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Topic: Dale Pond
Collected Articles Section: Belief Creates Life or Death Table of Contents to this Topic |
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I've often wondered deeply why some get so involved with so-called Christian religious beliefs they are often called "Bible Thumpers". This is a friendly term which from the point of view of other religions or belief systems would be "fanatic". Why are these ones so incredibly fanatical in their adherence to their beliefs? This fanaticism does not stop at those who claim the Holy Bible is the one and only Word of God and is the sole source of Deific inspiration, knowledge and awareness; as also dictating acceptable social behavior (morals). Other belief systems that inspire such single-minded adherence are the Muslim and Jewish belief systems. Both have spawned believers that feel their "holy book" is Divinely inspired which excludes (sometimes violently) any other text, interpretation or belief system. Such belief systems create isolation, separatism, enmity, war, hate, violence, calumnies, false flag operations - in short every negative emotion and act of humanity. In fact, it is demonstrable that friction between belief systems has been at the root of nearly every war ever fought, and every death and negative consequence of same. Perhaps then it behooves us to understand this rigid non-thinking mind-set of the fanatical religious mind. Some standard and often encountered characteristics of this mind-set are: 1) Adherents feel its interpretation is "right" and all other interpretations are "wrong" or "evil" and therefore must be eliminated by any and all means possible. 2) Believes its "holy texts/books" are Divinely inspired and all others are from the Devil. 3) Believe in "evil" and "good" and the conflict between them. 4) Exclusionary in that it holds to its particular dogma and doctrine-set while excluding all other dogmas and doctrines. 5) Believe there is some kind of "salvation" from some kind or degree of "condemnation". Which is to say there is dogma (a belief) that essentially attacks its own adherents as "sinners", "unworthy", "condemned by self-acts (karma/guilt)", "condemned by God", etc. All of this boils down to simple psychology of the ego wherein the intellect is at war with itself and the world. Two basic states of mind, fear and guilt, are the paramount culprits in these religious belief systems and especially within the minds of the fanatical adherents to same. The key that triggers these two negative and destructive emotions is that of self-judgement wherein one condemns self for having done, thought, felt or witnessed some thing or event. For instance the western version of Christianity (often called churchianity) has a built in trip-hammer that evokes the self-judgement one-way ticket to hell. These trip-hammers are the "thou shalt not.." admonishments scattered throughout their holy texts. Violate one of these tenets even by accident and be condemned to eternal damnation without reprieve for good behavior. To make matters worse it is a one-shot deal. Your are born, expected to perform perfectly without instruction, then you die. Make a single error, according to their sacred texts, and be condemned to eternal hell. Which would imply there is life after death but that continuing life does not admit to reincarnation or multiple lifetimes - to get it right - a much more plausible scheme if there be intelligence "out there" managing everything and life. The basic element is the triggering of self-condemnation. From there the mind wallows in guilt, inhibition, apprehension, anxiety, fear and lose of self-validation. These negative emotions are compounded by various dogmas unceasing hammering of the message - you are guilty and will burn in eternal flames forever unless you repent (and give money, obedience, loyalty, etc.). So the poor lost soul is cast upon a vast sea of hopelessness and despair. The old Hegelian ploy has been well mastered by the religious belief system purveyors. They help create in the mind of the lost soul an intolerable and unanswerable situation. Then the proclaimed 'leader', preacher, scholar, mullah, rabbi, priest, master or other despot steps forward with the answer to the issue they themselves helped create and perpetuate: "Salvation! Get Saved!" It is interesting the Christian belief system provides and way out of the self-created nightmares of fear and guilt. it is not known whether Islam has a similar path to clarity and love. Judaism is unfortunate in that one of their basic tenets (beliefs) is that they were condemned by God himself for all eternity or until a certain set of outer circumstances occurs. So these believers see themselves as "victims" of a vengeful God and circumstances - even though those living today had nothing whatsoever to do with those who lived thousands of years ago subjects of the so-called Divine Condemnation. And herein lies at least a portion of the answer we've been seeking to why these people become fanatics when there is really no valid reason to be so. Because of fear they will not be absolved of their self-created and self-imposed guilt and consequent fear of eternal condemnation. Because of an all consuming fear they will grab and hang onto those life buoy dogmas and doctrines promising relief as though they were drowning in an endless sea of terror and despair. This of course is a created belief. It MUST be so because it is the only way they see of salvation from their self-created nightmare of guilt and fear. This belief system HAS TO BE THE TRUTH or else all is lost forever. So therefore they will promote this belief system to all around them and set out to destroy any other belief system because another belief system having validity will (to their stressed minds) invalidate their own belief system thus resurrecting the terror in their fear-filled minds. These ones HAVE to be right. To them all others HAVE to be wrong. |
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