One of the more effective methods to get people to do what you wish them to do is, guilt them into it ! It's a tried and true technique. We laugh about it but the church, particularly the Catholic church has been doing just that for centuries. Call it a moral appeal if you will. The premise is a simple one, appeal to a persons sense of compassion and combine it with the threat of eternal damnation, and boom, they will comply. Most will make a showing or agreement for your cause at the very least. You could say it is the basis for religion ! You would be wrong and you could be misled. Religion is practiced for personal benefit not to aid another in their cause. That is a big distinction. You guilt someone to influence them to act or react in a certain fashion according to your agenda. You pray to your God for intervention in your life, or perhaps to help others. The acceptance of God is not an acceptance of compliance with a standard, but a epiphany.
We are seeing movement away from religion and religious beliefs. The removal of religion is also the removal of guilt. Religion embodies morals and humanitarian conduct. Remove the religion and what is left to appeal to ? What is the punishment for not complying with those moral and ethical behaviors ? The laws of man ? Those laws can be changed, modified and justified in accordance with the whims of man. We see that all the time. Many wave the banner of " freedom " as justification for these very actions. I also see the veiled threats from those that practice their religions. Some are as innocuous as " don't scroll past without typing Amen" and others are explicit in the consequences of failing to adhere to a religious principle. They all serve the same purpose, to cause guilt. Don't ignore, or How can you , are the usual opening lines. The hope is to appeal to your inner sense of what is right and wrong.
Why is it that we use religion as a tool ? That is because man will use anything to his advantage as long as it stands to benefit him personally. Sound cynical ? It is and I wouldn't deny that but it also holds a great deal of truth. Throughout history individuals and indeed entire nations have used a religion to support their ideologies. This continues to this very day. Now, the deception is to try to remove religion altogether from the discussion. If we can remove religion, we can remove guilt and the subsequent remorse associated with it. We have a term for that person or group of people that can do that, we call them " Pathological . " They are mentally disturbed. The ones that wish to remove religion from the discussion really just want justification for their actions. They are being told that they are wrong. They do not feel guilt or experience any empathy for others. They have no religion and dismiss others. As I said, " Pathological. " It is a mental condition.
I do believe we are all born with an innate sense of right and wrong. This is evidenced in small children. All one has to do is watch them. They know nothing of color, race, disabilities or anything else in their interactions. Those behaviors are learned later on, from the society in which they are raised. They are taught what " toys " are theirs and what belongs to others. Shortly after learning that, they begin to learn how to get what belongs to others. Some will just take it, and others will manipulate the situation to have the item " shared " with them. Passive and aggressive. The motivation to continue to do what we innately know to be right we have labeled, religion. It sometimes appears to be in opposition to what is the more convenient or financially beneficial action for us on a personal level. Some will abandon the right in favor of the profitable way. Some will falsely say, their is no God, and therefore I do not have to do what I know to be right. I was born defective ! I have now progressed to the point where I can dismiss those inherit values and replace them with mans values. And the result lies before us. There is a word for that as well, Anarchy. The denial of authority. There is an authority in the universe. A creator. Label this any way that pleases you but that authority exists. The authority resides within each of us. It is the individual realization that life is best lived in accordance with the authority we were given at birth that is the epiphany we seek. Religion is just a means to an end. All religions are a means to an end.
The removal of religion will not negate the consequences of guilt. The price will be paid. Will it be for an eternity ? Yes, I believe it will. Spending an eternity in shame and sorrow would be hell. It will be your own guilt that condemns you. If I am doing what I feel to be correct, I feel no guilt for those actions. I feel no requirement to find justification for my actions in words written by man. The truth is written upon my heart. They were there when I was born, I only need to read them. The difficulty lies in practicing those truths. Do that and you avoid guilt !
We are seeing movement away from religion and religious beliefs. The removal of religion is also the removal of guilt. Religion embodies morals and humanitarian conduct. Remove the religion and what is left to appeal to ? What is the punishment for not complying with those moral and ethical behaviors ? The laws of man ? Those laws can be changed, modified and justified in accordance with the whims of man. We see that all the time. Many wave the banner of " freedom " as justification for these very actions. I also see the veiled threats from those that practice their religions. Some are as innocuous as " don't scroll past without typing Amen" and others are explicit in the consequences of failing to adhere to a religious principle. They all serve the same purpose, to cause guilt. Don't ignore, or How can you , are the usual opening lines. The hope is to appeal to your inner sense of what is right and wrong.
Why is it that we use religion as a tool ? That is because man will use anything to his advantage as long as it stands to benefit him personally. Sound cynical ? It is and I wouldn't deny that but it also holds a great deal of truth. Throughout history individuals and indeed entire nations have used a religion to support their ideologies. This continues to this very day. Now, the deception is to try to remove religion altogether from the discussion. If we can remove religion, we can remove guilt and the subsequent remorse associated with it. We have a term for that person or group of people that can do that, we call them " Pathological . " They are mentally disturbed. The ones that wish to remove religion from the discussion really just want justification for their actions. They are being told that they are wrong. They do not feel guilt or experience any empathy for others. They have no religion and dismiss others. As I said, " Pathological. " It is a mental condition.
I do believe we are all born with an innate sense of right and wrong. This is evidenced in small children. All one has to do is watch them. They know nothing of color, race, disabilities or anything else in their interactions. Those behaviors are learned later on, from the society in which they are raised. They are taught what " toys " are theirs and what belongs to others. Shortly after learning that, they begin to learn how to get what belongs to others. Some will just take it, and others will manipulate the situation to have the item " shared " with them. Passive and aggressive. The motivation to continue to do what we innately know to be right we have labeled, religion. It sometimes appears to be in opposition to what is the more convenient or financially beneficial action for us on a personal level. Some will abandon the right in favor of the profitable way. Some will falsely say, their is no God, and therefore I do not have to do what I know to be right. I was born defective ! I have now progressed to the point where I can dismiss those inherit values and replace them with mans values. And the result lies before us. There is a word for that as well, Anarchy. The denial of authority. There is an authority in the universe. A creator. Label this any way that pleases you but that authority exists. The authority resides within each of us. It is the individual realization that life is best lived in accordance with the authority we were given at birth that is the epiphany we seek. Religion is just a means to an end. All religions are a means to an end.
The removal of religion will not negate the consequences of guilt. The price will be paid. Will it be for an eternity ? Yes, I believe it will. Spending an eternity in shame and sorrow would be hell. It will be your own guilt that condemns you. If I am doing what I feel to be correct, I feel no guilt for those actions. I feel no requirement to find justification for my actions in words written by man. The truth is written upon my heart. They were there when I was born, I only need to read them. The difficulty lies in practicing those truths. Do that and you avoid guilt !
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