Do you feel religion is a type of brainwashing?

Question

If you look at cults, their followers will not question their leaders, and do anything they say. This happens in the larger religions too. Look at scientology, Xenu (sometimes Xemu) is introduced as an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft resembling Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living. Scientologists believe the alien souls continue to do this today, causing a variety of physical ill-effects in modern-day humans.


Now, this is no different than islam or christianity. They both seem to follow blindly. When their is evidence against the existance of their god, and their religion, they say they must have faith, and believe no matter what. No amount of reason or proof can show them otherwise, no matter how sensible it is. People will pour their money and lives into a religion.

If someone feels that god wants something they will do it, do you feel this is a form of brainwashing?

Martin and brittany - It has been proven that it would be impossible for a flood to cover the whole earth. That the earth is older than 6,000 yr old and no one has ever lived up to 900 yrs old. Do I need to go on?

Smart guy - you arn't too smart, are you? People have killed countless people in the name of god, the crusades, abortion clinic bombings, and if you need religion to make you a good person, that is really sad. And einstein didn't say that, he wasn't even christian, so that really makes no sense now does it? You need to change your name from smart guy to something else, maybe jesusfreak?

Answer 1

Dear friend,
Yes, I think so,
majority of religious people especially in the Islamic world are brainwashed into believing in god and religion by others,
That’s where dictators step in and use it to pursue their goals,
why would Saddam or mullahs use religion anyway? Because that is the most convenient tool for them to oppress people in any way they like,

Answer 2

Life and brainwahsing go hand in hand. You probably believe the following. 1. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. 2. Abraham Lincoln was poor. 3. Martin Luther King was a nice guy. 4. Helen Keller was not a comunist sympathizer. 5. Henry Ford did not support Adolph Hitler. 6. Lady Godiva actually rode through town naked on a horse. 7. Napolian was short. 8. America is a Democracy and not a Constitutional Republic 9. The founding fathers were Christian. 10. Pilgrims sat with Indians on the first Thanksgiving 11. Christopher Columbus did not chop the hands off of the Indians when they could not bring him gold. 12. None of the Indians could communicate with Christopher Columbus, not even the one that spoke his language and had been to Europe. 13. The IRS is a government agency 14. The Federal Reserve Bank is an American Bank 15. Rosa Parks was not the first black woman to refuse to leave her seat. 16. Jackie Robinson was not the first black man to break the baseball color code. 17. Prison is only for hardened Criminals. One out of every 143 adults and one in 111 African-Americans are behind bars. That should scare the hell out of you. Brainwashing is a part of life. There are so many things we accept as true that just aren't so.

Answer 3

First of all, your mistakenly comparing Scientology to rest of the Christian denominations.

Secondly, there is not now and never has been any evidence supporting the opinion that there is no God.

Third, I did not come into this faith lightly. It took a long time of researching and asking questions.

Fourth, I do not "pour" money into any religion. Tithing does not always involve money.

Finally, now that I am a Christian there is only one way that I will give it up. IF one of my dead relatives or friends comes back and tells me there is no God and no after life. THAT will be the only proof of His nonexistence that I will accept.

Edit:
Your conclusions are being based on the current calendar. Clue - It is not the same one that the ancient world used. Scientific research has shown that there was a time that the Earth spun at a much faster rate than it is now. {faster rate of rotation, days go by quicker, years pass quicker, and that can only mean that people aged faster}

Have you ever heard of the term "Leap Second"?

Answer 4

Religion is concept that has been around since the beginning of time and there were many other religions that preached even more ridiculous stories than that of Scientology, they are what you think they are cults... some religions can last for thousands of years but someday they will just be considered as foolish stories made by crazy people who weren't as smart as the new religious figures... our current beliefs will some day be laughed at by future scholars, what ever religion preaches I'm sure the reality is much more spectacular.

