RELIGION AS A PICTURE FRAME

Who says that religion is stupid? More than three and a half percent of the world's population claims to be religious.

Like politics, economics or even science religion is a frame that holds a picture of the divine. And regardless how ugly, unclear or even false that picture may be, the frame itself can be quite beautiful.

In this world of ours some frames are more valuable than the picture itself they try to portray. These elaborately ornamented picture frames attract many people who are searching for the meaning of life and they need help, but too often the picture only hinders and obscures the bright and clear light of truth.

Economics is something to study and then prove it’s most efficient function. There are endless studies made in politics, ‘what happened, those sure strategies stopped working?’ New studies are now in place. The world is changing. The new-generation machines outrun those old conservative electoral machines. Just as it is with factories, machines age and in time become ineffective, so they must be replaced with new ones, smarter, faster and more efficient.

The same mechanism, which Obama used in 2008; he also used again in 2012. Is it a secret? The recent Obama’s win proves that the super PAC isn’t ‘we the people,’ but a pack of supers vs. the people. Donations from the super rich don’t win elections. People are better educated and can’t longer be swayed by gimmicks, negative messaging or emotions.

Republicans still chew their defeat having a hard time introducing it to the throat, which seems to not like it; therefore it can’t swallow; let alone digest it. So, either the defeat must be spitted out with no lessons-in-modesty learned; or be pushed through the throat, digested and properly eliminated fertilizing another, perhaps a newer, idea. And that brings us to the point of upgrades and renewals.

Which party is progressive, and which one comes to the point of becoming obsolete? Yes, there is the other cliff. It is funny. I, being completely neutral, (not independent, for in order to be independent one had to be dependent at least once, but I have always depended on the Almighty God) I stay away from politics. Once you join one party and then switch you get a record of being unstable and unreliable. If you don’t want that label then you stay loyal, regardless if you like it or not—for after all, both loyalty and that list of principles, which you have publicly affirmed, upheld and believed in—is what keeps you in. I just observe those little human “beliefs” habitats and laugh.

Why do I laugh? There is so much effort and money spent on the entire process and despite all human efforts it still does not turn out the way it’s been expected and even assuredly projected.

Even the wickedness of the wicked must become full at which point decent people will replace it with righteousness. A subjective belief or rather a view what is right and what is wrong can be, and is all too often exploited to the max. Many politicians stand on a moral platform only to fall off that platform themselves.

Decent people want to elect decent politicians, and the line between humanism and religion is drawn. Humanists want religion and religion does not necessarily want humanism, but welcomes them in anyway, until there comes a day when some greatly respected bishop openly declares that he is homosexual; and the entire denomination is forced to compromise. And that brings us to the point of upgrades and renewals.

I see what the Almighty has appointed. One can kick and spit against it even in a self-righteous fit, but what’s been appointed above must materialize below. It is sad and pathetic when one looks at it all from above and sees how those blind-guides-of-the-blind below keep on pretending, playing solemn religious games with those who have already lost the gift of faith in God, but yet strengthened their faith in religion itself through repetition.

Humanism is a fast growing religion. Self-definitions and the sentiment that comes from any involvement in charitable programs pacify the self-right. Humanism helps people to maintain a better self-esteem, self-worth and therefore it makes them feel better. But if they stop, the old self returns and the humanistic cycle of good works must be repeated. Humane behavior – combating human cruelty against animals – also helps in hushing down inner restlessness. Man desperately wants to be rid of guilt and the inner turmoil. It’s no laughing matter, it’s sad. And that again brings us to the point of upgrades and renewals.

In Science the greater knowledge of human DNA threw away many previous assumptions and theories. But the recent ‘big bang’ tore the evolutionary theory into pieces. The recent discovery of ARDI, a bipedal upright walking primate, was the new big bang. The missing link has gone back into hiding. The party for kissing the human-chimpanzee link is not yet scheduled because it’s indeed hard to part with something that has been maintained as being true for so long? And that again brings us to the point of upgrades and renewals.

There is a theory that proved to be right, as it is the case in economics, but the self-destructive human behavior can’t uphold the maxim so there are those other mechanisms in place, which fight inflation and recession. The lowering of interest rates alone does not help economy grow. Working on people’s generosity, versus greed, and rousing their charitable giving, helps the efforts in stifling selfishness and greed, at least temporarily. And this in turn does promote growth. More than anything else, spending money, shopping for new stuff and then giving it away is a noteworthy cycle. Holidays come and holidays go. Bells are ringing, angels are singing and people are giving.

