does anyone else think orginized religion was just designed to control people?

Question

Religion was used as a way to enslave people, and make the pyrimids. Religion is used to tell people what is acceptable behavior, and what is not. War has been fought on the basis of religion, land has been disputed over religion. I am not singleing out any one religion, I however think that ALL ORGINIZED religion is a way to brainwash people into being compliant, and I belive that all governments have used religion to control the minds and actions of there population.

Dont get me wrong, I belive in being spiritual, I do not have a "religion" per-say, but a belief system, which I believe reflects more ancient world spiritualaty.

I also find it difficult to praise someone who walked the earth as divinity. This started with the egyptians (as far as I know) and all major orginized religions have at least one human they have worshiped, Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Budda.

Am I completely off base, or is there actuallay a way to a higher power by following someone elses man made rules?

I guess urban myth is an alien, since hes insulting pitiful humans.

I do not think there is a wrong religion, nor do i think there is a right one, and no one will know the truth untill it is there time, but i doubt that if there is a higher being you will be denied because you chose to be x religion instead of y.

it amazes me that people within orginized religions belive there way is the only way, and will become very defensive, I dont think that is what spirituallaty is about. They should be more accepting of others and there beliefs, I am not attempting to insult them, just point out the fact that orginized religion is someone elses interpratation of what it means to be spiritual, and therefore is used as a means to control the minds and actions of people. If you disagree you need not look further then what is occuring in the name of religion by some muslims.

in vino veritas: very true, there is no place for man to tell others how to live, or what rules to follow, so in that sence you are right, any form of government is just as bad. I belive most people are good, with too much power comes corruption, no one should be in a position of authority over another.

Answer 1

And control people per-say? And spelling errors ignored and my religion is better than others and do not pray to the penguins and the stick figures as do the Episcoplains and the Apaches, per-say? ALL ORGINIZED religion, etc. only my way or the highway, etc., And egyptians (as far as I know, although I don't know where my car keys are, etc.), also, & Muhammad, Budda.Dick Tracy and Inspector Clouseu, etc, and Peter Sellers, etc., and he didn't win an oscar for "Being There' and why was that you think?

Answer 2

Religion did not enslave the Israelites the Egyptians did. The Egyptian religion said nothing about taking the Israelites and making them slaves. They were made slaves because they lived inside Egypt and had no representation in government or any sort of police or standing army. Yes they built the pyramids but they also built storehouses, palaces and public buildings. As for organized religion giving people a set of rules to live by,isn't that what the government does? Does not the government set down what is and what is not acceptable behavior? And no, not every government used organized religion to control the minds of their people. Soviet Russia was not religious at all, in fact every religion was persecuted under them. Organized religion can be abused by those in power, just as a government can. Everything you said about organized religion, people going to war for it, it being used to control people can be said about an ideology. Blaming organized religion for the worlds ills and saying it does not help at all would be like saying all forms of government only hurt and do not help their people. As with anything that is run by humans, it is only as good as those who run it. Just because a person professes to follow a certain religion does not mean he does or is representing it correctly. Just as not every soldier, police officer or politician acts in the way they are supposed to.

Answer 3

Absolutely.YES.The Abrahamic religions (Christianity,Islam and Judaism) take advantage of the natural human tendency to question why they are here, what is the meaning of life, etc. In answering those questions, the people who invented these religions were true geniuses. What better way to control large groups of people than by telling them that if they don't behave in a certain way or believe in a certain religion that they will be tortured in "hell" for all eternity. Humans, in general, WANT to believe in something. This makes us extremely vulnerable to these lies. Man created a God in man's image. To do so is extremely arrogant. God is everywhere, god is all things and God is not a white guy with a beard sitting in judgement over his own creation.Jesus and Muhammed were just guys, if they existed at all. We need to stop worshiping 2000 year-old books and start looking at how to make the world a better place.

Answer 4

You are right -- following man-made rules is not the way to a higher power. But God Himself has the right to give us rules if He wishes. And He has. For example, baptism is required by God. Jesus Christ Himself was baptized, to show us that it was important to follow this commandment.

I think you may not be making an appropriate separation between religion itself and the practice of religion that people do. Religions in general mostly teach good things, but people don't always practice the good principles that their religions teach. I think the whole world would be better off if people really did live their religions more.

Learn more here: www.mormon.org.

Answer 5

I think that organized religion has EVOLVED into a controlling entity, but I do believe that religion originally began as a way to explain the mysteries of existence. Before science was able to explain the world around us, a god (or gods) was probably the most "logical" explanation to people, with the added bonus that it provided them comfort and a feeling of control ("if I make a sacrifice to my deity, I will have a good harvest") over nature and their own lives.

Answer 6

Anytime you use fear as a means of punishment you are basically controlling someone. Fear is nothing more than a means of control. Most definitely I think religion was formed as a means of controlling the masses, essentially it was thier form of government in a way. All the laws of the state were based on the religious beliefs of the king or queen in power.

Answer 7

I think anyone who has a "belief system" instead of an "organized religion" has some idea that they think they have some sort sharp of edge of intelligence other people don't have, when really all they want to do is obtain the rewards of faith without going through any of the hassle.

Why don't you grow up a bit? the idea that you are one of the last of the enlightened has just bored me to tears. Everybody thinks it, and it's so annoying and as typical of you pitiful humans, it's so arrogant.

Answer 8

i think organized religion at this point in history is justabunch of different book reports on essentially the same book. I have been to many different religious services and found that the plot is generally the same but each one has a different twist ending depending on how they want to make you feel about yourself

Answer 9

Yes that is probable because there is/are powerful organization/s that orchestrate earth in order to control. Their goal is to control and perhaps they allow or form these religions to control

Answer 10

Yes... The bible was snipped here and there for the purpose of control. People think that it is sacred and the word of "God"... Religion has convinced people not to listen to their own connection to God and to rely on what's fed to them from the church. Religion makes people less spiritual. The church gets paid for this.