The R Word … June 4th, 2019

Jonathots Daily Blog

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THE

WORD

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Karl Marx was incorrect.

He contended that “religion was the opiate of the people.”

Actually, being religious does very little to ease the pain.

In fact, religion is the methamphetamine of the people. It robs them of the nutrients of abundant life while simultaneously turning them into raging, frightful lunatics.

So the word that should never be spoken again that begins with the letter R is:

RELIGIOUS

I, for one, don’t want to hear it again. For I have studied:

The decline of the religious mind

It begins with:

1. I believe in God.

An innocent premise. Maybe even one that could lend itself to humility.

2. I study God’s Word.

Which God’s Word? Or should I say whose God’s Word? Or maybe better phrased, what portion of God’s Word?

3. I follow God’s Law.

Now we begin to leave reality. Since none of us is righteous—not one—what would make us think that our particular brand of being religious could make us faithful to what we perceive to be the Law of God?

4. I spread God’s Commandments.

5. I see evil.

6. I challenge evil.

7. I judge those who do evil.

Somewhere in that process, the believer ceases to be one who believes and instead, becomes one who insists we believe in him or her.

8. I believe these workers of iniquity are less than me because they don’t know God.

9. I am helping God make the world a pure place.

10. I attack evil doers.

The difference between a congenial soul singing a hymn in a sanctuary and a zealot terrorist blowing up a building in the name of God is often no more than six weeks of concerted, devious training.

“Religious” will never allow you to see God, but only focus on things that you deem godless.

It is possible to live a spirited life of faith without being religious.

But for God’s sake, if you can’t, spend more seasons in prayer and less time around people.

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Ask Jonathots …December 17th, 2015

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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I have a co-worker who thinks that all the religions of the world are the same. She believes that they all teach human beings to love and respect each other, take care of those in need, be honest and that there’s something greater than ourselves. I have other friends who disagree vehemently. What do you think?

Choosing up sides seems to be the great pastime of the human race. A sociologist might insist that this is natural since we basically are gregarious and like to clump together.

But I think it is often a sign of our insecurity and the lack of faith we have in presenting our individuality.

Is there a purpose for religion?

Is it the bastion for our souls or is it, as Karl Marx insisted, merely an opiate for the people, to keep them calm so they can be controlled?

If you remove the word “religion,” then you’re left with a term called “belief.” And belief should be an acceptance of scientific discovery mingled with a psychological profile of getting along with others, interspersed with our theories of what an afterlife might truly be.

If religion could transform into belief, then I think it would become rather obvious to us how it should play out in our society. Whatever the religion and whatever the contentions may be of those who deem themselves holy, there has to be some respect given to one another and to the planet, not merely a conjecture on for heavenly dreams.

So I will tell you–not all religions are the same, simply because not all religions honor Earth, humanity, justice and respect for the scientific community.

There are three questions you can always ask of anyone who claims to have a religious inclination, and from the answers, you can determine whether the religion is Earth-friendly or has a tendency to alienate human beings from their environment:

1. Does the religion believe that some people are better than others?

If it does, it generates the climate for dissension, which will never allow us to be peacemakers.

2. Does the religion accept the fact that the world is evolving, and that everything in it is expanding to a different situation?

If the religious community continues to insist that our creative God did not evolve things through time, then there will be a complete misunderstanding on how to handle the natural bumps that come in the road.

3. Does the religion believe that kindness can endure and win out, or does it demand or tolerate retribution? Even though we may have a desire for revenge, that particular action has no end game, since there’s always someone prepared to retaliate to the last attack.

Not all religions of the world are sensitive to these three ideas.

If they aren’t, they hinder the progress that God intended for human beings.

If they do offer agreement in these areas, then they are not only acceptable, but necessary to our emotional and spiritual growth.

 

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