“Religion is the sigh of oppression.” -Karl Marx
I have being asked oftentimes what my case is against religion or why I’m I bothered that some wouldn’t consider the central thesis around religion (God and its worship) a myth. Many would argue that afterall, religion gives many comfort and a sense of hope that helps them live their lives more reasonably. All’s good, as long as it makes them happy but, what about the abuse that religion evokes? Many haven’t thought of religion as an abuse – maybe it isn’t or, let’s get skeptical as I invite you to share my thoughts.
If I call a 2 year-old child a Socialist or a Democrat or Nihilist, many would consider me crazy or a complete idiot and this same that who would hastily call be an idiot for reasoning like this would find it ok to call this two year old child a Christian, or a Muslim, or an Hindu. The question here is, how knowledgeable is this child to understand enough to be a Socialist as much as be a Muslim.
In most civilized society, we have all been conditioned to believe that the question of thinking about the validity of religion is wrong or better still evil! And any attempt at it leads you to some eternal suffering. And you begin to try through understanding the rhetorics when this same religion(s) preaches openness and acceptance of all. Our tolerating is it that one religion is better of the other? How accepting is it when one question their beliefs and they get defensive? How I wish that most two years olds are thought the alternatives or maybe left till they can reason before beliefs and philosophic ideal are imposed to them. How will this two year old be accepting to the alternative views when all his/her life they’ve been constant brainwashed into being religiously monopolistic.
That’s the start of the story, now our two year old is grown – a devout Muslim, Christian, or Buddhist, it really doesn’t matter – child is now a devout religious person. On the surface, it all looks humble and promising – pay your tithes, give alms, say your prayers, attend the houses of worship and all these tenants until we start to reason — we’ve been caught up in ritualistic practices.
Maybe it isn’t ritualistic. After all, we will have an eternal time of enjoyment and most especially, we are making some devine creator happy. And, not doing all this makes us –evil. Does this sound familiar yet? Does this sound like some form of captivity? Doesn’t this seem like some form of lose-lose for those practicing this rituals.
Maybe it’s not ritualistic. The God we are worshipping sees all this and we will reward all our works. Yes he will if only we noticed it and wasn’t a ‘figure’ set up to make the abuse oblivious the practitioners of this rituals. God is all around us — we look around us and we are least impressed by the works of his hands — pardon me, we are least impressed by the works of the creators of God – oppressive men.
From Constantine to Napoleon, to Hitler, and Stalin, to George W. Bush, Jr. Not only was ammunitions their weapon, they had religion. We might not reason it deep enough but the system is design as such that is prevents questioning on this empire it has built – religion has carved in us a sense of loyalty. Think about a slave to its master. Oh, we are slaves to this master – Religion.
And this master is brutal. It has caused much conflict, much hate, much killings and more confusion. The abuse is continous in our everyday living, the reasons we have to offer prayers to imaginary persons, the houses of worship we have to go, the money we have to donate the them, the beings we are to respect because they ‘hear’ from God, the countries we have to invade because God wants it, the reasons we must not question their authorities – the abuses we cannot help, one we submit to in humble devotion.
This is, the religion of abuse.
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