Most of the Christmas songs we hear today hardly contain the name “Jesus” or even “Bethlehem,” but only the ‘little merry white Christmas, reindeers and jingle bells, sleds and of-course … Santa Claus.’ Ashamed? – Well, those religious sounding words in songs don’t sell well?

Economics is a simple matter, so is science, but the hardest nut to crack is religion.

Everything in life renews itself. If man abuses the environment then the environment will turn on man for it needs to cleanse itself from the man-made pollutants. There is progress in medicine, genetics, technology, space research, but there is no progress in religion, but why? The answer is this: religion was born in intimidation and not in truthful information. Truth needs no intimidation, fear of the unknown and the inevitable… - so we have been repeatedly told. So, like a smart businessman-opportunist a solution was invented. A repeated religious observance gives hope and calms nerves regarding death and the unknown. Church belonging, and only that church, safeguards against heresy and the possibility of losing salvation… Organized religion became an institution through which man obtains blissful afterlife. “What church do you belong to? Who is your pastor? Under what spiritual covering are you? You must be submitted to an authority. What are your beliefs? What do you confess? Do you have the correct liturgy, assurance of salvation? Have you been baptized, and if so what church, by whom at what age? Do you read the Bible? Do you pray? Do you have the daily quiet time with the Lord?”

An institution belonging has been forced upon us as if that’s the proper way for a civilized human being. The Nazi machine of Fascist Germany was also civilized, and well organized, and the murders were performed the “humane” way for after all someone must be superior and dictate to others what is right and wrong; as if humans do not have their own moral compass and need to be herded like cattle into the slaughter house.

Religion has decided that all must die, but must do the dying in style. The last rights, prayer, reading of scripture and preferably the deceased should be buried in the adjacent to the church graveyard. Then the dead is called a saint and the living a sinner.

Religion does not look forward for it has settled that there is nothing else to look forward to. It constantly borrows from the past and keeps looking back, knowing well about those scripture verses about the new wine and the need for new wineskins etc. They also heard about Jesus who said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). But, the one who aspires to know the truth and to know God is called a heretic and the one who has left religion is a lost sinner. But only those that had finished their earthly trek and held on to the very end, staying true to their church, are now buried and these are called saints. Yet, the biblical law defines anything living as being clean and anything dead as being unclean. Go figure.

[Matthew 8:22] “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

I may come across as being irreverent and insolent and one might shut down on me, and that’s okay too for to some it is given, while to others it is not given and the test is this: when you arise in your pride and you take offense then the target was hit. But if you are an honest seeker of the truth you will humble the pride of life and the target will be missed, for only the proud lifts his or her head high, but the humble ducks.

[John 6:55] “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”

We do not know any other disciples accept the seventy Jesus sent out and who returned with great news (Luke 10). From this we deduce as to who those other disciples might have been.

[John 6:66] As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

No matter how we look at things there is always the test of pride.

To change, upgrade and renew takes the humbling of the stagnant human pride in every area of our life. Things could have been so much easier and any progress much faster, had it not been for this old stubborn pride.

There is a cure for every disease, but we don’t want it; we want money, even at the cost of dying people. There are solutions to green gasses emotions, but we want money. Like a heavy smoker with acute emphysema that puffs his last cigarette for the pleasure of nicotine and then expires. No more cigarettes and no need for money to buy them.

Why humans became fools? Why wisdom offends and goads us to anger?

Why the love of sports throws away the love for the truth? Why man must compete and not coexist in peace and learn from each other?

Why in business one must have and use the killer instinct? Why must greed even exist and what’s with the drive to gratify self and ego?

Why one must win in politics by trashing an opponent? Can wisdom and sense win on its own merit?

Why must there be two gods, good and evil and two realms, heaven and hell? Is this God’s truth or perhaps man’s truth? Man, in his blindness and in pursuit of selfish gratifications has learned to exploit the weak and simple. In time this exploitation has been backed up by the subjective interpretations of the Bible, which in turn have been labeled as holy, which in turn hardens the heart and blinds the eye. This exploitation of the simple makes one blind; hence, a fall into ditch is inevitable.

Inadvertently, religion produces pride and in the name of that pride humanity had to go through numerous wars over a belief and its interpretation and much unnecessary suffering.

'Freedom of religion and a free exercise thereof' is one thing, but when that freedom infringes on people's lives then that part of our constitution must be amended with, 'provided that it does not endanger human life in any way.'

Cults like Jim Jones' Guyana, Heaven's Gate or David Koresh have always propagated death with the help of poisons or guns as an escape from this terrible world, which was inside their heads, hence bottled up war.