Musings on Religion . . .

Agitator Alert:

Organized Religion has been and continues to be used, distorted, and wielded by Oligarchs, Zealots and Anarchists towards their own inhumane ends!

There are STILL some things about Life and other phenomena and experiences I've had as a person . . . that science cannot explain.

That is why I consider myself 'spiritual'/agnostic . . . 

Why?

I acknowledge that there is another dimension to our and all life forms existence . . . that has left tangible 'signs' in the 'visible' world . . . but cannot be 'sourced' . . . hence I am Spiritual!

My 'Beef'

1) The 'constraints' and the 'anti-nature' of one's 'organism' qualities and tendencies that organized religion 'impugns' on the 'Masses' is problematic for me.  When all is said and done . . . the benefits flow to a 'surprisingly few' and are remarkably 'shallow' and inseparably 'worldly' and cost the 'willing' more in 'emotional capital' than the 'anointed messengers' . . .!

2) Present organized religious dictates, for the most part, INSIST on steadfast rejection of the 'study of how things work' or Science . . . and rely on what amounts to mysticism and age old stories written by 'dubious' figures who were probably misunderstood when translated and/or misunderstood the 'subject' they were writing about.  As systems of ingesting the 'world' in which we live change . . . organized religion has stubbornly refused to go with it, or meld with it.  It is treated as 'evil' and sort of like an 'existential threat' to the 'fiber' that hold these 'faiths' together. 

a) Time measurement, for one, is in stark contrast to the demonstrable erroneous ones of the times when such 'stories' were written . . . but YET it is given literal interpretation with Today's standards!??

b) Demonstrably True, reproducible scientific realities of Life.  I'm referring to 'Evolution' . . . need I say more??  A line from the Movie "Constantine" is apropos for the 'Faithfull’s' stubbornness on this issue:

"Your Ego . . . is ASTOUNDING!!"

Yes it is 'Ego'.  I've HAD discussions with folks who say they are 'saved' . . . and they have NO problem with the concept that a Dog or a Horse may have 'evolved' from an earlier, 'less-flattering' form of life . . .

BUT . . . THE MOMENT . . . I even postulate that we too may have come down a 'similar path' . . . the thread of logic is snapped and the 'spool' is yanked away into oblivion!

The BS and the Glaring Paradox

The bottom line: WE are 'special' . . . somehow . . . even though they acknowledge that God created all things, and did so in this slow, 'gradual' way - Through Evolution! - We were 'created' on the Seventh Day through a divine feat worthy of 'The Amazing Mumford' from Sesame Street!  Yes I said it!  We exhibit ALL the traits and instincts of almost ALL the other life forms on this planet, subject to the same environmental forces and dangers, have exhibited unique adaptations to deal with such things . . . even in tuned with geography!

But we are ‘special’!

God created us like "POOF!!!" . . . right?

Ok then . . .

And what pisses me off is that the 'disconnect' and stubborn refusal is NOT a 'Religion Killer'!

IF God Created 'All Things' . . . then ISN'T this 'Entity' Responsible for Man's science, his growing curiosity and quest for knowledge, along with the growing reservoir of understanding he has about this world and universe?  DOESN'T this Entity or Force WANT us to use our science to help ourselves and thrive?  DIDN'T this 'Being' MAKE us as complex and advanced as we are to DO EXACTLY what we are doing?

It's asinine!

And until the oligarchs, plutocrats and religious zealots release their hold on Organized Religion . . . I'll continue to challenge these Man-Made, Self-Serving-For-A-Few 'Definitions' and 'Rules' - which are in themselves sort of heretical according to THE SAME TEXTS so revered for one reason:

How DARE 'mere mortals' 'impugn' their 'always inferior' visions on This God, or Entity (or collection thereof) or Force . . . who is supposed to be omnipotent?

Too many inconsistencies, antithetical 'raison d’êtres', nakedly human prejudices and all sorts of other moral vindications for destructive travesties for my liking . . . to take the present 'Construct' of Organized Religion seriously!

Now before you label me all sorts of other 'learned' religious 'terms of displeasure' . . . Aren't I too 'a child of Your God, Entity, Force.'

And as such . . . isn't My Skepticism borne of the same 'Source' as ‘Your Reverence'?

Think about that.

One more Point: The MORALS or 'Humane Philosophies' of ALL the world’s major religions and many of the minor ones are almost IDENTICAL!

In fact they are a verbal dictate of actually an 'organic', NATURAL tendency that we human beings would have towards one another . . . if weren’t so 'poisoned' by these unique 'learned' prejudices, fears and yes: Religious 'interpretations'!

The Morals, TO ME are probably the most 'useful' part of organized religion because they have no prerequisite for them to be practiced and are exhibited everyday reflexively by human beings everywhere . . . even Atheists!:

When someone comes to your aid when you're in an accident or being attacked!

Someone DIES trying to save you . . . a complete stranger!

Someone sees a homeless person and takes them to get a meal!

