An Agnostic look at the many claims of Christianity.
The ultimatum of fundamentalist Christianity is that anyone who
doesn't reach the conclusion that the Bible God set up the
universe is doomed to eternal punishment. Anyone who fails to
accept this teaching will end up in a place called
"hell".
This site will address the standard claims of Christianity and
examine the fear tactics and teaching methods employed to advance
its agenda and influence.
In the beginning.....
"Men, it has been well said,
think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while
they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
-Charles Mackay
"I am
an Agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are
sure of."
-Clarence Darrow
To be an Agnostic is to make no claims about any particular
Creator or God.
An Agnostic doesn't deny that a "God" or Prime Creator
may exist, nor does an Agnostic endorse any particular version of
"God". Personally, I think it's certainly possible that
a Prime Creator of some sort may exist.
"Question with boldness even the
existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more
approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded
fear."
- Thomas Jefferson
Agnostics are often accused of being "fence sitters"
who lack the courage to take a firm stand on this issue of a
specific creator existing or how and why the universe is set up.
However, there is nothing wrong or weak about saying that you
lack sufficient information to make a decision on these issues.
"Uncertainty is an honest state of emotion.
A person has broken well into the open when he or she can say
"I don't know"(or "I'm not certain").
To realize that you don't know this or that is the beginning of
new wisdom.
It is never wrong to be spiritually hungry.
What IS wrong is to accept a piece of fruit without determining
whether it is real or artificial."
-Vernon Howard
Agnostics, as a general rule are quite reasonable, rational, and
willing to change their views and perceptions IF they feel it is
justified. Agnostics don't condemn anyone to hell or label them
as "unsaved" for not holding the same views as they do.
Despite all the rhetoric of fundamentalist Christians that
"unbelievers" are shallow, self centered, prideful,
selfish worshippers of nothing but themselves, and deceived by
their own minds, there exists an almost comical paradox:
Christians engage in just as much self gratification
and self exaltation as they say unbelievers practice.
Christians create two objects, themselves and the object of their
worship.
But this is both vanity and idolatry. When a Christian praises
the object of his worship, his "God", he is really
praising his ideas and views about the object of his worship.
The Christian exalts himself using a surrogate ego which he calls
"God".
One of the most important observations I've made from years of
investigating the realm of Christianity is that the centerpiece
of this religion, the Holy Bible, means whatever a
believer wants it to mean…and nothing more.
This collection of writings, compiled and established as holy by
councils of men, isn't any more the word of God than any other
religious book on a library shelf. The Bible, like most religious
texts, has elements of wisdom combined with blatant
contradictions, and gross inconsistencies.
Fundamentalist Christians mentally write their own versions of
the Bible to accommodate what they want to believe is true while
all the time advertising that they believe that everything
written in the Bible is the word of an infallible, holy deity.
A secondary observation, stemming from the first one, is how
massive the power of rationalization is when it's applied by
human beings. Humans can rationalize virtually anything and the
area of religion is ripe for such mental gymnastics to display
themselves.
Rationalization can make any situation or state appear
justified to the human mind.
Rationalization is the vehicle that humans use to make
themselves feel comfortable about things that otherwise might be
disturbing.
Does the state of the world disturb you? Are you disillusioned by
the constant conflict and disease that permeate existence on this
planet? Competition, conflict, disease, and malfunction are part
of the system we must live in.
It's built into the system. Life forms here prey on and compete
with each other. Even trees compete with each other for sunlight.
How did it get this way and what are you doing here in the first
place?
These types of questions pave the way for the amazing human
instrument called rationalization.
Dogmatic religions, of all types, thrive in environments like
this. Religion can help explain(i.e. rationalize) how and why
things are as they are. It helps explain the otherwise
unexplainable.
Is all this rationalizing harmful, or harmless?
When people are told that they must believe in a certain
"God" and his "Bible" or face eternal
damnation, it can certainly make their lives easier. Their lives
are simplified because they won't have to think as much.
People who accept what they are told to believe are much more
likely to support a religious hierarchy, religious officials,
religious doctrines, and religious agendas.
When people are told by others what "God" requires of
them and what they need to do to be ushered into
"heaven" when they die, they are being herded into a
system which is entirely man made.
If the requirement to be "saved" is to abandon your
mind and ability to reason, and become "as a little
child" to please "God", slavery to a religious
elite(who claim to be representatives of this God) is not far
behind.
It's all about control and its ramifications are manifold.
This type of system requires an institution to constantly expand
and dominate, projecting its influence over all other
things.
