Was religion invented just to control people? Some people use that line to deny that there is a God. Why?

Question

If religion was invented to control people I'd have to ask-Control them from what? How are they being controlled and for what reason? This line of thinking degrades ALL religions, not just Christianity. Just because a person believes in God, what kind of control is he/she under? What control is a Christian under that an Atheist isn't under? If the powers that be said "let's control these people using religion" 1.Who are the powers that be? 2.How did religion control them-what could or couldn't they do because of religion? Paying taxes and going to war is nothing new. Religious and non religious have done these things forever. There are rich and poor church's just like there are rich and poor people. I can't see where $$ is the reason. If religion is used to control people into keeping laws such as: not to murder, not to steal, not to lie, etc. I don't see a problem. What is wrong with keeping such laws? If religion is a control device, what does it control?

Answer 1

Not as a denial of God but a denial of religion. The church is corrupt and uses fear to control the masses.

Answer 2

I think the problem people like atheists have with religion (when they bring up this type of argument) is the lack of independent thinking that sometimes comes along with being very religious (but im not saying that religious people don't think for themselves). Only thinking what the Bible or Koran tells them for example as opposed to using reasonable thinking to figure things out. And the problem isn't with "not to murder, steal, lie" etc... its more in the grey areas like abortion, or homosexuality where people are basing all their judgment on their own interpretation (or mis-interpretation) of what is in their religion's doctrine. And as far as control goes, it all comes down to the thought process of: "I'm always right, and I must manipulate other people to think the way I do."

Thats just my opinion

Answer 3

I agree. Certainly, religion _can_ be used to control people. This is most obvious in dangerous cults. But even in dangerous cults like that of David Koresh it is difficult to say that it was _invented_ to control people. I've yet to see evidence that Koresh didn't believe what he was telling his followers. There just isn't a lot of evidence of religions being invented to control people, and I've yet to see an argument to the contrary that has any sophistication. Usually its just something like "Well, maybe Jesus got it into his head to start saying he was God and found to pretty cool when people started listening." That's not evidence. That's not even a theory. That's just a what-if scenario. Religion is complicated. It comes from a lot of sources and influences and intersects with culture and society on a number of levels. You can't boil it down to one cause, and you certainly can't boil it down to a simple invention.

Answer 4

Yes, the Christianity vs Atheist debate is, like any other debate, two sided. The main "atheistic" debate stems from the idea that people seek religion because they are in denial that after you die, you do not exist. Since thoughts like these are too depressing for any of us to consider, we seek religion. Religion, like any other institution, it seeks to limit free thinking. Limiting free thinking is a form of control.

Here is God in a nutshell: believe in him and his rules or be punished for all eternity. Fear is the method being used to enforce these laws. People following laws because of fear is synonymous with controlling them.

You ask, how are they being controlled? Through instilling fear in people, telling them they'll suffer for eternity if they don't do as God commands. Why are they being controlled? Because of the agenda of whoever created these laws or commandments (whether god did himself or not). People trust themselves. People agree with what they believe in. Someone who believes very strongly that people should not commit these 'sins' wants the whole world to feel what they feel and to follow these laws because it would make the world a more suitable place for this individual (again, whether this is god or some nutjob who thinks god is talking through him).

You ask "What control is a Christian under that an Atheist isn't under?"
If a person believes in god, he/she is under emotional pressure to keep from stealing, from murdering, from adultery, ect. An atheist is simply under the pressure of the law, which is much easier to dodge than emotional pressure (unless they have good morals).

But you already know this. You already know that religion is a form of control. Think about it: if religion had its way, everyone would be a caring, holy, and moral individual. Sounds like the equivalent of control to me.

I know you already know this because you're already calling the Lord's word "laws" (which DO control people) with: "What is wrong with keeping such laws?" In effect, you're asking "What is wrong with controlling people if the laws are there to protect us?"

