Civilization no longer needs formal religion to succeed and thrive!

Religion corrupts and absolute religion corrupts absolutely!

There is a difference between believing in God/Higher-Power and religion.  Belief in God can stand alone. Belief in religion, while often encompassing a belief in God, is more often a sociopolitical contrivance that is delusional and dangerous.

Christian Foundation & Belief

What most Christians don't realize or understand is that the 'Bible' of today was constructed by the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325. This political body DECIDED which writings to include in the Bible and rejected anything they just didn't like or was not politically correct for the time. It is no more the word of god than any other writing of the day; it is an artificial collection of popular works thought to unite a people; mostly for political reasons and the subsequent formation of what we now know as the Catholic Church governed in the Papal State inside of Rome Italy (yea, it is a country!).

If you believe what you read in the bible, that is your choice but there are thousands of other writings, including the Dead Sea Scrolls that have been suppressed/hidden by the Papal State (Catholic Church) in their secret archives. They fear the Truth to be exposed as it would destroy the ‘Faith’ they espouse with the TRUTH.

No matter that Christ is/was or may be, the Son of God or not, he was a Great Man, historically speaking. His teachings are as valid today, maybe more so, than they were centuries ago. If he personally wrote anything, it has never been found or brought to light. All we have is ‘hear say’ writings that have been included in today’s Bible. Christ, Buddha, Confucius and other Great Teachers of History all have valid points of view and, for the most part, never contradict each other!

Believe what you will but don’t think for a moment that any new interpretation of the ‘Bible’ is in someway incorrect. That was done centuries ago by a politically correct body of power hungry ‘religious leaders’ at the First Council of Nicaea.

History of Religion

For Centuries civilized peoples around the Planet have been told what to believe by organized religions. Shamans, priests, goddesses and the like have told uncounted multitudes what to believe,how to live and what to do on a daily basis. There has been torture, intimidation, coercion and peer pressure that have controlled the populace for centuries.

It matters not whether is was God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Christ or Allah, the purveyors of organized religions used the teachings of these, more often than not, wise men and corrupt the messages into formal doctrines. This made the 'elite' priesthood a highly vaunted and 'respected' profession; one with power, wealth and means to control the populace; all for the betterment of the priesthood and their cronies.

When science reared it's logical head coming out of the dark ages, it was co-opted by formal religious institutions or stoned into underground silence. If you didn't agree with the religious leader, you died, were persecuted or otherwise intimidated.

Wise men, healers and the like in early days of Humankind were the natural leaders and early scientists of the Stone Age. Through a crude 'scientific method' of trial and error over centuries, herbal and natural remedies were found for a plethora of human aliments and conditions.

As humans became more and more civilized, the basic moral rules were adopted by religions as their own rules were formalized. What many fail to realize is that the moral laws that most people agree upon are the basic backbone of our human civilization; honed through centuries as a way for humans to co-exist in relative peace. The Shamans, became scientists, while the priests remained priests, continuing to teach and coerce their own moral rules; mostly for the growth and profit of whatever religious fundament was in vogue/power.

Why do humans seem to 'need' religion. We certainly have outgrown this framework as a necessity of civilization. Yet, formal religious organizations continue to prosper, gain power and in most cases polarize societies. If you believe one religion, you are by definition of most other religions doomed to hell or what ever immortal conflagration is the belief of the day. Furthermore, many of the more primitive/violent incarnations of formalized religions continue to preach physical and emotional violence against 'non-believers'; no matter what their orientation.

They can't all be right! Are ANY of them right? Doubtful!

For any single formalized or informal religious belief there is not an ounce of empirical evidence to support their claims; whatever they may be! So the 'belief' and 'faith' of the membership is encouraged by the formal priesthood. Written evidence? Not so much, as most of the religious documents are 99% hearsay, third party observations or outright fabrications.