Answer 5

Often religion is indoctrinated into the young. I feel I should point out, however, that there is a distinction between Scientology and the Abrahamic faiths in that Scientology is a cult while Christianity and Islam are religions. Scientology is SAID to be a religion but it fits the definition of a cult (whereas Christianity, for example, falls short of cult classification).

Answer 6

It can be used like that, yes... But I don't feel all people are brainwashed. Science can be used to brainwash as well (as a matter of fact, Dawkins suggested this very thing, to make people quit believing in the supernatural.....). There are cases of our own Gov't trying to do that very thing. Many will tell you that the Military brainwashes its people... to make them better soldiers (I've heard this said several times about the Marines). This doesn't mean all of those people who join are brainwashed though, or that brainwashing is the only thing they use to get people to see things their way.

If a person wishes to put all of their money into a religion and it makes them feel better... so long as they aren't starving their family or harming others, then I don't really see where it's any of my business that they do that. Now, if the religion uses that money to cause harm to others, it falls on the people who are doing the harm... not that people who give their money.

Answer 7

Are public schools a form of brainwashing? Of course. For that matter isn't learning anything a form of brainwashing?

What you believe to be or what you believe not to be has been planted in your mind, this is true of all things, isn't it?

Funny though that I never went to church, no one talked about religion much while I was growing up and I have never been a member of any church, and yet I am a Christian. Because I have the freewill be believe or not believe. Most people, such as you, believe that we all, (Christians), have "blind faith" which is totally untrue.

I could not tell you right now what my parents believed or didn't believe. Yet without any "brainwashing" from my parents or from any church I still am a Christian.

Because, A Creator is the only logical answer and sooner or later science will prove that beyond any doubt.

Answer 8

I would prefer to talk a little serious on this. Ihave studied many religions of the world and that to analytically so you can count on me. idon't study what to eat 7 what not, I don't study whether you kiss a cross or a wall.
To me, all religions are preaching 2 things -
1) Cosmology- i.e. how the world was created & is sustained.
2) Code of conduct(Rituals) - i.e. how u should behave. now this code of conduct is all interpretations of the cult leader which changes from time to time. Some will tell u to be a veg & some will tell u to eat all except pig. All the rituals are set around greed( if u do this u will go to heaven) or danger( if u don't do this, u will go to hell). You should use your perception while seeing rituals of any religion. They are set for improving humanity. If u follow blindly, u will feel like brain washing.
IT IS U WHO DECIDES RITUALS AS GUIDELINE OR BRAIN-WASHING. I would sincerely recomend to take a short course in Brahma-kumaris if nearby. I assure you that your brain will be cleansed & not drained. Good Luck.

Answer 9

Again your stupid propaganda.Religion (and when I say religion,I think true religion-Christianity) is one of the best things that ever happened to this world.If there wasn't for Christ to spread his teachings,we probably wouldn't even exist.Religion is something that makes people be good.Especially Christianity teaches you to be tolerant (although I think there shouldn't be any tolerance for people like you) and to love everyone,no matter what they do to you.It teaches you to forgive and help others.IS IT BRAINWASHING?

You can't compare small cults to religions like Christianity.It is totally different,because cults are made to benefit the guy on the top of it,while religion benefits the whole mankind.I hope you understand this.

And a few more facts:Science isn't trying to prove that God doesn't exist,on the contrary it is trying to get closer to God and prove his existence,although religion is something that doesn't have to be proved or backed up by evidence.Albert Einstein said once:Anyone who thinks God doesn't exist is probably just stupid.

Answer 10

No everyone who believes in a faith is brainwashed. I think it's the personality and the community that can brainwash - believe me, I've seen people use hate to brainwash kids for a lot of reasons other than religion.

I know many religious people who question or use their faith as a jumping board to exploration, not the end-all in itself. The YA users here aren't representative of most people, IMO.

I have always been agnostic, but I actually have very positive and welcoming experience with Christianity and other religions. Few people growing up tried to punish me for not believing until I came to the Southeastern US as an adult.