To those who theorize religion was invented for sake of control?

Question

Do religious administrators believe in religion or are they privvy to alleged truth of it being fake on some level?

Are there books, organizations, www resources where I can learn more about this theory?

I don't want to slam religion here. I just want to grasp how the system supposedly works as I hear vague references to religion being faked for sake of controlling people but I don't recall ever hearing any details.

Peace and many thanks.

As this may be a difficult topic for some I ask that everyone post with respect for those that do adhere to religion ~ and ~ I ask that we be allowed to carry on this discussion without attempts to silence voices. Thanks again.

Answer 1

A few years I talked to a Shinto Head-priest in Japan.
He concluded:
'Organised religion has failed.'
I agree.
Religions has a tendency to mix the message with means of control - to keep the followers paying...
And in the end the message is lost or at least so hidden that no one ( not even the priests) can find it. - this was one of Jesus' claims. He also opposed the way the religions were held. ( read for example the Gospel of Thomas.)
the problem is that no one needs an organised religion for knowing or believing anything.
Only the priests/monks need someone to pay for their living.

Answer 2

I don't believe it was "invented" for the sake of control. I do believe it spread for the sake of control. I came to this belief by looking at how religion has been used throughout the millenniums. The Shaman was often the most powerful person in ancient villages. Generation after generation people saw that the men they looked to for spiritual guidance had power even over kings. It is very unlikely that anything was documented that showed that religion was being used to control people, the religious groups wouldn't have allowed that. I suppose this is where I have applied common sense. The rules were pretty simple, do what I tell you or you will not be rewarded with an afterlife.

Answer 3

I think people genuinely believe in their faith... including [most] religious leaders.

Back a few years, in the "great" ancient civilisations of China, Japan, Egypt, South America, Greece, Italy... the emperor/ruler/leader also was the leader of the prevalent religion. Nothing is more poignant an example than Christianity because we know a bit about it.... While Romans had their assortment of gods and temples, a Christian uprising developed... causing disruption to the order of things in Rome.... soon enough, the Roman Emperor assumed control, adopted and absorbed it by codifying it within civil law.

The theory is supported further through more recent history for example.... not to be outdone, King Henry decided that he no longer wished to be controlled by a church from Rome and formed his own interpretation of it .... well, there you go... the connection between church and state is well documented, but I know of no book that follows a theory demonstrating that religion is "all about control", even though I subscribe to that idea... without it.. just imagine life on earth where those that have it rough do not have the promise of a better life next time if they behave themselves for now.

It would result in anarchy, chaos and lawlessness so yes, religion has its place in controlling civilisation.

Answer 4

Christianity wasn't around all that long before the bigwigs in the Roman Empire realized how useful a doctrine of reward in the next world was for mass subjugation. So your theorists are making a very cogent observation on the introduction of what has come to be the dominant religion in Europe and the U.S.

The other side of it, considering earlier religions, is how many of them are primarily concerned with weather, crop yields, and military success. The Romans turned religion into control of humans, but religion has always been about attempting to control, or at least negotiate with, the uncontrollable.

Answer 5

I don't know of any serious studies along these lines. Perhaps because people just take it for granted that religion is a form of control. Now, as far as saying that religion was invented for the sake of control, I don't think that's entirely accurate. I think religion evolved from magical thinking and ritual, and later it was recognized that this was a potent means of control. So I think that religious administrators are sincere believers, but I also think they enjoy the rewards of being in a position of power.

Answer 6

I think that's wrong...

Religion is in our genes, like facial recognition and the ability for language... I think religion wasn't really created, it more likely "evolved" into formal practice, and then human greed made it an instrument of control. And often it's justified by the organization... "we're doing this for their own good" mentality ;)

Think of the inquisition... they were true believers... and they scared the **** out of people. Mostly it appeared tp be a bid to stay in power, and I bet at least some of them thought they were doing the work of god.

I suggest you look into organizational theory... Weber (I think) said some interesting stuff about bureaucracy that fits religion pretty good... the bits about losing meaning, and expanding, and stagnation.

Apart from that, any comparative religion, anything about the catholic church from around 1550... Try the borgias ;)

You might also want to look into scientology (they claim to be a religion), look for debunking sites...

You could also try sociology... or maybe anthropology... can't recall titles ATM, but anything to do with "religion" helps...


Peas... I like peas..mmmm

Answer 7

I don't believe this "theory." While personal experience may not mean much to some, I have come across a majority of church officials and administrators who clearly believe in what they are preaching and teaching and living. I've been moved to tears by listening to Bishops and Archbishops as they spoke their sermons at my (and other's) Confirmation and other ceremonies.

The few who are pedophiles and liars and aren't to be trusted are few. VERY few and are NOT respresentative of the Catholic Church or Christianity. They are such a small percentage. Because more and more stories are coming out about priests who molested children, the Church has actually changed it's stance in recent years and is NOT supposed to protect "priestly pedophiles." The Vatican has stated more than once that it does not support such vile acts. Such priests, once caught, are supposed to go through the legal system and ARE NOT accepted by the Church if found guilty. Obviously, this doesn't happen enough.

Answer 8

If you look at early societies and how they divided labor, "holy man" wasn't just one job. Often the leader of the tribe/chiefdom/nation was also the high priest. How many societies can you name that the Cheif or Emperor was both head of state and divine? Ancient Rome. WWII Japan. In other cultures the "holy man" was also the physician. If you were sick you went to the "Witch Doctor/Shaman" who was both clergy and medicine man.

Although saying that religion was invented for control is oversimplifying, as my explanation above is overly simplistic, one does not need to look far to see that religion, religious institutions, and the religious hierarchies are so closely tied to power that it's obvious that as long as there has been religion, religion has been propagated to benefit the powerful.

Answer 9

the historically noted example most often cited would be constantine's intervention in the council of nicea when they were choosing the original tenants of christianity.

politics created christianity to control the commoners and to unify constantine's reach.

this is late in the game, though. if we look to the sumerians, the first civilization, we see 2 groups that make up the ruling class: the administrators, the warriors, and the priests.

in unison they took advantage of threat from within, threat from without, andd fear of the unknown to keep civilians in submission.

if you can find a copy, try World Civilizations 9th edition by philip ralph.

the first half of the book details the political systems and religions of the first nations. by common era, it gets into christianity at it's most vulgar and how the pope was always using god to get kings to submit to him.

the middle ages were essentially a power struggle between the religious elite and french and german kings.

it's an interesting read, but lengthy.

Answer 10

You would need to look at religion in primitive cultures, and the progression of religion in cultures as they developed.

Personally I think this statement is made in a misleading manner, as yes, "shaman" and leaders used beliefs/religions to accomplish forms of control, but I doubt that they consciously set out to accomplish that.

Edit:
Religion has been with humanity for at least 35,000 years, if not longer. Granted, it also served to answer why and how in earlier cultures, but at the same time it was used to ensure that society/culture functioned and that certain rules were enforced, for example a swamp produced natural gases that made people sick or mosquitoes that infected people, and so the shaman made it haunted by evil spirits.