Questioning ALL Organized Religions - Are Your Beliefs Valid? (with poetry postmortem).
74Under the Eye of God
Questioning ALL Organized Religions - Are Your Beliefs Valid?
The greatest priorities in my life are to always seek truth, logic, knowledge, and do no harm to others.
This hub is informational only. I have no vested interest, or intentions, in trying to dissuade anyone from their personal religious beliefs and convictions. They are yours alone to keep and cherish.
I do believe however, that faith and religious beliefs should be based on truth, reality and logic.
With these 2 statements made, i am writing this article to update, upgrade and clarify all of my previous hubs regarding organized religions - an addendum , if you will.
Those of you who cannot handle truth, or are unable to incorporate reality into fantasy, might want to not read any further than this. This is for spiritual enlightenment purposes only. So, please do not bombard me with hate mail, and spare me the name calling. If you can not handle the truth just quietly move on.
Recent new discoveries have verified my past comments with more clarity than i was able to provide, based solely on my intellectual deductions, as they have been.
It is difficult to challenge historical facts, even for the most stolid religious zealot. If you are a religious "schussboomer" you will probably not have the mental capacity to comprehend the significance of this article. (For those of you not familiar with the term 'schussboomer' it is a skiers' term meaning to ski down hill at high speed. One direction. No desire to stop, slow down, or veer off in another direction).
History tells us that Jesus lived 33 years and died in our calendar year - Zero. Ergo, all time thereafter is considered A.D. (Anni Domini) (after death). He was not a christian , obviously, as this term was coined sometime in the 10th century to describe those who followed the "teachings of Jesus Christ".
There in lies the beginning of the falsification of what that statement really means. Jesus was a Gnostic. That term is (and was) not considered heretic until the Roman Catholic Church declared it to be so. Gnosis is a fundamental knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient (Gnostic) to be essential to salvation. This is what Jesus stood for - nothing more - nothing less. Aside from his political views of course. As he was quite the political rebel.
It is profound and provocative: and is the true meaning of the term "the teachings of Jesus Christ" until it was bastardized by the church officials sometime between the 1500 and 1600 centuries. The followers of Jesus (the apostles) were also Gnostics and there were fractionated sects of the residual of the original "teaching of Christ" amongst them after his death.
After the death of Jesus there were multiple written accounts of his life and "accomplishment" as related by those who penned those accounts. Some were loosely based on reality, most were based on stories, passed down through the ensuing 200 - 300 years after his death. People in those days had no formal education, not very many people were able to read or write, and there were very few accounts reduced to writing, until many years after his death. And those writings were done by un-named people who only recounted the stories passed on down through the years.
Around the year 313 A.D. Constantine the Great issued the "Edict of Milan" that made "Christianity" a lawful religion. By the end of the 4th century, it had become the "State Religion". Historians refer to the church of this period as the "Constantinian Church", designating the privileged position of the church within the state.
Then, the bullshit started. During the 'middle ages' (1500-1600A.D.) the Roman Catholic Church was established and developed the hierarchical structure that endured largely unchallenged until the Reformation.
There were many writings and stories about the life and time of Jesus; and Constantine decided there needed to be one text that 'personified' his (Constantine's) idea of a unified religion. So, he and a group of his cohorts created the first universal "bible" (A Holy book, as declared so, by state law and the Roman Church). This was the birth of the Bible as we know it today.
This book only consisted of 4 parts: Mark, Mathew, Luke and John. They were created from letters, stories, etc.. that supposedly depicted each of their teachings. The authors of those letters and stories were unknown. These stories were consolidated and were entitled "the teachings" of each of them, to imply that they were actually written by these men. They in fact, were not. All the other writings, were discarded because they did not fit into the intended agenda, or purpose, of having ONE holy text, that unified the beliefs they wanted to portray.
There was extreme upheaval, dissension and scandal over the years, as the Roman Catholic Church sought independence from the State control it was under. (These stories are irrelevant for the purpose of this article, although they were quite interesting and the politics were not much different that those of today). (Perhaps some might make interesting hubs in the future).
