise, some speculate they were made slaves because the first white people who saw the blacks believed they were black because of the "mark of Cain." Again, true spiritual ignorance. Let us not also forget the thousands of Americans who died in the Civil War over it. Imagine what life would have been like if the white who had seen the black and never heard of the "mark of Cain." Would he have been so easily disposed to believe the black was lower than him? Would slavery have even gotten started?

(3) Pretty much everyone has heard about how women have been treated. Not much different than slaves, by some accounts. But some may not know that back in the 1st century, women were not considered "saved" unless they could change their sex. Is this true spirituality? Is this really the inspiration of God, or the social vices of an ignorant priesthood and culture, obviously bent on male-domination? Yet we take their "inspired writings" as authoritative and true??

(4) "Be fruitful and multiply." So we can overpopulate the planet and exhaust all of its resources. I could go at length on this, but it does not take a rocket scientist to see how badly damaged the planet has become because of our ignorance. Had the Bible taught true spirituality, and our connection to this planet (as well as the universe), would it be where it's at now? Compare our western belief system in regards to the planet with those of the Native American Indians. They LOVED this planet, and adored her, and kept her. Chief Seattle asked that we honor her -- instead we've raped her with volatile chemicals and other dangerous compounds. So much that the ozone layer is depleting, not to mention a myriad of other disasters.

"They came with a Bible and their religion -- stole our land, crushed our spirit . . . and now tell us we should be thankful to the 'Lord' for being saved."

Chief Pontiac

HOME