Why Indeed! This is the true debate. You have to sacrifice your personal freedoms for security. Some of us like our personal freedoms better, some of us like security better (both the security from the non-ideal christian world we live in where sinning exists, and from not being condemned to hell). Some of us don't even believe in god, which makes the choice between what they perceive as "fake security" or personal freedom very easy. I.E. if god does not exist, then why sacrifice my freedom for him? Conversely, someone who believes in God will instantly choose eternal bliss and happiness, thinking of freedom as a small price to pay for eternal recompense.

The debate can be made even simpler: Do you believe in God or not?

You are effectively condemning people for not believing in God, which is not surprising. Most people who believe in God will smite any argument that smells like "I don't believe in God" before even hearing the argument out.

Answer 5

i am actually impressed. very deep. the control is secondary at best. religion was made by man to validate man with and in something or someone greater. therin "man's value". you might as well call control identity. that is the leaders version. i think you might be. the led, on the other hand...

Answer 6

How many wars were started because the people in charge used religion? ie. They controlled their troops by using their religion to give them a reason to fight.

Religion is used to control people to vilify gays, it was used to vilify black people too.

Answer 7

Well, if you tell someone to abide by a set of rules in order to get into heaven, then it sounds like controlling to me.

Answer 8

It prevents you from understanding logic and reason. Like how evolution isn't real, or that the whole universe was made just for us, or how a god requires our worship or he will punish is and we are required to follow rules he made. Stuff like that that sounds pretty much like slaves.

Answer 9

I, for one, am not being controlled

Answer 10

.........in the bible God said to moses I will harden pharoas heart so he will not let your peole go, why ?, because we have a mind, god is spirit, There is daily set before thee good and evil, life and death.
Choose thou, whatever mind chooses, god simPly is the spirit of whatever we will, so whatever we believe, basicly the life of everything, so say you love someone, however much you love someone, the spirit of love, which is god, will be in you however much you love that person, or hate, as in pharoas case,,,,, it says in the bible, we are gods , god simply is the spirit behind everything we think or do, ..............so when you see people who do great things, for example why is that Lebron James "knows hes one of the best", therefore, he is because his mind knows, or wills that through his will power, therefore, the spirit of god will be in him as he believes," as ye have faith so be it unto thee" I used to think the bible was worthless, but somehow, it is the truth, have read other religious texts, and most have truth in them, so you dont have to belong to a religion, I dont, but I KNOW GOD,........................... we simply have a mind, which the Bible , Christ teaches, the purpose of life is to know YOURSELF to BE yourself and yet one with God even as Jesus, even as is represented in God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each knowing themselves to be themselves yet ONE, or body, mind, and soul.......................... WE ALL CAN BE CHRISTS, LIKE JESUS thats our purpose, dont ever let anyone tell you you cant be a christ, so if we are not how would his message benifit us.......Christ represented a mind that was one with spirit, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2The same was in the beginning with God.