The actual original "teachings of Jesus" (Gnosticism) were discarded and declared "heresy", by both the State and the Church. Not because they were not the truth, but because the times called for conformity, and control by the state and the church, over the people. So the "Christianity" that is so defended and revered today was in actuality a creation of politicians - NOT holy men.
This new Bible had to provide for intermediaries between man and God, otherwise the church and state would have little relevance, and lose its power and control over their minions..
Gnosticism has no need for intermediaries between man and God. It is this personal connection that Jesus taught to be the "Salvation of Man". This belief was what the state and the church had to conceal from the public. It would have rendered them both, redundant and superfluous and thereby unnecessary to the people.
And so it continues today. The corruption of all that is holy, by greedy men, power hungry governments, and masses of individuals who have relinquished their souls to those corrupt few; because they lack the fortitude to seek their own personal destinies and salvation's.
Conclusions:
The truth be known! How will you handle this new truth? How does it feel to know you have been duped for centuries; brainwashed into submission? That you have such fear instilled in your hearts, minds, and souls, that you are unable to see that truth, or face it, or counter the damages, of the ravages of time, on your belief systems? That your religion, that you cling so steadfastly to, is nothing more than the results of an elaborate wily subterfuge concocted by one Roman magistrate (A POLITICIAN), 1500 years ago?
This book, bible, holy scripture, et al; is reduced to a book of fairy tales innocently accepted by people who needed to believe that they are not responsible for themselves, their own destinies, and their own salvation. So they embraced these fairy tales as fact in order to make sense of it all.
A Poem:
What fools, we mortals be.
Suffer mankind, as is deservedly.
Even this truth, won't set you free.
Fear and deception is your true decree.
Blindness will lead you, to your dismay
For no-one will accept this truth, this day.
Easier it is, to let guile lead your way.Keep your deceit, or 'will' it away
Open your eyes so you can seeThat this is not your true destiny.
Before you falter and go on, astray,Ask your God, that the truth, He display.
d.william 03/01/11
- WHO ARE THE RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS?
Religious Zealots. Who are they? What do they represent? Not me for sure. Zealot defined: A member of a fanatical sect arising in Judea in the first century A.D. and militantly opposing... - "Organized Religion is the Enemy of Spiritual Growth...
This statement is a profound truth that no-one can repudiate or disavow. The truth of this statement is evident in the history of religion standing firmly in the way of individual spiritual growth... - BANNED FROM THE BIBLE - Part 1 (the first affront to women's rights)
The Eye of God. Religions need to clean up the mess they have created!!! WOW. Research into the origin of the bible that people are so fearful of, reveals quite a shocking story. Quoting from it... - BANNED FROM THE BIBLE - Part 2
The Eye of God. Misguided hatred - Religions need to clean up the mess they have created!!! The new testament - equally as shocking as the old testament. During the creation of the new testament...
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Thanks for your support. You always know the appropriate video to accompany your comments. Thanks. dw
Hi DW... I love your punchy style! I would like to throw in my own two-pence halfpenny as a kind of afterthought... Your article reminds me of the wise words spoken by Pontius Pilate who apparently asked Jesus... what is truth? I think I'd go a tad further than asking a question and perhaps suggest that there is no solid truth about anyone or anything. Truth is merely a point of view.. another aspect of belief. Xavier Nathan, many years ago, told me that he did not believe in anything but that certain things were true for him relative to his experience and where he happened to be at that time. All beliefs are valid but no belief is objectively true because every statement, be it.. scientific, religious, philosophical or whatever is always relative to some particular solid positions held. As way of an example, the beautiful picture of ' The Eye of Heaven’ (MyCn18) which you use in your hubs does not look like an eye at all from some other different angle in the cosmos… but does that detract from its amazing beauty or from the joy it brings?.. of course not. Within every truth there are many lies and within every hell heaven abounds. Thank you DW for a very enjoyable hub! Cheers, Garry.
Garry Bannister:
Thank you so much for reading and your insightful comments. Truth is not just a point of truth. It is logic, and reality. You cannot say that because people believe in the tooth fairy, santa clause, or the honesty of politicians, that these are truths, when we all know that they are in fact total non-truths. Just believing in something blindly, with no foundation in logic, does not make it truth. Perhaps truth to that person, but not to be taught generation to generation with ongoing embellishments to suit the needs of the times, and pass this off as truth. Although, it is true that we all see things in a different way, you cannot argue with logic and scientific proof. I may be voicing one man's opinion, in the opinion of another man, but neither one should be taught as truth to the extent that religion uses for the sole purpose of control. This is just wrong in any point of view. Except of course to those perpetuating those fairtales.
