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THE menace of RELIGION
I was still a child when i knew that Wole Soyinka won the Nobel prize for literature. I also recalled being told that he was a pagan and was critical of God. At that time, that was reason enough to dislike him. At that time!!
A couple weeks back, i went searching for him again. I came across a video where he talked about Religion and why he was believed to speak against it. He said he didn't exactly speak against religion but that he did not understand how a person could let himself be ruled and controlled by religion. He said more than that but that was what stayed with me. Especially because the issue with religion has become a personal and global one.
Talk about religion? Where do we even start?
A couple years ago, my siblings and i were lazying around instead of getting ready for church. It was the period of the whole illuminati wave and we got curious. We went to google to request for the top cults in the world. We expected to see the Illuminati and Freemason and co. We were shocked to discover that the first 10 were religious cults. The most shocking part is the things they have done in the name of God:
☆ THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLE
This church was started by Jim Jones. The interesting part of this story starts like this. Someone came around the temple to investigate allegations of rape and abuse. Some members of the church gunned the man down. It became a public issue. It wasn't long after that, Jim Jones encouraged his members to make a political statement and commit mass suicide. Every member drank cocktails which contained cyanide, diazepam, promethazine etc; men, women and children. There was an account of some people being forced to take the drinks. Over 900 people died that day. Sweet part, Jim didnt take the drink. He was later killed by a gunshot. Crazy aint it.
☆ THE CHILDREN OF GOD
Established by David Berg in 1968. It was a group that devoted themselves to the worship of God as well as promiscuous sex. There were accounts of child rape, kidnapping and incest. One of the survivors accounted that sexual abuse began by the age of 4 both by her father and other members of the group, related and unrelated.
☆ TREE OF LIFE:
Founded in Russia and expanded throughout the world under different names such as Church of the body of Christ and Church of Covenant. It was forbidden to communicate through media; members weren't even allowed to visit a hospital or see a doctor. Numerous people died as a result.
☆ CHURCH OF EUTHANASIA:
Created in 1992 by Chris Korda. This church advocated death, suicides and even cannibalism. In 1995, A suicide assistance hot line was created to help Americans kill themselves. They also had a law, "Thou shalt not procreate."
☆ RESTORATION OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
A sect formed in Uganda in the 1980s. The leaders dictated that members had to follow the ten commandments of the Bible absolutely so that they can survive the apocalypse which was then slated for Jan 1st, 2000. Pretty harmless, right?
But then the date comes and passes by without any incident. So the members start to question everything they've been told by the leaders. The apocalypse occurs in March 17, 2000. Not because of anything supernatural but because the leaders, set fire to the church, killing over 500 people inside.
☆ GRACE LIVING HOPE MINISTERIES:
This isn't a cult however, the pastor is guilty of something quite perculiar. Pastor Light Monyeki took out rat poison and told his members to drink. Stating that poison couldn't kill them but instead would nourish their bodies. He took a sip and his members rushed to the front to partake of this "nourishing drink."
As you would expect, they landed in the hospital and some even died.
Light Monyeki is not alone. There was a pastor that asked his members to eat grass so that it could strengthen them. Another one said he had turned snake skin to chocolate and told his members to eat it. You know the insane part, the members did.
There are a lot more than these including Hare Krishna. I know most of them happened years ago but that is not why i bring this to your attention. I do so to tell you how much people believe in religion. How much people can have faith in the words of a religious leader even when it makes no sense. It is delusional.
>>> Why do people believe so much in religion?
Karl Marx called religion the Opiate of the masses. Something to relieve pain and make it better even if it is temporary. People would rather believe that a demon from hell is the reason for their problems rather than the fact that they just don't live right. A person would prefer to be told that he is possessed by the spirit of gluttony or alcoholism and that's why he can't stop rather than the fact that they don't want to do what it takes to stop. Or that a grandparent did something against their destiny and that's why they are not making progress.
Religious leaders prey on this desire and give them what they need. False hope? A sense of belonging? A family? Someone to blame?
>>> Have no fear, i'm not an atheist. I do very much believe in God. But i wish people would serve God and not religion. There is a Bible for goodness sakes that tells you all you have to do to develop a relationship with God and to succeed in this world. But we ignore that and would rather believe the words of someone who faces the same struggles and temptations that you face!
I'm not against pastors and ministers. I do believe that there are people who have been called by God who actually bear the mandate of His word and power. But what i can't stand is those people who abuse that power. Those who take the trust given to them by their members and drag it on the ground. Those who blaspheme, who say the things God never said, who take advantage of the gullibility of others. They are worse than the devil himself.
There's a song by Fela that talks about how the pastor lives in a mansion and has sufficient food to eat and the members who are probably responsible for that barely can afford a meal and shelter. Don't even get me started on the universities owned by churches and more than 65% of their members cannot afford to attend. Bearing in mind that the university was most probably built with the tithe, offerings, pledges and sacrifices of the common man. We've come to a time where pastors repeatedly abuse the respect that people have for the power of God that is supposed to exist in their lives.
All the terrorist groups that have been built on delusional lies that they sell to their followers. Where does it end?
There was something that popped up in my head when Gobok showed me a church that supposedly worships big butts. Anybody can start a church, a society, a gathering or whatever that is based on the dumbest of things. But what's even dumber is the followers who blindly believe.
