Not being a man of science, I find it very difficult to think calmly or dispassionately about the Inquisition or the Protestant burnings of Catholics for that matter. OK, I hold my hands up and admit it. Yes, the church did keep Europe together and saved much of old knowledge and art during the Dark Ages - but in a sense the church was responsible FOR the Dark Ages in the first place. However, Nazism did the same for a limited period, and so did Soviet Communism in the east, and so does a certain type of Islam.
For me all cults are a vile excrescence on the face of the earth. When I was younger, I was acerbic in my loathing for religious creeds of any kind; so much so that I became a regular subscriber to an Australian atheist magazine called the Rationalist. I remember reading an expose the 'Shrine of Lourdes,' where after doing a round of the hospitals and doctor's surgeries in the town, the journalist discovered that most priests and nuns went very sensibly to the medics for treatment when they were ill or unfirm, instead of wasting time splashing in the holy spring alongside the hundreds of pathetic pilgrims.
A scrutiny of the geographical records revealed that the source of the spring originated in a nearby river, and that the water seeped through certain fissures in the underlying rocks to re-emerge as Fatima's spring or whatever they call it. The River Authority reported that there were no records of any person bathing in the upper or lower reaches of the river and subsequently experiencing any miraculous cure, but rather, on the contrary, there had been a number of drownings over the years, and many cases of children contracting diphtheria and other diseases after swimming in the river.
As a young man I was exposed a lot to the writings of George Meredith and studied his essay 'On the Idea of Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit' (1877.) The work is a celebration of the civilising power of the comic spirit. The mind, he affirms, directs the laughter of comedy, and civilisation is founded on common sense, which equips one to hear and welcome the comic spirit when it laughs folly out of countenance and to participate in its fellowship. Which aptly sums up some of the most enjoyable reactive experiences I have when I read postings from some of the loveable, more physically inclined, reality-challenged contributors. I think laughter and satire is a good weapon against the wickedness of religion.
Absolute Control is needed!
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Pastor or leader of the organization that assumes absolute power will lead to abuse. Many pastors preach as if they were God himself were speaking to you. What he says goes. You could not question his judgment. One pastor made the congregation clap when he came on stage to the pulpit. It seemed to me that many of these pastors were on an ego trip. A number of them seemed to come from broken or dysfunctional families. It seems that the way they were raised is the way they will treat their congregation. Their emotional needs were not met so the congregation must fulfill them.
The pastor or leader will want absolute control. He will not tolerate objections. He will try to manipulate you to do what he wants (usually put in terms of what God wants, for what the Pastor wants and God wants are assumed to be the same). One pastor would visit each church member to figure up their bill that they owed the church. The pastor would call where they worked and ask how much they made so they could not lie about it. One church has your tithe automatically deducted from your checking account.
Absolute Rules are given!
Strict laws are set down. Legalism settles in. Usually you have to dress a certain way. One example, women are not allowed to wear pants. A long list of do's and don'ts. This is what makes them special and different from the world.
Absolute Rules are enforced!
Most abusive churches will publicly ridicule and humiliate you. One service I was ahere was a shocking excommunication of a member. Usually the pastor (or his family) can not keep all the rules, but will demand that his followers do.
Absolutely No one leaves!
I heard of one family that left an abusive church. They were publicly preached against, and no one was allowed to have contact with them. If you leave, you are apostate and will burn in hell!
People can be brainwashed and programmed to kill. September 11th taught us that.
Have you ever been recruited for a cult, or know someone who has? If you have then you probably have insights into the hypnotic powers of cults and charismatic leaders like Osama Bin Laden. How can one possibly comprehend why a human being would be willing to deliberately kill himself and innocent people for a cause based on hearsay and a dubious logic promoted by a self-appointed guru whose only credibility lies in his unique powers of persuasion? These are some of the themes explored in Warren Adler's new novel, Cult. http://www.warrenadler.com/forum/cult.shtml
http://www.warrenadler.com/forum/cult.shtml
|