I take your point. Certainly in relation to logic and science, then indeed all the major religions hold no water whatsoever. From a scientific point of view, evolution, albeit a theory, has a logic and honesty about it that cannot be said for those who would seek to explain the origins of life by reading the ancient texts in the book of Genesis. But truth, for me at any rate, is not about facts or logic. As Keats put it so well.. “Truth is beauty…” and what is beautiful has a truth beyond telling. Sometimes the facts seem to point to only one possible conclusion and yet our hearts contradict all our logical evidence. There are things that cannot be scientifically weighed or measured such as love, joy, distress, etc.. and although the Catholic Church has been the instigator of some of the worse crimes in the known history of humanity, it has also inspired a lot human beings to many of the greatest acts of humanity and selflessness. This is what I mean when I say that there is no separation between what is negative and positive. All phenomena are both medicine and poison, truth and untruth.. Surely whenever religion is no longer needed, it will disappear all by itself. I think there’s a simple logic in that observation. Many thanks. Cheers, Garry.
Garry Bannister:
Thanks again for you added insight. I have to agree with you for the most part, but my exception to the public being duped for political purposes, is still quite irritating and unsettling to me. As far as religion is concerned it would certainly be better for humanity, for it to go away quietly into the night, so that actual spirituality can take hold and grow. There can be many opportunities for the growth of humanitarian establishments to aide those in need, and provide the comraderie, that religious followers seem to require, without the commercialism of the current day religions. There is little, or not truth, to the religious aspects of those television preachers that only want to take your money.
I agree.
I don't believe that our faith should be based on logic because faith requires believing before seeing, otherwise its not faith. Also if you regard the scriptures it says that the natural mind cannot comprehend the things of the spirit. Another words you can't understand God with logic alone He has to reveal Himself to you. That is called revelation.
You also mentioned truth and reality as the bases of faith. Now there again viewing truth and reality from a natural earthly perspective can be and often is directly opposed to the true reality in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus demonstrated this in many ways. On the Sermon on the Mount he said blessed are the poor, the meek, the mournful, the persecuted etc., this absolutely defied the logic of that culture. Jesus the messiah was supposed to be born king of the Jews, but he was born in a stable and crucified as a common criminal. Even his own followers strongly opposed his proclamations that he was to be crucified! It made no sense at all to them. Jesus miracles defied every semblance of common sense. For Instance the Jewish culture required great cleanliness in their religious rituals ie the washing of the hands the face, cleaning of eating utensils etc, yet Jesus spit into some dirt and rubbed it into the eyes of a blind man so he could see. He violated their precious sabbath in almost every miracle he preformed. He insulted and infuriated the religious leaders and refused to demonstrate a miracle in front of them? Nothing that He did made any sense!
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Thank you for reading and your comments.
As i stated in the beginning of this article, i have no interest in trying to convert anyone away from their belief systems. I just speak the truth with logic.
One of the most effective methods of winning the minds of those who the original bible was earmarked for, was to instill a sense of fear of rejection of these 'teachings'. When the Roman state and the state's church declared their bible as a holy book, and stated that anyone who defied it was unholy, or heretic, it offered the validity that most people needed to accept this as truth.
Constantine was a politician. Well versed in how to control people through proclamations of validity that were backed up by the church, of his creation, as well. Blind faith in any organized religion is not logical for me. And yet, i do believe in a 'Creator' and the concepts of right and wrong. And yes, even that we will all return to our spiritual place from which we came. There were NO confirmed miracles ever preformed during the time of J.C. These were stories, made up, and verbally recounted over and over again, through several generations before they were finally reduced to writing about 300 years A.D. It is easy for us to accept that there is a "physical" adaptation to the Creator himself, but it is just a fairy tale, much like Santa Clause, and the Easter Bunny.
Good hearing from you and i certainly welcome and accept all comments as individually valid from their authors.
