Tesla_WTC_Solution
15th July 2013, 21:44
I was thinking yesterday about what happened to churches in Russia under communism. We all know how it was hard to get Bibles into Russia in the past and how lots of Buddhist and Islamic establishments suffered under communist influence. The gov't tried very hard in my opinion to suppress something fundamental to human instinct. (The "child emulating the adult" is a term I've encountered that describes religion as it is in many nations.) It is very difficult to disengage people from a behavior that is literally imprinted at birth. We spend our whole lives trying to reconcile our personal beliefs sometimes to the common faith -- and lots of us fail to find the right place.
Back to Russia: Now that the punk band P*ssy Riot is in the spotlight, though, I realize how completely communism failed to eradicate conservatism. The people who oppose free speech are doing it from the standpoint of religious piety! And it makes me wonder if that was one of the secret objectives of communists: to create a "stupid conservative", one who cannot make his own decisions and has to follow the figurehead/religious shepherd/father figure.
In America, instead of destroying churches, our government decided to hi-jack the pulpit (again, this is my opinion). We all noticed the post-9/11 phenomenon of Bible-Beating War Hawks. Jihad itself crept into the church that played the victim. Many preachers were making fairly inflammatory statements about the war, and the need for war. I realize that many preachers oppose war -- but I wonder how many changed their minds after 9/11.
Historically, the religion of the plebes, the faith of the peasantry, has provided a lot of protection and even forgiveness to people who at times oppose the actions of the government. Popular sentiment has saved many lives (just ask Barabbas), innocent or not.
But what happens when the state inserts itself into the fabric of the religion and tries to replace God? For example, God says "turn the other cheek"... but 'to save America' we do the opposite (post 9/11). Isn't that evidence that our faith has been almost completely co-opted by the state?
What can people do to restore the original focus of Christianity and other religions tainted by Bush politics?
I mean, I am almost embarrassed to call myself a Christian (I didn't choose to be born in the USA, it just happened to me LOL). You guys probably read or heard in some form about the Sikh gentlemen who emigrated to America and are now feeding our own homeless, right? The same religion targeted by the insane Army gunman Wade Michael Page in Wisconsin during the summer Olympics is the one feeding American victims of poverty in California.
I used to hate Islam. No offense -- I was taught that they treat their women and kids like animals -- I was taught that they are barbarians. But look at the actions of our own "Christian" nation and it's all of a sudden really hard to believe that generality applies to all of them.
Modern Corporate Capitalism makes sure that NO ONE in our pay grade experiences true freedom. It's almost worse than religious persecution or sexism. We can "believe what we want" deep in our hearts but it changes very little about what moves America.
Clearly the machine that drives this country is nearly independent of the positive aspects of religious experience. I wish I could say that our religions were similarly free of the monster we call the state.
But the truth is, the gov't makes a point of dictating its position to enough key people that hundreds and thousands of religious Americans are willing to perpetuate the broken system.
And it's really funny how the gov't refuses to "turn the other cheek" when terrorists happen, but we the people are expected to bend over for the gov't at the snap of a finger.
From illegal police checkpoints where they forcibly draw blood to the highest pulpit where the pious apparently scream for more blood, there is something rotten in the state of America.
:(
I hope this makes sense to someone. LOL.
Point? Unknown.
p.s. what got me on this rant? look at my signature and guess -- just kidding. Read the DUNE series!~!!
Back to Russia: Now that the punk band P*ssy Riot is in the spotlight, though, I realize how completely communism failed to eradicate conservatism. The people who oppose free speech are doing it from the standpoint of religious piety! And it makes me wonder if that was one of the secret objectives of communists: to create a "stupid conservative", one who cannot make his own decisions and has to follow the figurehead/religious shepherd/father figure.
In America, instead of destroying churches, our government decided to hi-jack the pulpit (again, this is my opinion). We all noticed the post-9/11 phenomenon of Bible-Beating War Hawks. Jihad itself crept into the church that played the victim. Many preachers were making fairly inflammatory statements about the war, and the need for war. I realize that many preachers oppose war -- but I wonder how many changed their minds after 9/11.
Historically, the religion of the plebes, the faith of the peasantry, has provided a lot of protection and even forgiveness to people who at times oppose the actions of the government. Popular sentiment has saved many lives (just ask Barabbas), innocent or not.
But what happens when the state inserts itself into the fabric of the religion and tries to replace God? For example, God says "turn the other cheek"... but 'to save America' we do the opposite (post 9/11). Isn't that evidence that our faith has been almost completely co-opted by the state?
What can people do to restore the original focus of Christianity and other religions tainted by Bush politics?
I mean, I am almost embarrassed to call myself a Christian (I didn't choose to be born in the USA, it just happened to me LOL). You guys probably read or heard in some form about the Sikh gentlemen who emigrated to America and are now feeding our own homeless, right? The same religion targeted by the insane Army gunman Wade Michael Page in Wisconsin during the summer Olympics is the one feeding American victims of poverty in California.
I used to hate Islam. No offense -- I was taught that they treat their women and kids like animals -- I was taught that they are barbarians. But look at the actions of our own "Christian" nation and it's all of a sudden really hard to believe that generality applies to all of them.
Modern Corporate Capitalism makes sure that NO ONE in our pay grade experiences true freedom. It's almost worse than religious persecution or sexism. We can "believe what we want" deep in our hearts but it changes very little about what moves America.
Clearly the machine that drives this country is nearly independent of the positive aspects of religious experience. I wish I could say that our religions were similarly free of the monster we call the state.
But the truth is, the gov't makes a point of dictating its position to enough key people that hundreds and thousands of religious Americans are willing to perpetuate the broken system.
And it's really funny how the gov't refuses to "turn the other cheek" when terrorists happen, but we the people are expected to bend over for the gov't at the snap of a finger.
From illegal police checkpoints where they forcibly draw blood to the highest pulpit where the pious apparently scream for more blood, there is something rotten in the state of America.
:(
I hope this makes sense to someone. LOL.
Point? Unknown.
p.s. what got me on this rant? look at my signature and guess -- just kidding. Read the DUNE series!~!!