Someone gives up their seat for the elderly or a woman that is Pregnant

Someone pulls you out of the way of danger

Simple everyday 'things' folks do all the time . . .

ALL religions talk about these things . . . they're the basics, the commonalities!

But yet . . . one religion will 'inter' practitioners of the other to their version of 'hell' . . . for not 'immediately recognizing the brilliance of 'their' version of God' and for not 'immediately converting' . . .!

"How can One hope to get the Life-long vegetarian . . . to willingly 'bask' in the saline 'rapture' of Meat . . .?"

Therein lies the 'problem' . . . for such 'difficulties' seem to always demand blood . . . but are never sated. 

These incongruous, seemingly irreconcilable but ultimately shallow world views  . . . these 'differences' are the source of division and frankly 'EVIL'!  We slaughter MILLIONS of other people because of them . . . and it is how we are kept apart, and it is how we are exploited, victimized and ruled . . . by what boils down to be Very Few 'Provocateurs' with very 'narrow' and 'personal' 'goals' . . . never mind how altruistic they espouse being!

Stop getting caught up in the religious minutia of division and start seeing your ever present sameness and your 'sharing of the same slice' of Life's pie!

Evil . . .?

Don’t I believe in ‘Evil’ then?

I'll concede that there IS 'Evil' . . . and whether we chose to 'anthropomorphize' it in the form of the Biblical 'Satan' or 'Baal' or whatever . . . is irrelevant . . .!

All I know is that it's like the 'water' that 'seeps' into a submerged bottle that wasn't shut properly . . .

It's like the deadly bacteria in the air around us, ever present; looking for the occasional 'weak immune system' to invade and wreaks havoc . . .

It's the part of the ‘equilibrium equation’ that MUST be 'balanced' . . . Ying and Yang so to speak . . .

It's a harmful ‘byproduct’ of a ‘process’ that produces something very valuable and useful . . . that if not dealt with or disposed of properly can silently grow, or coalesce into something that threatens the integrity of even the process AND the Precious 'Product' itself!  Almost like fine powder that collects around the ovens in a bread factory . . . that if allowed to reach a certain level could trigger a massive explosion . . .

It's the ever present Carbon Dioxide in the air that we CANNOT survive in, if its concentrations go above a certain level . . .

In short we will never be rid of it and it will always be around and it will always be possibility . . . a danger.

And it has always BEEN around.

Religion CAN be used to 'keep it in check' . . . but the 'minutia' I was talking about are like 'agar jelly' for this type of 'Ebola' . . . and people that 'traffic' in this stuff are 'carriers' of this contagion. 

But we don't always see them . . . we don't always recognize them . . .

We are already and have always been 'infected' in some way . . . and at times the hallucinations make us 'blind' or obscure our vision . . .

We need to learn to use Religion for THAT purpose of keeping 'that' at bay . . . instead of 'encouraging' it's growth by our hypersensitive focus on the 'pretty minutia'!

Present Day

Religion has as of late been the source of toxic scourge that has destroyed millions of lives across this planet. From the sectarian violence between different sects of Islam . . . to the coldblooded murder of doctors in the USA . . . ALL have used Religion as the reason for their actions of the macabre.

These acts that they commit in their God's name . . . instead would make the Devil, in whatever form it takes . . . smile from ear to pointy ear . . .

We say that we are modern but idolatry STILL rules many countries . . . I'm talking about Money.  Here is a quick verse to exemplify what I'm talking about:

"Monotheistic virtue is what they claim as their own

But only a polytheistic one have they shown

Astonished by the revelation?

So many Gods have ruled and still do this nation

Seems like one must take the time to educate

All about the fallacious convention before too late.

Here’s God Number One . . .

Probably the most important one.

The name: Wealth alias Money

The Zeus of this society

He is worshiped every day

In the Church on Capitalist Way

A sumptuous platter is laid for him daily

A god with so much power must be kept happy.

He dines on the virtue and sometimes the bodies of his subjects

So intoxicated are they by his guile they do not object

Their essences and souls they willingly give for consumption

To the Prime-Evil One and his Legion." 

We have political parties totally beholden to this toxic paradox of values: Swear they are the walking 'authority' on Jesus . . . but enact policies that only the fabled Devil would really love!

Even the morals taught . . . have been totally usurped and corrupted into psychoactive pellets that their followers readily 'take' when confronted with the idiocy and antithetical monstrosity of their positions!

And I don't see this changing anytime soon . . . sadly.

It's going to be a long slog to de-calcify what has been fossilized from every angle into our collective psyches over the centuries . . . back into something, more in the vein of what is natural, what is good . . .  what is Moral.  We the regular folks have to take back the whole perceptional apparatus that has been thoroughly 'raped' and warped over the centuries, repair and rewire it, if you will.  If we don't each make that effort in a real way. . . going to church or the mosque or anywhere you chose to worship . . . is a wasted platitude.

We Love saying "In God We Trust!" . . . 

Do we really . . .?