I enjoyed reading this hub though I don't believe what it offers as truth. It is well written and harmonious. You and those who have commented on this hub are truly gentlemen in every sense of the word. I liked the term "schussboomer". I take no umbrage. I suppose I must admit to being one. But I can still recognize civility...you my friend possess it. Since I am Christian please except my request for God's blessings in your life.
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Thank you for reading and your comments. They are also filled with kindness and civility. I appreciate that, most people are quite hateful in response to my articles. I am not anti - christian, just anti - organized religion that preaches gospel from one side of their mouth and hatred and bigoty from the other and all the while holding their hands out for money.
Amen brother...you and I both.
In every religion there are things not related to logical or scientific. One thing is that many of us believe in a supreme power creator who has created all things. Nobody has seen that creator. No science can prove it that there is god. We can realize logically that there is a god. There are illogical things too in christianity. Believing in god is alright but believing in god's child is illogical. If jesus is god's child whatabout adam? Who are adam's parents? We are mortal so this is intelligent to be religious. But which religion to? Christianity only?
I suppose 'miracles' would not be such if logic were applied, that is why they are viewed as miracles. This hub has much insight and I enjoyed reading it.
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Thanks for visiting my hubpages and your comments. While we do not dispute the existence of a higher power, my contentions are that organized religions are just a contrived means of controlling others around us, and not always for altruistic reasons; and they dare to do it in the name of that higher power.
Belonging to a religious sect is NOT a requirement for anything in this life, or the next. Belief in a higher power is neither. Either way we are what we are, and we cannot change that by blind faith, or prayer, when after the prayer we continue to harm others around us, either physically, psychologically, emotionally, or verbally by speading hatred in the name of that higher power.
Humanity tries to have its cake, and eat it too. It is an impossible task, to say the least.
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Thanks for reading and commenting. It is always a pleasure to have you visit and offer your valued insight. I have never personally witnessed a miracle, and those who portend to have, probably (undoubtedly) have placed their own slant on what they actually did witnessed. The miracles of the bible are questionable due to the nature of how the bible was created and the reasons behind that creattion. Constantine was NOT a very holy man, or he probably would NOT have been a politician. LOL.
Hmmmm, sounds like you've met face to face with true enlightenment, I know you know what this means, the truth is no one figure, nor church that need be the the thought process from which we are guided as it is said we are limited to do so ourselves, NOT!
Each of us has everything we need alone to stand alone and be united with the energy that orbits this universe be it positive or negative, our choice and therefore our direction and our end. Good read and much enjoyed. :) Katie
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Wow. Another enlightened soul. Good to know you are out there. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. That is what my article is based on, but there is no "organized" religion in this world that would admit that truth. They would surely lose their grip of fear, and perpetual money funnel.
Thanks for sharing this great hub.
Your hub is especially apropos of the present climate in the U.S. where schools and education are being defunded by a fanatical group who dictate the subject matter being taught to our youth. There is still time to stop this madness but it must be done before they are more firmly embedded in our government, on school boards, city councils, etc. Students who have studied anthropology and history certainly understand how people who do not think about or question what they are told have always been controlled by those they perceive to be in power.
J.Riley: Thank you so much for reading, and your comments. After much research, i discovered a couple of other facts of interest.
The word 'hell' for instance, had an original meaning of: 'an interval, interim pause, or an intervening time'. It was never meant to assert eternity. This is just another example of how changing one word can change an entire meaning. The word's meaning was changed to portray something more severe to frighten people into greater submission. It is difficult for me to understand the gullibility of people. Also, the word 'fornication' had an original meaning of simply 'prostitution'. Now look how it is twisted by today's crazy religious fanatics. It is truly frightening to realize just how ignorant people really are about the facts.
D william, I came across your hub while hub hopping, and usually I would not comment, but I think I should. Your hub has raised some very interesting points, and I appreciate your writing style. My intention is not to bash you or anyone's beliefs, but I would like to simply share my experience.
I may not be able to prove the validity of Christianity, because I firmly believe that it's foundation is built purely on faith. How can anyone prove their faith which is based on believing in the unseen? I agree that as you stated there are people who claim to be Christians who have done much wrong. Perhaps these people are not really Christians, because there are many who claim to be who really are not. Hence, Christianity has received a bad reputation.
