A collection of essays and rants, inspired and taken from a series that I have been writing for several years concerning this subject. A stirring account of how certain issues are poisoned by organized religions and why we as a society would be much...
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Let's say you're walking home from the store with one of your friends and while taking a shortcut down an alley, a masked man jumps out of nowhere and sticks a gun in your face. He demands you hand over your wallet, watch, cell phone and anything else of value you have on you. If you do not comply with the thief's demands, there is a chance he's going to shot you and if that happens there is no guarantee you'll survive the assault. In every modern society, what the masked man is doing is considered a criminal offense. If captured, this man would be charged and likely spend a few years in jail because of the personal and mental harm he caused to you. There is also more than one way to commit a robbery, and that is fraud. Rather than use a gun to steal money from you, someone will present you with a words, tell you they're the truth and swindle you into calling them and pledging your savings to their cause. If that story the person on TV or even the person at the pupil is telling is untrue, then that person is stealing your money and is no different than the thief with the gun. Rather than use a weapon to take your money, they're using a threat of a different kind; the supernatural wrath of their angry and jealous God.
While I'm sure some will find the theme of this chapter offensive, it's a necessary illustration that I think helps when trying to take away the dogma and reveal the true hypocrisy of the Church. One of the most blatant double standards that the Church flings upon the masses is about that fictitious hot spot in the center of the earth: Hell.
According to those who are of faith and believe what they are told by their clergy, this warm destination (which there is no evidence of) is in the very belly of the planet and sinners who reject God will burn and be tortured there for all eternity. For all time; talk about holding a grudge, eh?
Coming from a deity that orders his followers to forgive your trespassers, God seems to have a hard time letting things go but it's the threat of eternal damnation that scares people into accepting a lot of bullshit. It's not that these people believe it whole heartedly, it more of a case that they're afraid it might be true.
Let's use a visual aid to emphasize the point:
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I'll be the first to admit this is a bit of a simple comparison but I feel the need to inquire: what's really the difference is between the two? Not much when you actually take the time to think about it. When looking at these pictures, what they have in common is clearly evident: both are asking for something valuable to be handed over and if you refuse to comply with their demands something very bad will happen to you.