3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

.........therefore, mind, is what we create with, and nothing was made withot mind, thats how we are one with god, we were created three times in genises first God said, Let us make man in our image in spirit, second a soul, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. third And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, so basicly in the beginning there was just energy, and ................For, every fact has its beginning in spirit; mind is the builder, the material expression is the outcome of one of these upon the other. The spirit is of creation, or God; the mind is as of an individual taking hold upon both materiality and spirituality. The choice is in the hands of the individual.
Use thy talents well.
........Spirit is the Life, Mind is the Builder, and the Physical is the Result. In other words, spirit is the source of all life. The mind focuses that energy into creative (positive) or destructive (negative) avenues of expression. In the beginning god was whole, we were all not indiidualized yet, the wholeness of god didnt divide, or move yet, what I mean is the spirit that we have, and the mind we have was one big spirit and mind, and the physical is a means, Our Body , the material world is a way for mind to merge with spirit and have an expression then it did, and thats how we are indiidualized now, the wholeness of god simply creates for itself, meaning everything god created is god, us..... http://www.near-death.com/experiences/ca... and http://www.near-death.com/cayce.html... ALSO HEAVEN AND HELL THING IS CONFUSING, FOR IN THE BIBLE IT SAYS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS WITHIN, SO WHERE IS HELL, ALSO WITHIN, OUR OWN CONSCIOUSNESS, AND ALL OF US HERE ARE ALREADY IN HELL, DONT YOU SEE, HELL IS NOT KNOWING GOD, HEAVEN IS, aslo for those of you who seek to know god, god, the spirit, which is in me, has answered your prayers, and has shown you here is proof, as you seek ye will find, thats how god works, And evolution is how god creates, its perfect isnt it, you see how all beings are one, how everything perfects itself as relates to its environment and other beings WHY DID IT WORK FOR ME AND NOT YOU, BECAUSE MY MIND MERGED WITH MY SPIRIT(GOD), WHATEVER WE WILL OR BELIEVE IN THATS WHAT AND HOW GOD BECOMES IN US, WE ARE GOD, WE ARE JUST INDIVIDUALIZED GODS, you guys need to read edgar cayce, the bible is symbolic, duhhh, adam and eve didnt actually eat a apple, which caused the seperation, it symbolised using your will for things that were not godly, believe me god is real, tell me this isnt a miracle, Some things I asked for that god gave me.

1. asked for 3,000 to appear in my brokerage account the next day, and it did
2. asked for the highest gaining stock to appear im my email and it did, an email my mom sent me, with the stock symbol written in Capitals, "OMG", had nothing to do with the email.
3. asked to know what the average size of a jpeg image file when I was building my website, searched all over the internet, and finally a stock symbol popped in my head, and written in the headlines was the average size written out.
4. asked for my father to have money to pay off debt, and I asked for 20,000, the next day, I guess someone broke in a house he owns, and they didnt steal anything, but tried to yank a pipe out of the wall, and the damage from the water was over 19,000 dollars, that he received from the insurance company.
5. asked to know my purpose in life in a dream that night, and that night I had dream I was running from george bush, and was afraid, but then I asked myself why am I running, and realized I am more powerful then him, and felt I was a god, then fear left me and george bush saw the power within me, and he begin to run, and suddenly he stopped running and I was now a being glowing of light, and looked very godlike, he was a reptilian looking creature, and I burnt his flesh with just a thought, and that was the end of the dream. ........., so just read edgar cayce,you will believe also, which give gie you a purpose in your existence, i used to be somewhat a atheist, but that was when i was around 15, so anyways edgar cayce is the man who predicted many things, and when he gave his readings, he spoke in a different language, not french or something like thsat, but the way he spoke was different then when he was conscious, i promise to yo with all my heart, all those things i asked for was given, it takes alot of faith, and cannot do it when my mind is not right, so be patient, .........Everytime I asked the universe for something, I believed I would receive it, and I claimed I already had it. watch the movie what the bleep do you know, and here is edgar cayce material, that will help you, god bless, and god is spirit, this helped me to know god better,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, RELIGION IS A WAY TO KNOW GOD, IT IS NOT THE KNOWLEDGE ITSELF, SO THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND TRUTH IS MANIFESTED IN RELIGION THROUGH THE EXPRESSION OF SPIRIT OF GOD AND TRUTH INTO THE RELIGION ITSELF, THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG RELIGION, IF THAT WAS THE CASE, DOES IT MEAN THAT GOD DOESNT LOVE CHINESE PEOPLE, SO GOD GAE THEM BHUDDA, BHUDDHA IS CHRIST, BUT IN ANOTHER RELIGION, BUT SOME RELIGIONS CAN BE FALSE, USE YOUR HEART AND YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUE ONES, AND THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING IS TO KNOW GOD, YOU DONT NEED RELIGION FOR THAT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING TO GUIDE YOU,