My final thought on this matter is that I would rather live my life as a Christian, believing that heaven and hell exists, than to die and find out that they do. It will be too late to change my mind at that point.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read my hub and your thoughtful comments.
As i always state, i have never had any intentions of changing anyone's beliefs. I do believe however, that we, as consumers (even consumers of religious beliefs) have the right ot know the full story of exactly what it is that we were taught to believe in, by proxy (generational brainwashing techniques).
When any civilization is based solely on a religion that has been less than truthful, we must question that validity of our belief systems.
I certainly have no doubt there is a higher power, "God", if you will, or simply "the Creator".
The word "hell" had a simpler meaning of: "an intervening period" (a brief interval) or (an interim pause). The founders and perpetuaters of religion (religious teachings) chose to put their own slant on that term to extend the "punishment for your errors or grievances" to an 'eternity', strictly for the purpose of instilling greater fear, and therefor greater control, over their subjects.
This is just one small example of how modern day religion has been 'adapted' to suit the times, throughout our history.
Another fallacy of religious teachings is that "God hates homosexuals" as quoted by the religious zealots. We must realize that this term was not relevant back in the time of Jesus. It was declared a sin against the state, and the state's religion, because people did not recognize it as such, when they were told to not practice homosexuality in order to grow their armies faster.
Today, religion is so corrupt, and hatred is so prevalent, based on mis-teachings and ignorance, it seems like there is no end to this madness. Unfortunately your religion also teaches you that you cannot have any original thoughts of your own. If you doubt, or stop believing, or even question the doctrine they push as truth, you will be doomed to eternity of pain and suffering. Now, i ask you, do you truly believe that an all good, benevolent god would punish so severly for something that he himself has created? Do not fear your God, he is not demanding your unconditional devotion to him, you (we) are all just individual receptacles for the sum of the knowledge of our experiences that we encounter on this planet,
This is a necessity in order for a spiritual creator to even understand the concepts of "feelings" or "emotions" that only a vessel such as the human body can experience. Put your faith in God, and yourself, not in the false teachings of man.
D.william if I offered you a gift of one million dollars, you could choose to do with it as you like, and of course you never had to repay me, the only criteria is that you accept it within a certain time frame. Would you accept it? It would be great if you did. However, if you refused to receive it in the time allowed, and soon after you lost your job, your car and all your possessions. In essence, you became a homeless pauper, should I be blamed for your fate?
This is what God has done. He gave us a free will and the choice to have eternal life with Him. Unfortunately some refuse to believe and to accept Him. Consequently, they spend eternity without Him. It is not His desire for them to suffer, but their choice determined their destiny.
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Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
First i must say, yes, i WILL accept the million dollars !! LOL.
But, seriously, your perception of the Creator is limited by the information you have received from your religious dictators. MY God, is, as we all should be, in a constant state of flux, with learning and the acquiring of information, and the broadening of intelligence as the basis for our existence. I do not, nor have i ever, believed that a Creator with an intelligence so far beyond our limited capabilities to comprehend, would waste valuable resources with recruitment, discipline, and the demand for honor and loyalty. The are 'human' disorders, frailties and weaknesses.
Our religion has falsely taught us that our Creator is a dictator, no better than Moammar Ghadafi in Libya.
We are all part of the whole Creation process, and therefor, are individually incapable of upsetting that plan. We are only a part of it. It may be true that our actions on this plane will determine the next step in our own evolution, but an eternity without him? I doubt that very much. Everything that happens on this planet is undoubtedly part of the cosmic plan, and in the big picture, what we experience and learn here, will only strengthen the rewards in our journey back to whence we came. Fear serves no purpose, along with guilt and subservience. They are obstacles in our intended growth, both intellectually and spiritually.
Great article!!!Fiat lux!!!
pituka:
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Odd that you should use the term: Fiat Lux. Do you suppose when God said "Let there be light" that it was meant metaphorically and not literally? Or perhaps both? Man is so one dimensional in thought, that the possibility of the "turning on of the light" of the mind was too complicated a concept to comprehend - and still is today.
Spirit Whisperer Level 6 Commenter 15 months ago
Fantastic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hopNAI8Pefg