Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Beware! Preaching Going on Here!

I would like to make an argument. I believe that all laws, religions and myths were created to protect the ignorant from themselves.

Myth: Lets say there is a vine that grows in a certain part of a jungle. That vine is armed with poisonous thorns. Now, as an ignorant cave man or perhaps a child, I don't really understand the concept of poisonous thorns, so in order to keep my family safe I decide to tell a story about an evil snake spirit that dwells in that jungle and if you go in there he will bite you and kill you. Myth protecting the ignorant from themselves.

Religion: Lets fast forward a bit and take a look at more complex societies. Some smart brave soul has discovered, not only the thorny vine, but also invents the word 'poison' and is able to educate the people, scientifically or at least logically, that poison kills, thus said poisonous thorns kill, thus 'watch yourself when your walking through the jungle that you don't prick yourself on a poisonous thorn'.

But what about more complex issues. What if I don't care about life, whether its mine or that of my fellow man? After all I am going to die and that's it, lights out right? What if I convinced you that there was an afterlife and this afterlife is ruled by a king-like being called God and that if you didn't follow the rules of God (thou shall not kill) then you would go into eternal damnation and burn forever? Now, if you truly believed this, it may deter you from killing your fellow man (including the priests who invented said religion). And as society gets more complex so do the laws of God and each bear a repercussion that ends in fire and brimstone! People are not killing each other but they are killing themselves! Well, if you kill yourself you go to hell! Did you just make that up? No, no. 'Eberus maximus bla blah something Latin' read to an illiterate man. Well, I guess we can't commit suicide now or we'll go straight to hell. The priest read it straight from the Bible. And he's always right! Religion protecting the ignorant from themselves.

The point of this argument is to bring you to a deeper understanding of freedom. Do you want to be truly free? Then don't be ignorant. Learn as much as you can so that you can make educated decisions when a problem arises. You can weigh all the odds and you can decide whether or not your going to hurt yourself or hurt others or both. Shake off outdated dogma by asking 'why?'. Why do I have to do this? Because the Israelites had to do it 3000 years ago? Because pastor Joe Bob told me so? Because Mom's witty sayings are always right?

I'm not saying that there isn't a God or that the Bible isn't true but I am saying that we have to decide on our own what is right and wrong. We have to become educated. We are told to have faith in God not in the printed word, not in pastor Joe Bob but in God. God made things easy to. The truth is all around us; in nature, in science, in our own hearts! You know what's right and wrong. You know it's wrong to kill, unless you have good reason, survival (whether for yourself, your love ones or even your country)! You know it's wrong to sleep with your sister. You don't want to make 'flipper babies!' You know it's wrong to speed through an intersection on a red light, putting other people in danger just so you can get where you're going faster! But if there are more complicated issues, things you are uncertain of, use logic and seek knowledge, seek the truth and it WILL set you free.

-Nosmo

4 comments:

  1. I do know of a tree with poisonous thorns.. It's the American Locust... it's not the kill you kinda poison but it makes for nasty wounds and fevers...I've gotten infections from it before...

    Going down on your sister is like drinking non-alcoholic beer.. it may taste the same but it's just wrong...

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  2. You may wonder, if you seek only truth where does 'faith' come into play? I suppose the best way to understand this is saying that faith is the belief in something that can never be proven. Faith is not the belief in something someone told you but your too lazy or scared to question and seek answers.

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