Down to Basics

by J. Eric harrington

Here's a "test" of sorts. Look over the questions and see how many you answer "Yes" or "Sometimes":

1. Do you make thoughtless remarks or accusations which later you regret?
2. Do you get occasional twitches of your muscles, when there is no logical reason for it?
3. Are you often impulsive in your behavior?
4. Are you usually concerned about the need to protect your health?
5. Does an unexpected action cause your muscles to twitch?
6. Do you find yourself being extra-active for periods lasting several days?
7. Have you any particular hate or fear?
8. Do you get an after-reaction when something unexpected such as an accident or other disturbing incident takes place?
9. Do you ever get a 'dreamlike' feeling toward life when it all seems unreal?
10. Do you often "sit and think" about death, sickness, pain and sorrow?
11. Are you always collecting things which "might be useful"?
12. Do you throw things away only to discover that you need them later?
13. Are you aware of any habitual physical mannerisms such as pulling your hair, nose, ears, or such like?
14. Do you have a tendency to tidy up a disorder of somebody else's household?
15. Do you spend much time on needless worries?
16. Do you have spells of being sad and depressed for no apparent reason?

If you're like me, you answered a fair number of these questions with a "yes" or at least a "sometimes." Now, what would you say if I were to tell you that there is a very special reason these things are true for you, that they are a sign of something very wrong with you? Would you be concerned? What if I told you that I could help you fix this problem -- for a price?

Be honest!

Now, what would you say if I took your money and then told you that the problem you have is that your body is covered with thousands of invisible, massless, magic beings that control your mind and actions, causing the symptoms you are experiencing? Would you be willing to continue paying me for help in fixing your "problem"? Or would you see that I'm running a scam, trying to convince people that normal, everyday parts of life are a sign of a terrible problem that only I can cure?

Of course, nearly everyone would vote "scam." All except those folks who have accepted the religion those questions and explanation come from. We won't mention names... I don't think it would be good for my health. But those who aren't buying this particular religion can easily see the issue: Creating in the mind of a "mark" a need, and the belief that there is only one way to satisfy that need.

What is so very disappointing is that this very same scam is being run on billions of people, every day of every year. Think about it: do you know of any religion that tries to convince its followers that they have a horrible problem, and that it can only be solved by only that religion's methods? I expect you probably can. An awful lot of religions operate this way. Chief among these high-powered bunko schemes is Christianity.

Consider: According to the Christian Bible, every person has a horrible problem, called "sin." Definitions of this term vary, but any Christian will tell you that every person has it. The symptoms are that bad things happen to people, and that people grow old and die. Sounds fishy to me. What is even more fishy is that Christianity claims that there is only one way to escape a certain doom of unending, unbearable horrors in eternity: join the church and become a slave to Jesus... coincidentally also helping to support and often enrich the leaders of whatever church you happen to join.

And what do you do, once you join said church? Why, you start to pay. You contribute to the upkeep and well-being of the group's spiritual leader. And since that leader is "doing God's work," she or he is assumed to be more "good" than anyone else. But... once you've done what it takes to solve your problem, are you free to go? Or do you need to keep coming back, week after week, listening to endless speeches, reading the same material over and over again, and participating in the same rituals for years on end, in order to stay on God's good side?

Followers of most of these so-called "great" religions spend their lives in a mental trap. They are taught that they are in a constant bind, needing something that can only be helped (according to the shysters in the funny robes) by constant, repeated obedience to the temple or church or whatever. They are taught over and over that if they don't follow the Plan, they are going to Hell or they are going to be reincarnated as a snake or to have any number of strange threats hanging over them. They are taught that their problem can't be solved by themselves, that they need the help of a priest, or a pastor or a shaman or an auditor; the list is depressingly long. Ultimately, they come to see themselves as terrible people that can only escape a terrible fate by trying to please a god, and not coincidentally, that god's "chosen leader."

Sure, I can hear the objections: My Pastor isn't like that! He does a lot of good for the church! That may be, but the fact is that your Pastor, however sincere he may be, is repeating a lie about this problem of "sin." I'm not saying that people don't have problems -- only that their problems don't mean that they will spend eternity being totured because of them, and that those problems can't be solved by some great, make-believe spook. Certainly, we all die, but that is a natural part of life.

I expect that most religious people who read this would have almost no trouble seeing the first religion I talked about as being a ridiculous fairy tale. What saddens me is the fact that they are also in the clutches of a huge con game -- and they have no clue at all that they've been hoodwinked.

Personally speaking, I find it horrible to tell someone "you will be punished eternally" for simply being human. This is, in effect, what is being said in churches, mosques and synagogues around the world. This is the message behind every mention of "sin" or "salvation." This is the essence of what just about every child is being told when they pick up a children's illustrated Bible.

What exactly is so wrong about being human? That's what I want to know. Sure, I feel disappointed when I act less nobly or decently than I would have liked. Sure, we all are less than perfect. Is that any reason to accept this bullshit about these imperfections being a reason for a god -- that supposedly created us! -- to put us in a place of eternal horrors?

My advice is simple. Accept yourself. Accept that you can't be perfect, and that your best course through life is to work at improving yourself through helping others and working to change those things that you don't like. Sure, doing those things won't result in a "perfect world," but it's pretty obvious that religion, having had a go at perfecting us for 5000 years hasn't made all that much progress. Maybe -- just maybe -- if we as a species took responsibility for our problems, stopped sitting around, waiting on the Great Pumpkin or whatever and worked together to find solutions for them, life would become just a little bit better for everyone.

It's only a suggestion. Peace.