It would have been nice if Moses had chiseled some stone tablets that were passed down. Was Christ literate? Would have been totally wonderful if there were writing by his own hand. What of Muhammad? Did he really exist, do we have physical handwritten documents handed down by him? Joseph Smith, seemed to have lost or misplaced the golden plates given to him by Moroni. Most of the prophets didn't write things down, they preferred to pontificate and preach; most often in 'parables' or stories, not really dissimilar to Aesop's Fables. In many cases these prophets and seers may have been composites or blended personalities of enlightened teachers of centuries past.

Were the messages good? Absolutely! They reiterated the basic ways that we must behave (well most of them did) to live as civilized human beings. Very few rules or laws were dictated by the original profits; no, these were formalized later by the religious 'leaders' who sought to control the membership and local populace.

So again, why do so many seem to want to 'believe' in something so tentative, wispy and unproven? I think in many/most cases it is the 'Forgiveness Factor'. Yep, what an ingenious thing. Instead of 'do the crime; do the time', it was 'do the crime and magically you are forgiven'. In the middle ages, you could purchase a 'dispensation' or 'Indulgence' from a cleric/priest and effectively buy your way out of your sins. Great revenue generator for the Catholic Church at the time.

In other religions there are means of 'atonement' or forgiveness that allow the sinner (perpetrator of a crime; often heinous) to be forgiven. It was a nice 'way out' of a mess; even if you got caught and were assessed civil penalties (even death for capital crimes) your soul would be just dandy fine in a wonderful place, often called Heaven. What a concept! Better than a get out of jail free card isn't it.

This and other heinous doctrines have contributed to a 'that’s OK' philosophy in our current culture. It occurs in most of the Earthly cultures of the planet.

For example, look at the tragic subjugation of women in many less than civilized countries. Women are treated as property, not as individuals. Any sane and civilized person usually would agree that this is a primitive, illogical, suppressive mode of belief. It is a way to control another individual against their will (indoctrination begins at infancy). It is cruel and a terrible crime against humanity; yet many of the Planet's formal religions not only condone it, but promote it as “god's will”. They may come to a rude awakening should God be found ultimately to be a SHE!

Rob a bank, kill your mother, no worries. The priest says that “God Forgives”, just be sorry you did the deed and all is forgiven (a nice donation to the church is always welcomed!). Catholics have totally formalized the practice in the fabulous 'Confession' routine. You confess whatever to a priest who is bound by TOTAL confidence to not disclose your sins, and he/she has the power (granted by god) to absolve you of your sins. Go frequently, especially if you are a really productive sinner! Don't forget the donation!

Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with personal and individual forgiveness. Forgiveness is the model we must all aspire to. Forgive a friend for stealing your girlfriend? Sure, it's up to you. There is a civilized line that must separate forgiveness from justice under the law of civilization. The Founders of the United States of America, recognized this from the get go. They drafted the Constitution of the United States to ensure that there would never be a State Religion and that religion had no place in the law or rules of government.

The Founders also, many being religious in nature themselves, believed that an individual had the right to believe whatever he/she might choose to believe. No matter how unfounded or strange it might appear to others, YOU had the right to believe anything your heart desired. As Long as It Does NOT Impinge on the Rights of Others.

Preachers, priests and what not are all fine as long as there is no coercion involved that forces another to act or believe as another. As long as the formal laws are not controlled by a 'formalized religion' and are passed in a legal and just manner everyone is FREE to believe what they will.

Sounds pretty damn marvelous does it not? Wish it were true. The current trend of 'political correctness' has virtually divided countries and groups within countries. Interest groups (often driven by formal religious beliefs) lobby, use the social and broadcast media to coerce the rest of the populace one way or another. In many cases, in many countries this has led to sectarian violence pitting one formal religious belief against another.

This is INSANE and CRAZY! Frankly who gives a damn besides the 'believer' or the religious leaders/priests who instigate and drive their congregations to act out violently and to attempt to control others beliefs, actions and way of life.

It is time to find another way. Civilization, if we are to survive on this tiny Planet, needs to finally come of age and mature. We should have outgrown these 'beliefs' and superstitious mambo-jumbo long ago. It is logically unsupportable. Frankly, in so many cases patently insane the way so-called civilized men/women behave; all for the purpose of following some inane 'religious doctrine'.

So what of GOD?

