Thursday, August 4, 2011

Should religion attempt to control people's behavior?

The various levels of government in this country provide us with 150,000 new laws and 2,000,000 new regulations (each year) all of which attempt to control the behavior of the people of the United States of America.  

Why would anybody want to engage in a religion that tried to control them even more. It appears to me that throughout history, religion has been woefully mistaken in its primary purpose. Religion is not meant to impose rules and regulations on people but rather propose higher insights that lead to a more  successful life. Religion is not meant to overpower the individual's will but rather empower an individual to take control of his/her life and express a higher potential.  

Lastly, religion is not meant to issue ultimatums, bordering on threats, of what will happen to someone in the afterlife if they don't subscribe to and abide by church doctrine in this life.  

None of those things move us closer to God. We are not sinners; we are not unworthy in the eyes of God; we don't need to be put down but rather we need to be lifted up.  Religions that attempt to control our lives put us in a cage with crumbs to eat. Let us out, and we will soar to new heights where we will find a new life and and a new connection with God that has been unimagined.

1 comment:

cosmiccastaway said...

I feel that religions do emphasize, and rightly so, standards of behavior that bring us closer to God. For example, if one murders or is a thief, then it is a pretty clear indication that he is not on a spiritual journey bringing him closer to God. Likewise, a person who engages in adultery is not likely to be engaging in behavior that is spiritually healthy. Behavior that encourages selfishness or hate are discouraged by most religions. Not only do they undermine our journey to God, but undermine our relationships to each other and to society as a whole. Some of these "rules" may be no longer relevant or necessary. I don't think we need to spend too much time dwelling on the proper care and feeding of slaves, for instance. But overall, we should look at these standards, or rules, as guideposts to learning compassion, mindfulness, generosity, and for growing closer to God.