I consider religious works of text to be nice frameworks for how to be a good human on many levels.
I also recognize that there have been some pretty ridiculous ideas on law and punishment in the bible and other religious texts. We have also come to see how often the average man or woman will misinterpret text from the bible to serve, ironically, the most evil of actions. Then one has to consider this notion of supernatural intervention and unverifiable metaphysical states, like comparing the universe to the single mind…or talking bushes.
However legitimate a claim may feel or seem to be…if it’s not verified, why are we still talking about it?
Why are stories of miracles still yammered about, like somehow believing them will be a magical game changer?
Why do we still cling to unproven ‘spiritual’ claims knowing of multiple religions with similar agendas and marketing schemes?
It’s simpler and a little more terrifying than you might believe, but it’s fine.
People just need meaning behind their self-awareness. People want to know WHY they are alive more than they want to BE alive. Something to explain having to work jobs we hate, impress people we hardly know, and go through wave after wave of ‘trauma’ all while just trying to survive…it helps. At least it makes one feel like there’s some sort of progress being made...like there’s a better place after death. Like it doesn’t end here.
And in the name of the scientific method, the subject always stays open for discussion and evidence, but nothing beyond that.
Social dynamics are a part of it as well. Even though there is an avalanche of abstract, symbolic, and unproven claims that come from religion, millions keep the faith. People want to belong to the tribe. Slowly, the world is being pushed to either become one big tribe or destroy itself in the process. I digress in saying so.
The point being that many people will accept unfounded and irrelevant ideas just to be accepted by the tribe.
That’s it. The level of pressure that generations have placed on each other to align with a faith has gotten to the point of murder and torture for not sharing the same god.
It’s really difficult to justify religion as a higher state of being, or an important staple in culture, when it’s convincing men and women to dismiss the miracle of life by killing those who don't agree while also believing in stories that very much resemble fairy tales.
In short…
Fuck religion.
I don’t believe there is a god.
I also don’t believe we need a god or a religion to live a great and fulfilling life.
I believe that for the most part, we already have the knowledge and resources available to have a world wide, advanced society where needs are taken care of, jobs are automated, and we are stepping into a world of hard work, passion, love, and creativity. A chance to really experience the world we live in.
Jacques Fresco, who now lives only on YouTube, was one of the first to really push the idea. He just fucking understood.
Why are we putting all this energy into defense, war, mental manipulation, low intelligence behavior when we could easily network resources and usher in a new way of life?
Because we’re either stupid (can’t see the big picture of human potential)...
…or we’re afraid (afraid of being rejected by the crowd and eternal punishment after death).
We’re just not that smart. Well…we are actually REALLY smart…but the information getting shoved into our brains keeps us dumb and weak…submissive and timid. We have also been taught to act like real fucking assholes to people that don’t believe what ‘we/you’ believe.
So does it seem like we still have religion because we really have god?
Or do we still have religion because people just keep passing/pressuring it on?
I’ll be honest.
I feel left out even though I do not believe in god.
I like to be in places where there are people, and good energy, and a chance to socialize. So when you decide to disconnect from a group with that level of social integration all over the world, you feel kind of sad or afraid or alone.
But that’s the thing about not having a religion. There’s no group for that. We don’t gather. We don’t have parties or newsletters. Beyond this post, you’ll likely never see me write about religion again.
So…it’s a decision to step into the silence of the real world and create new interactions and experiences. It’s super scary, not to sound like a teenage murder movie victim. But that shit gets scary. There’s this sudden gap in your entire life. You can feel the pain and relief of letting go and it’s hard to know what to do. Also, there isn’t going to be another dude popping out of the bushes with a new pamphlet and a new god for you to fill in the gaps. This is it. You are here. This is real.
The real question is…can you be without God? Is it permissible? Will I be punished? The questions hit hard. The fear of burning or going to some kind of hell versus just going to church seems like a pretty clear choice.
But no church has ever been able to prove the existence of this supernatural being, or a spiritual plane of infinite existence. So, for some people, it’s just hard to stay and believe what they can’t see. The pain of pretending becomes intense and a change is needed.
Have you ever heard someone religious tell you they ‘feel sorry’ for you because you don’t believe in god?
Did it make you want to rip their face off and shove it up their ass like me?
There’s nothing more condescending or irritating than having to listen to someone be wrong and cocky at the same time. The gas lighting in that statement alone is incredible. When it happens, your brain does exactly what it should do…it labels that person as an actual threat.
We intrinsically know that there is something dangerous about being around a person who wants you to be ignorant along with them. It actually puts you in fight or flight, and you either end up arguing with them (bad move) or trying to find the quickest way out of the conversation.
Okay.
Enough shit talking religion.
Here, we’re going to mini-dive into the things that one should learn from religion for those who are wondering what they are missing out on when not taking any time with religious texts.
Values/Ethics:
You need structure for society to work. Not religion. But religion does indeed provide structure. Things like work ethic, honesty, and justice are all good within a society. Although it is notable that using a higher power can certainly create fear and control in groups of people.
