i think religion was a way to explain anything that people questioned. Well this isn't knew, everyone knows that because that is what myths do: explain phenomenon that could not be explained to man. How did we get fire? Easy, by Prometheus' gift to man, yet he was punished so we never see him anymore. How easy was that to explain how man got fire?
I think modern day religion in the past was a way to control people. I don't mean control people by power, but just to stop anarchy and horrible acts of crime. For example Judaism, I think one of the first monotheistic religions of the world, set down laws saying you can't do this or that because it's against God, and if you go against him, you're basically screwed. Now if I was someone else and I heard this, I'd be scared as hell because I don't wanna be screwed and end up in Hell. So if you're good, then you get to go to heaven. Sounds good right? Yeah, of course, then people were good. The Christianity religion explains a lot of stuff to, like how the world was made and why God sometimes allows bad things to happen, etc etc. So in a way, religions's good: teaching morals and setting standards.
Now religion is just overabused. I'm talking about swindling preachers and everything else. That's probably why so many people has lost faith in the church. People like Tammy and Jim Bakker, who were the Television Evangelists. They preached a feel good religion, but they were just....bad people, taking other good people's money and just not believing in what they preached. I think religion now is on a verge of downhill and pretty much will be extinct if they don't do anything about it. Also gay life style is rising, and the bible preaches against homosexuality. Also, science is explaining many phenomenon that man could not explain centuries ago. Medical research is saving peoples lives and evidence of evolution, how the earth was made, etc, is embedding itself to the minds of people. I guess religion is just dying away slowly as we speak.
Okay, since everyone knows that, I have my real opinions, but they switch every single time. I sometimes believe in a higher power, and sometimes I don't. I guess I should explain my "no belief in a higher power" right now. I think all religion is bull if it's that case. It's trapping people into doing something they don't want to do. Like in old England, they had people pay for their repentence and the Catholic church taking money. The Catholic church was a great power; they could excommunicate at will and the pope was king of kings on earth. It's horrible how people just believe in everything they hear and doing a deed from their pure heart and soul for the right reasons, but for the wrong people. And everytime I think of it, I think that religion is the opiate of the mind.
Before i conclude my religion opinion, I want to tell everyone that the fat guy at the Chinese Restaurants is not Buddha, it's a Chinese Buddhist monk named Siu. So don't call him buddha, and it's not nice to touch him on the head. =) I was thinking this, but Buddhism is only a teaching of the way of life and wher people go after they die, but it never explains anything else like how the earth was made.
If you have an opinion on religion, I'd like to hear it. Please email me at mung@ridgenet.net. I'll post your opinion on this page if you email me. Thanks for reading.
You don't wanna get on the bad side of guy who thinks religion is a weakness- Slash
The quote will be coming in a chapter of Immortals. That was NOT a joke, by the way.