Forget about your natural instincts and curiosities. You don’t need to work anything out in regards to your own spirituality, someone has already figured that out for you, but the choices are limited.
Each person is born unique and curious. Flowers, trees, rocks and streams are all natural wonders to be learned anew to each generation—just watch a toddler play in the dirt, interact with wildlife, pick flowers or gather pinecones. They are fascinated with the newness of life and the natural world, but the first thing everyone religiosos want to do is rush them into a belief system with christenings, baptisms, circumcisions, and blessings before they even know what the hell is going on. Heaven forbid if they would bring their own fresh perspective and possibly add their own inspiring vision of life. Only when they are older can they be loosened and encouraged to think outside the box—the box that has already been closed and tied with a neat bow—a box called conformity, unconsciously hamstringing potential for the rest of their life. The best of the best will continue to forgo their greatest chance for opportunity and learning, not of any choice of their own, but by cunning ignorance of parents and preachers.
In a world where the importance of bloody manners and cultural etiquette are the standard of moral behavior, they continue chipping away at potential breakthroughs because it may be different, or as if those things are morally important, trapping our children in their formative years into becoming believers. Not only in religion, but in society’s systemic conditioning that what lies on the surface is merely to camouflage the real you, and you must wear it at all times in the name of morality. This is the crime of religious influence.
Christian culture is a facade. On the surface is where we are pressed to live, openly displaying who we are not, our lives are spent hiding who we really want to be. Out of constant fear of judgement and prejudice we perjure ourselves and whither inside as the life in us passes by like a dream. Only after learning to conform are we allowed to further education, where the same schools of thought are taught all over the world. Religious diplomas to the ministry keep hammering away with slight variations of the same worn out inscrutability. And the university, the last, great bastion of free thought where 90% of the students and faculty all vote the same way, where in reality there is a third way—a better way. A new system yet to be discovered and embraced because of unwittingly conditioning our children to conform. Only then comes the tried and true standard of learning which continues to elude greatness at every turn. Religion is the pillar of tried and true failure. Our societies are laced tighter than a Victorian corset with religion. After thousands of years of failure I’d say it’s time to move on. But alas, we get plugged into a system the minute we are born and learn through predetermined fear how to live our lives like everyone else.
I always wonder how the Middle East, for example,would be, if the Jews and the Muslims acknowledged their Abrahamic religions were nothing but garbage.
”Morning , Yusef!”
”Morning, Rubin.!”
LikeLiked by 3 people
Great comment Ark! Simple, isn’t it? And don’t forget “morning, ladies!” Instead they oppress the ones they love and battle the ones they hate. 100% of that crap there is the fault of the forskinnish control freak of religion
LikeLike
Yes, of course. My sexist nature? No. In fact the image that first came to mind was of two combatants extending hands to shake over a divide.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same here. Your comment right on, and so true. Wouldn’t that be a world to live in?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The whole world would be so much better off. Religion is like a cancer. It’s been around for a very long time and can be very invasive and aggressive. It has ruined many lives, caused untold grief over loss of life and poor quality of life, has ruined families, caused severe treatment that has done far more harm than good and made a lot of people rich in some of the so-called treatments. A cure for religion would be an amazing wonderful thing for all the world’s peoples.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Good morning Mary. Without religious control guarding everything 24/7, our future would be the paradise they dream of. This too, is opposite of what religions teach, therefore I’m
must be right about this. Their time is expired. They failed. Our turn as regular people.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Talking about fascination, I’m always intrigued by nature. But most people lose their interest in simple things as they grow older.
