as for man creating God, I can almost see where you are coming from, but there is a small glitch... since when does man develop an idea that isn't self-serving???
22 comments
The idea of a belief system that seems to be solely about eternal life for the believer and all his enemies being tormented forever doesn't strike you as self serving?
Sure, there's more to the religion than that, but we all know how often fundies follow that part of it.
Using a belief system to gain followers in order to fight your enemy isn't self-serving? Using that same belief system to try to create and enforce laws controlling how the population thinks, feels, and even has sex isn't self-serving?
An idea like, oh, say, an imaginary playmate constructed in man's own image? Just goin' out on a limb here.
You know, religions are of no use to the churches. If you want to have a job that gives you a house, a wage and an entire town at your feet (at least the old ladies) while working only half an hour per day and 1 or 2 hours in the weekend, you can become a catholic priest. I guess it's something like this with pastors in the usa. Or do they have actual jobs?
Seomah #21215
<< You know, religions are of no use to the churches. If you want to have a job that gives you a house, a wage and an entire town at your feet (at least the old ladies) while working only half an hour per day and 1 or 2 hours in the weekend, you can become a catholic priest. I guess it's something like this with pastors in the usa. Or do they have actual jobs? >>
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Seomah, being a pastor IS an actual job. A pastor is managing a business (even if it is a tax-free one, it still has to have a budget -- and with a seriously uncertain income) helping people with their personal problems; participating in numerous social, dramatic, and musical events; and writing a half-hour's worth of speech material every single week. It isn't the same thing as being a day laborer, but neither is being an engineer or a paramedic, and those are real jobs. And most churches do not supply a house; they provide a salary, and the pastor has to come up with his own house within his own budget.
This does not mean that I agree with the AIMS of this job at all times, but I have to acknowledge that it would be a most unusual thing for someone to be a pastor and somehow not be doing any appreciable work as such. It's actually quite time-consuming.
~David D.G.
Dan! What could possibly be more self-serving than being able to tell everyone else what, when, and how to do?!?! For proof, see any of the fundamentalist programmes around and listen to the self-righteous, self-centred, self-serving fundies tell you what you can and cannot do!
LOL Religion, and every other cult, are organizations that are created to be strictly self-serving. How much control do you have over people if they think that you are the only way they can be saved and not die and burn in hell forever? He's so close to the reality of it...
He doesn't.
And how is "I know the one true way everyone should live their life so follow me and give me power and glory and riches and proclaim the name of whom I tell you to and anyone who disagrees is evil and must die because we are right and they are wrong, and here's a book that proves it (just don't look into it or anything) and yay us!" not self-serving?
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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