The ultimate goal is to permeate any existing system and to then
steam roll over anything that interferes with the on-going work
of spreading a particular ideology.
Today, there are many human institutions that exhibit this type
of controlling and aggressive behavior, including corporations,
political parties, and organized religion.
The basic strategy involves stamping out any competing
thoughts, making everything conform to the dictates of the
religion, and then punishing any disobedience to the imposed
mandates.
The Christian Bible even provides a mission template for this
strategy of control, where these very elements are present..
2 Cor 10:5-6
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
This behavior is the essence of many religious zealots and
taken to its logical conclusion, it results in statements that
illustrate a level of pompous, self-righteousness that has
plagued humanity throughout history.
People that love power and control deem themselves authorized
to create reality for others and to then enforce their version of
reality on others.
They justify this aggressive policy by asserting that
"God" authorizes and directs their actions.
A prime example of this religious fanaticism and thirst for power
can be seen in the following statements, which are attributed to
the radical American Christian cleric D. James Kennedy, a leader
of the Christian Dominionist lobby:
"Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost…
As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society."
(Sources: Rolling Stone online 4/7/2005, Christian Science Monitor 3/16/2005 regarding Coral Ridge Ministries Feb 2005 agenda rally)
There is little else that can rival the effectiveness of
rewards and threats when it comes to creating and ensuring mass
conformity in a population.
The melding of these two concepts serves to provide authoritative
institutions with a powerful tool that can be employed to mold
societal beliefs in whatever fashion a hierarchy deems
appropriate.
Promises of great rewards for "proper" belief and
threats of punishment for "improper" belief are
particularly useful in the context of keeping a population
mollified and subservient.
Personal independence is the great enemy of church institutions,
whose very existence requires that there be people who are
insecure enough to need and take the sugar pill of
"divine" guidance.
Naturally, fundamentalist Christianity makes great efforts and
goes to great expense to adroitly promote itself as the only
authorized dispenser of the one true sugar pill, which is Jesus.
They seduce the insecure with an uplifting promise of eternal
reward for obedience combined with the ominous threat of eternal
punishment for improper thoughts or beliefs.
These types of institutions are insidiously parasitic
because they create the very hosts that they feed upon.
It attempts to implant a perspective inside people, that they
need Jesus, and then attempts to extract a reaction from them,
which comes in the form of money and other support for the
church.
This is accomplished by repetitive preaching that only belief in
their doctrines can provide the proper way to heaven and the
avoidance of hell.
As pointed out by others, Christianity thrives in large part to
the brilliant marketing strategy it uses.
It creates a disease and then offers to sell the victims a cure.
Those who claim to be God's representatives on earth have no
problem selling their product to the masses and telling others
all about God, what he wants, what he is, what pleases him, and
what his cosmic game plan is.
All of this is sold by using the ultimate threat…the threat
of eternal damnation for failure to believe what they want you to
believe is absolute fact.
It would be amusing to see what would happen if all the elite
fundamentalist Christian leaders were able to establish their
dream of a fundamentalist theocracy.
Despite pious rhetoric and righteous claims of wanting to do
God's will, things are not always what they appear to be.
Are these Christians really God's elite representatives and
mouthpieces on earth or are they something else dressed in Godly
garb?
The Dancing Monkeys
A Prince had some Monkeys trained to dance. Being naturally great mimics of men's actions, they showed themselves most apt pupils, and when arrayed in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers.
The spectacle was often repeated with great applause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took from his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage.
The Monkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as indeed they were) Monkeys instead of actors.
Pulling off their masks and tearing their robes, they fought with one another for the nuts.
The dancing spectacle thus came to an end amidst the laughter and ridicule of the audience.
*Moral -Not everything you see is what it appears to be.-
(from Aesop's Fables)
How long would it take before a religious elite would be at
each others throats, trying to expand their individual influence
over their flocks of followers, all in the name and act of
serving God???
How then are we to evaluate the many claims of fundamentalist
Christianity?
Is the mystery of the universe really compacted and accurately
represented in a small set of exclusive writings called the Holy
Bible and the religion called Christianity? Do Christian clerics
and professional apologists really have a superior knowledge of
all things spiritual? Do they have a monopoly on
"truth" and do they have a superior belief system?
The answer the these questions rests in only one place.
It rests inside You. Only you can determine if this
religion is valid and accurately represents the universe and all
its aspects.
This site is dedicated to those who dare to question and
investigate for themselves what resonates with their mind and
soul.
*Special thanks to G.R. Gaudreau for his help in making this site
a reality.
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