Religion fails to teach people how to embrace and protect nature. We’re told to worship nature but it adds up to damage as we dump so many things into water and land in the name of rituals.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I see your point, but, I don’t think I’ve ever lost interest in those little things. I’ve been distracted by the miserable way of life religion dominated society has created. Think about it. When people get enough money, they go back to simple, find a quiet spot and grow vegetables and flowers. Nobody but the ignorant adherents to the prepackaged system like this busy, draining way of life. You yourself don’t even want to get started in it. Am I right?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely! I despise this ‘urbanisation’ and utter mess of a society we now live in. Given a chance, I’d do anything to settle down in the mountains with a few people to have deep conversations with. I love philosophy. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
But, your system there in India has you chained with specific obligations by your birth. Ridiculous
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s impossible to escape from, I’m afraid. You hate doing some things but you have to anyway because it makes the people you care about happy. Things aren’t gonna change anytime soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I for one admired the native american and polynesian people view of nature even while I was a christian ( minus their spirituality )
They idea that nature is sacred and should be protected resonated with me
They fact that many christians don’t care about climate change and the damage we do to this planet is saddening
They idea that we have total dominion over the planet and we can do anything we want to do with it, without caring about the damage we do to planet earth just because an ancient book says so is sickening
LikeLiked by 1 person
Christianity is a f**cked mess in more ways than one.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Blame it partly on industrialization. But new techniques have been developed over the years. Contaminated water can now be purified but we don’t care.
Not caring is what’s wrong with us.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Not sure “don’t care” is how I’d say it. Denial and confusion maybe better. Indeed it is many. But many also realize the problem. The bigger issue is that as far as the environment is concerned, we’re basically screwed. “Saddening” indeed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I for one would have preferred to grow up in a time and society were humans lived in communion with nature
LikeLiked by 2 people
Do you think the native Americans spanked their kids into submission? “Europeans were surprised at the perceived lack of corporal punishment in Cherokee culture, but they admired the attention and care given to young children. They nursed until age 3–5. Children were considered as gifts “. Of course there as are many techniques as tribes (566) but mostly what I’ve gathered is instead of punishment, uncivil behavior was settled with teaching moments, not threats and violence. That takes a Christian.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So do I.
A world minus all the deforestation and noise should look astonishing.
Imagine the breathtaking views of trees and mountains and life in the woods! It’s a dream of mine.
LikeLiked by 3 people
This is a good post Jim that raised very good questions. Well done. I’ve talked about this school before in some of my posts, founded by A. S. Neill:
I think A.S. Neill was onto something really big, really groundbreaking! I do not understand why it hasn’t caught-on around the world or in the U.S. a lot more than it has after almost 100 years!🤔 (that’s a bit of a rhetorical question btw)
http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/
LikeLiked by 2 people
You think he was on to something? Excellent comment and even a casual observation can illustrate that Niell was right on the money. IMO, the entirety of the Christian model is force, deception, division, and inward hate of what freewill we have.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Summerhill should be the standard for all children. I read the court summary when England Education filed suit and the school won is now the most protected school in the U.K. And the children have a voice. Children are routinely treated like property around the world, and the abuse of power over them is a travesty that should cause shame to most every parent on the planet, but as Neill said, discipline is a key word in raising a child. Discipline towards things of no moral consequence.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“…and inward hate of what freewill we have.”
And I’d politely add Jim, “…and inward hate of what freewill we have, achieve, and surpass that the Christian model could NEVER keep up with.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, why does it go on? Because of fear, of course. Fear that your children will see all the flaws in religion, and wind up thinking for themselves, etc.
But there is also a case that can be made for ownership. A parent “owns” his/her/their children, and have the right to teach those children anything they like: bigotry, hatred, superiority, chauvanism, religion, etc. Yes, there are some good parents, possibly more today than when I was a kid, but you can bet I was “owned” like a slave, and I got beat like a slave. How many times did I run away, only to have the police bring me back, even knowing I would be beat the minute they left me there. Ownership of children is a seldom referenced social problem.
I came up with a solution–group living, group schooling (see my blog post The Nuclear Family, Feb, 2017) but all that didn’t go over well. Everyone is so stuck on being able to raise THEIR CHILDREN THEIR WAY that they cannot see outside the box.
But I bet if children were asked, away from the glaring eyes of their parents, if they would rather live at home, or with other people who would treat them like adults instead of like children, over 50% would opt for the new system.
And I am not talking foster homes, or adoptions, I am talking group parents with people of different races, different cultures, different and non religionists, and fellow kids from different families, and group teachers who teach no dogma.
