Aside from the obvious similarities between organized crime and organized religion, and the churches money making racket in the US, I thought about how religion also has worked as a filter on progress and innovation. From a theoretical perspective, the belief in a god serves to mold a populace behavior as well as provide a method to control people. So, basically, religion works to serve it's self. Not to go too far down the rabbit hole and go all X-Files/You Tube conspiracy, a argument could be made that organized religion will not allow itself to become obsolete. As Karl Marx stated;
"Die Religion ... ist das Opium des Volkes" and is often rendered as "religion... is the opiate of the masses." ... The full quote from Karl Marx translates as: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions.
I like the summarized translation better.
2
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Two pairs of unrelated words:
Catholic Church.
Joel Osteen
These are but two examples that go to answering your question.
Rob1948
Level 7
Mar 23, 2019
0
The Prosperity Gospel is a real marketing tool that has been surprisingly effective. It's as if the virtues of charity, humility, and poverty get flipped to hoarding, bragging, and thinking that wealth is sent to the faithful and denied to the sinner. If you are poor, it is your fault. If you are sick, it is god's will.
Thank you for that more expansive translation....I had only heard of the shorter quote. I tend to think of organized religion as a type of 'social club' with benefits to members. As younger generations fail to join this particular club, membership declines and the influence of religion decreases over time. And so our society and its institutions eventually become more secular and religion will not have the control it once had in our daily lives.
mojo5501
Level 7
Mar 23, 2019
1
This is 2019 here in Florida (like there is a shortage of churches in the south).
Florida lawmaker wants Bible study in public schools
@BrentMBA2004 That sure sounds like a separation of Church and State issue to me. Tax money should not go toward schools which solely teach the Bible (Christianity) if they aren't also willing to teach World Religion...so that all the beliefs and doctrines and history can be put right out on the table for discussion and critique. Religion as part of a history class is acceptable....but not as a means of indoctrinating our young people as a recruitment tool.
@BrentMBA2004, @F-IM-Forty I know...those faith-based initiatives (as they like to call them) trouble me in the public school system and in government programs. It really bothers me that religious schools get government funding of any kind. I can just imagine the school boards of some of these towns and cities where they don't even consider this 'brain-washing' situation as a problem at all!
I thought about that movie, Contact with Jodie Foster. This advance/launch was sabotaged by a religious zealot. Makes me wonder how many times has a bible thumper et al, screwed with science advances to protect their positions?
BrentMBA2004
Level 6
Mar 23, 2019
2
think Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo, the Translation of the Rosetta Stone, etc, etc, the list is almost endless.
to paraphrase Voltaire
If religion did not exist it would be necessary to invent it
religion teaches the masses to be obedient, to fear punishment, to be content with limited information and to trust unseen authority for their definitions of right and wrong.
It further advocates mistrust of the unfamiliar, collective thinking, suppression of individual thought and doubt.
When a child has been taught all of this since birth, it is easy to add government to god and have a controlled and passive populous, who you can rouse to rage against your enemies quickly easily when necessary or expedient.
LenHazell53
Level 9
Mar 23, 2019
3
I could not agree more. None of the indoctrination is by accident. Makes me think about Animal Farm. Let's assume a person had a clean religious slate. You pitch the absurdity of Jesus walking on the water, Moses parting the Red Sea or a hundred of the fairy tales just from the bible and that person would have you institutionized. Conditioning has made us accept the stupidest crap, but global warming is a myth. SMH
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