It does disappoint me to know that many people are only motivated to do better when there is a threat (god) looming, and worse yet, they never really learn the importance of being a good human being for other human beings. But, as time goes on and generations get older, we see a new wave of people who are more motivated by positive reinforcement and willing to leave the psychotic desire for control and punishment behind.
So…it’s always good to have good values and ethics to live by…but god is an unnecessary element in ethical behavior. Plain and simple.
Cognitive Biases, Emotional Reasoning, & Influence:
Rationality is a learned skill set. So many people still make choices emotionally. I’ve been in sales for a long fucking time and it still blows my mind when people are stupid enough to try something just because other people are trying it. Like…that’s IT. Since the dawn of fucking time we just follow the crowd.
Remember the old mom archetype question that goes ‘If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you too?’
I deeply understand that people WOULD…we are so desperate for acceptance that we OFTEN will do things that harm us just to be fucking liked. I’m sorry it’s just too much to hold in but…FUCK we can really be stupid as a species.
Don’t believe me? Look into the history of cults. Look into the history of religion. Look into the history of sales and marketing. Look into Edward Bernays.
I’ve done presentation sales and it’s always fucking hard to get the first few people to start looking, but THEN…the crowd starts to form. They don’t even know what they are about to look at, but it’s plain and simple that they don’t want to be left out…so if there’s a group…they will follow.
Human thinking is emotional. Get it right. We chase pleasure. We run from pain. We desperately follow celebrities. We run from the slightest inconvenience or uncomfortable conversation in our real lives. The logic for the most part is that if I can make you feel strong emotions, I can make you do anything. Look at the story of how Edward Bernays (Propaganda) created the feminist movement (yes…CREATED) and used it to increase cigarette sales for Lucky Stripe. It’s fucked up.
God and religion tap very much into human emotion, especially the feeling (fear) of eternal pain after death, and the feeling of pain (from exile) while still alive. While there’s not much to learn about logic from the Kybalion or the bible, one can feel the lack of organized thought when forced to accept ideas with no proof with a looming threat of pain to lock it in. As if the desire for structure is already within us. No tribe ever needed a god to know it’s important to seek food and shelter to survive. They just get to hunting and building. No book needed.
But when they become hyper aware of themselves (’tree of knowledge’ if you need a reference)…suddenly there’s a need to fill in the gap. To know why. Why this world? Why me? Why us? Funny…it’s the very seeking of the answers to these questions that create the pain in the first place.
Personal Transformation only through Intention & Action:
I don’t know where the lesson started or got lost. But if you don’t DO (action)…you don’t get. If you DO…but you don’t really plan or care properly…there’s LESS of a chance of success. It was never cosmic or sacred…it’s just life. (GIGO: Garbage In Garbage Out)
Simple mental frameworks like PDCA (Plan. Do.Check. Adjust.) help you check your progress and give you feedback…but that’s assuming you’re actually taking action to keep track of. That’s also assuming that you’re not REALLY tracking the action…you’re tracking the results. I don’t want to do 100 sit ups a day. I want abs and to become more ‘fuckable’…or whatever. If I track my sit up activity after 4 weeks and see no change…time for different and more accurate actions.
Dualities and Rhythms:
The yin and yang. The ebb and flow. The up and down. They always say that one must be ready for extremes in life and be as present for them as much as possible. I believe that these are things that CAN be true…but I’ve never seen or heard of any empirical evidence on it. Regardless…there seems to be more than enough extreme opposites in observable reality to be able to take this idea for granted. High and low. Fast and slow. Big and small. Deep and surface level. Sun and Moon. You get it.
The point of this lesson in life is to not get hyper attached to one specific thing. We all try to make things ‘to last’ as long as possible…and we really enjoy it when we can create comfort, consistency, and predictability. But we know there are extreme stories of danger and loss.
Ironically, when we get bored of our predictable life…we seek out some variety like a roller coaster, a movie, sports, drugs, booze, etc…It’s as if there’s too much Yin…we seek to create more Yang.
The point in knowing is that it allows us to have more personal power. We may be surprised in the moment when something extreme happens…but we are not surprised that these things are a part of life.
So we are able to quickly accept and adapt without getting back into the ‘why is this happening?’ mentality. The seeking of unnecessary answers only leads to insanity, anyway.
Sanity and reality exist in the duality.
Emotional range. Nuance and perspective…understanding problems aren’t just black and white. Acceptance of your own strengths and weaknesses. Finding construction in conflict and salvation within crisis. All that good stuff within the bad stuff.
It’s unlikely that I’ll get back into the conversation of religion. But I made this post for a few reasons. First, it’s to just blow out the energy of letting go of a dogma that has been shoved in my head for decades. Also, it’s for those trying to do the same. You don’t have to make a big announcement. You don’t have to do a ceremony…though you could.
It’s a chance to see that you’re not alone without having to form a new group or religion. It’s a new alliance with yourself. You’re free to experience the world as it is…not as others influence you to.