Is there a supreme being. What about a soul? All these are questions that have been asked and will continue to be asked; maybe forever. If there is an afterlife, only the dead are empirical observators. So far, there is no evidence that your personality continues to exist on some other 'non-physical' plane of existence. Houdini tried and failed. Others have too. So far there has been no verifiable evidence that there is an afterlife as defined and described by religious doctrines.

So what happens when you die? I sure don't know, but we all will eventually discover the truth one day; hopefully in the far distant future! Is the belief in some form of 'afterlife' bad? I don't think so. It comforts many and while as yet unproven, may actually exist. Better to error on the side of caution!?!

I prefer to believe in some sort of 'Planetary Collective Unconscious' that is an aggregate of all human experience, beliefs and thoughts. If it does exist, it would explain many of the unaccounted for 'inspirational' thoughts that some have; maybe tapping into this massive store of knowledge and experience. I like to think that my Father and recently departed brother are a part of that and many friends and relatives who have 'passed on' are co-joined in this manner. It fits into a sort of 'heavenly experience' that many purport to have observed in 'near death' occurrences.

So, if religious belief is inherent in civilized man as it appears to be, what can or should replace the current superstition? There really must be another way; don't you think? Traditional atheism isn't the answer as it is almost a religion in and of itself. Maybe agnosticism is the closest and probably more acceptable to rational Man?

How about Science?

If we had funded the pursuit of TRUTH and Scientific Methods, instead of superstition and formalized religion, I ponder where would human civilization be today? What if the Planetary scientific community had the monetary resources of the Catholic Church, the Mormons or many of the Countries who support the Muslim Religion? Just think about that!

Where have all these trillion$ upon trillion$ of monetary denominations gone when funneled to religion? Wars, torture, pestilence and suppression of Freedom for the most part. All for the vampire-like lifestyle of the priesthood organization; sucking the lifeblood, creativity and resources from human endeavor.

Maybe it is time for a new religion. One based on Science and Scientific pursuit for the betterment of Humanity; not the subjugation of individuals? Would that be closer to a Heaven on Earth? What if all the donations currently being funneled into missionary practices (yes, many/most are helping with medicine and food, but at a cost of 'believing' and conversion!), would go instead to just education of the less fortunate, the building of schools and civilized infrastructures to promote health and well being?

Scientology? Not so much. L. Ron Hubbard made a stab at this but formalized and instituted rigid control practices for all members. Confiscatory practices of wealth and control over individual Freedom were surrendered to the 'Church'. No thanks, once again!

What if all the churches were converted into educational structures. Services would be educational, scientific presentations on various topics with learning/discussions. No fire and brimstone but science and education? What if the Discovery Channel were substituted for the weekly sermon? What if the science journals of peer reviews were substituted for the doctrines? People would come away with new knowledge, inspiration and hope for the future for themselves and their children. New HOPE for Humanity!

Now who decides this agenda? Left to government bureaucrats it would become a religion of control yet again; but called 'science'. We must have a FREE and OPEN, full disclosure environment so that challenges to opinion and 'facts' are able to be challenged, discussed and reviewed by ALL. Sure, not all, maybe just a few, will do the review, but with every human being on the Planet available to observe, learn, listen and critique, no single viewpoint could survive unless it was accepted as FACT and the TRUTH. Will it be challenged in the future; I would hope so. That is what true open scientific pursuit is all about; THE TRUTH!

We have it in our grasp, at least the initial stage right now for more than 50% of the Planetary Population and achievable for 100% with a bit more effort! Yes, it is called the INTERNET! Seem too simple? Not so much, it is a framework that is dynamic, Planetary in nature and propagates almost instantaneously information, commentary and data. Wiki's are examples of a Planetary documents that is are constant inspection, correction and examination! It is a great start but we must be cautions about those who CONTROL the content.

Yep, The Truth, That is My religion!

Truth is Belief!

Most 'organized religions' are just fronts for crime, corruption and downright EVIL. They want to CONTROL the people, bleed them of money and dominate the globe with their EVIL. Just read your Bible; you don't need some asshole in robes to tell you what it says.

Abrahamic Laws