What religious authorities SAY & PRACTICE are TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT things. Religious authorities state things to the masses to keep them powerless while they know that such teachings make no sense, even believing that these teachings are inane. For example, they teach the "nobility" of poverty & the "evils" of wealth while most religious authorities are wealthy. Religious authorities are WELL AWARE that their teachings are WRONG but inculcate the masses in such to keep them docile, unquestioning, & thus powerless. Religious authorities want to RETAIN & REMAIN in power & will guile the masses by any means necessary although they know that they are inculcating negative falsehoods.
Yes, I hear your frustration and negativity and I agree with you mostly, but with a couple of abservations.
First, although there seem to be many perpetrators amongst the hierarchy, I believe there are also very many genuine, sincere, honest people in the priesthoods or pastorships who cannot speak up for fear of being kicked out or silenced. (Not implying by this that I agree with them.)
Secondly, those within the hierarchy would get nowhere without a base congregation of followers who blindly believe in and live by a bunch of fairy tales. The need to "believe" is inherent in the psyché of many humans, a fertile garden soil where it's a simple thing to plant a few seeds of suggestion and doubt, then watch them grow. Suddenly you have a rich harvest of obedient clones that are incapable or unwilling to question their beliefs; especially if you have fed them with guilt and fear instead of healthy organic brain food.
I'm the last person who might argue that organized religion was not full of hypocrisy. But, I also would not argue against the fact that it is hypocritical to point the finger at organized religion when any governing body which is big enough and has been around long enough is exactly the same. Because, isn't that all organized religion started out as? A governing body?
I'd have to hear the specific allegations within any particular religion to agree with this, plus I'd have to have some evidence of the number of people who buy into the specific allegations to believe that 'the masses' accepted any of these in such a way as to be controlled. I am, honestly, not aware of but one religion which wields such power as to control a majority of people within one nation state which keeps that population in ignorance and controls masses across multiple borders which has proven detrimental to the worldwide community; during my lifetime. I think, if it is only one, that particular religion should be singled out for conversation. Not lump all religion in one category. If we are doing that then we must look at all forms of government and make the accusation across the board.
As to the allegation of preaching poverty while raking in wealth I don't think that is a fair assessment since all of any particular religion does not practice this. Individuals within different sects and followers of some charismatic leaders do support this but it is not a worldwide phenomena within any single religion. That allegation, again, could be more reasonably leveled against many governments outside of religion.
Inane teachings are also not limited to religion or religious people. The modern human has bought into many, many beliefs which are neither rational or beneficial; which have absolutely nothing to do with religion as it is normally defined.
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