You and me. We're smart, educated and most importantly we have a mandate. The Bible or Quran have been made available to us. Let that be your guide. Not the words of a pastor, a prophet or an apostle. Whatever is not written there, cannot be of God cos we remember that He doesn't change.
Do not lose yourself in the chase of religion.
A couple weeks back, i went searching for him again. I came across a video where he talked about Religion and why he was believed to speak against it. He said he didn't exactly speak against religion but that he did not understand how a person could let himself be ruled and controlled by religion. He said more than that but that was what stayed with me. Especially because the issue with religion has become a personal and global one.
Talk about religion? Where do we even start?
A couple years ago, my siblings and i were lazying around instead of getting ready for church. It was the period of the whole illuminati wave and we got curious. We went to google to request for the top cults in the world. We expected to see the Illuminati and Freemason and co. We were shocked to discover that the first 10 were religious cults. The most shocking part is the things they have done in the name of God:
☆ THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLE
☆ THE CHILDREN OF GOD
Established by David Berg in 1968. It was a group that devoted themselves to the worship of God as well as promiscuous sex. There were accounts of child rape, kidnapping and incest. One of the survivors accounted that sexual abuse began by the age of 4 both by her father and other members of the group, related and unrelated.
☆ TREE OF LIFE:
Founded in Russia and expanded throughout the world under different names such as Church of the body of Christ and Church of Covenant. It was forbidden to communicate through media; members weren't even allowed to visit a hospital or see a doctor. Numerous people died as a result.
☆ CHURCH OF EUTHANASIA:
Created in 1992 by Chris Korda. This church advocated death, suicides and even cannibalism. In 1995, A suicide assistance hot line was created to help Americans kill themselves. They also had a law, "Thou shalt not procreate."
☆ RESTORATION OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
A sect formed in Uganda in the 1980s. The leaders dictated that members had to follow the ten commandments of the Bible absolutely so that they can survive the apocalypse which was then slated for Jan 1st, 2000. Pretty harmless, right?
But then the date comes and passes by without any incident. So the members start to question everything they've been told by the leaders. The apocalypse occurs in March 17, 2000. Not because of anything supernatural but because the leaders, set fire to the church, killing over 500 people inside.
☆ GRACE LIVING HOPE MINISTERIES:
This isn't a cult however, the pastor is guilty of something quite perculiar. Pastor Light Monyeki took out rat poison and told his members to drink. Stating that poison couldn't kill them but instead would nourish their bodies. He took a sip and his members rushed to the front to partake of this "nourishing drink."
As you would expect, they landed in the hospital and some even died.
Light Monyeki is not alone. There was a pastor that asked his members to eat grass so that it could strengthen them. Another one said he had turned snake skin to chocolate and told his members to eat it. You know the insane part, the members did.
There are a lot more than these including Hare Krishna. I know most of them happened years ago but that is not why i bring this to your attention. I do so to tell you how much people believe in religion. How much people can have faith in the words of a religious leader even when it makes no sense. It is delusional.
>>> Why do people believe so much in religion?
Karl Marx called religion the Opiate of the masses. Something to relieve pain and make it better even if it is temporary. People would rather believe that a demon from hell is the reason for their problems rather than the fact that they just don't live right. A person would prefer to be told that he is possessed by the spirit of gluttony or alcoholism and that's why he can't stop rather than the fact that they don't want to do what it takes to stop. Or that a grandparent did something against their destiny and that's why they are not making progress.
Religious leaders prey on this desire and give them what they need. False hope? A sense of belonging? A family? Someone to blame?
>>> Have no fear, i'm not an atheist. I do very much believe in God. But i wish people would serve God and not religion. There is a Bible for goodness sakes that tells you all you have to do to develop a relationship with God and to succeed in this world. But we ignore that and would rather believe the words of someone who faces the same struggles and temptations that you face!
I'm not against pastors and ministers. I do believe that there are people who have been called by God who actually bear the mandate of His word and power. But what i can't stand is those people who abuse that power. Those who take the trust given to them by their members and drag it on the ground. Those who blaspheme, who say the things God never said, who take advantage of the gullibility of others. They are worse than the devil himself.
There's a song by Fela that talks about how the pastor lives in a mansion and has sufficient food to eat and the members who are probably responsible for that barely can afford a meal and shelter. Don't even get me started on the universities owned by churches and more than 65% of their members cannot afford to attend. Bearing in mind that the university was most probably built with the tithe, offerings, pledges and sacrifices of the common man. We've come to a time where pastors repeatedly abuse the respect that people have for the power of God that is supposed to exist in their lives.
All the terrorist groups that have been built on delusional lies that they sell to their followers. Where does it end?
There was something that popped up in my head when Gobok showed me a church that supposedly worships big butts. Anybody can start a church, a society, a gathering or whatever that is based on the dumbest of things. But what's even dumber is the followers who blindly believe.
You and me. We're smart, educated and most importantly we have a mandate. The Bible or Quran have been made available to us. Let that be your guide. Not the words of a pastor, a prophet or an apostle. Whatever is not written there, cannot be of God cos we remember that He doesn't change.
Do not lose yourself in the chase of religion.
Wow that's wonderful. Religion has eaten deep amongst us that we depend on it for survival. Every decision most people make, now depends on what religion says. I wonder if that's what God really want.
ReplyDeleteThis is a timely lesson for everyone. Thanks for sharing, Sharon.
ReplyDelete