Maybe it is time to write another essay on this idea…
LikeLiked by 4 people
This would be great but the religious would unfortunately not like it
LikeLiked by 1 person
It isn’t their place to like it or hate it. bringing kids up with decent role models would build a better society. Kids are the future. They deserve the chance to be the best they can be, to steal a phrase from some American patriot, lol.
How are trhings going, Jonathan?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Write away! This whole thing is the outcome of the religious systems. Children are merely pawns to abuse, or avitars to control and manipulate, coerce and abuse if needed to comply to a broken dogma
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rawgod, you’re comment is spot on. It wasn’t until I was well into college and even married that I realized how weird my life was when compared to a lot of other males who’d grown up in the 1960s. I never got spanked that I can recall. If I did something wrong my parents talked about it with me, told me why it was wrong, how what I had done could hurt me or someone else. There were no traditional male or female roles. I grew up on a farm and whoever had time to do the work, did the work, no matter what it was. I grew up knowing how to cook, do laundry, etc. as well as work on equipment, work with the animals, plant corn, etc. Later on I was the one who stayed home and “kept house” and took care of the kids until they were in middle school, mainly for financial reasons because my wife made twice what I did, but it worked out very well. They weren’t spanked or physically threatened either. When they did something wrong, we talked to them about it and explained what was wrong with what they’d done.
Basically both I and my kids were raised exactly the *wrong* way according to traditional fundamentalist Christian values, and none of us should have turned out to be decent people according to their beliefs. So why is it that the kids who were raised by the “spare the rod” folks seem to be the ones having all of the problems in life that I and my kids who were raised the “wrong” way have avoided?
LikeLiked by 3 people
“Spanking does not convey positive guidance on how to behave in a particular situation, only how not to behave if a threat of punishment is at hand. Children learn positive behaviors from practicing actions that work, ones that lead to a sense of belonging and competence” https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/moral-landscapes/201309/research-spanking-it-s-bad-all-kids%3Famp Great article for who has a moment. Spanking has lasting negative effects. And I know this was directed at RG, but it appears Christian discipline is at odds with reality too.
LikeLiked by 3 people
To quote Homer Simpson, “Duh!”
I want to say I sure wish I had parents like yours, but as much as I do wish I had that life, the life I had brought me to where I am today. There were 10 kids in my family, three are dead already, two should have been dead, 4 are lost in what is left of their lives, and then there is me–the second youngest until my little brother died in his 20s. We wewre one very dysfunctional family. I was only 8 when my mother escaped her life via cancer. I escaped my father on my 16th birthday. My sisters were all sexually abused before they could leaqve home, and all made very bad choices for husbands. Two are now single, the third and oildest of the three is battered worse than my father was, but is still “in love” with the monster who beats her bvut she refuses to listen to reason. She is one of the two Christians left of the 7 of us still alive.
When Canada passed a law stating it was illegal to strike a child, no matter what, I rejoiced. I know there are families where this still happens, but at least there is a possible recourse for those getting abused. I had no such opportunity short of killing the bastard, anmd I constantly dreamed I would do that when I got old enough. The prick died before I could do that.
I have no children. That was a semi-conscious decision because I did not want to treat anyone the way I was treated, and abused children oiften grow up to be abusers themselves. I can understand why, but I cannot condone that. Easier to not have kids, than to find out was I strong enough to forego my early learning.
It actually does my heart good to know for sure there are good parents in the world, probably more than I think, but I don’t ever want to know for sure.
Good for you.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I and my immediate younger brother are the oldest among my siblings, we received the most spanking, not really because we were the most the defiant
Rather because my parents were told the whole ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ tale. Though the stop taking it seriously quite early in my childhood because of an incident that occurred
Basically what happened was I can’t exactly remember if it was me or my brother who did something wrong and we were flogged/spanked as usual but my mom asked us if we knew why we were punished and I answered no. My parent realize that we were punished but we didn’t know that what we did was wrong. Not letting us realize that we had erred meant that we would still do what we did again
We started receiving fewer strokes and more discussion on why our actions were wrong
Until the flogging and spanking were almost none existent
My youngest siblings ended up virtually getting no serious flogging/spanking
It’s because all the flogging, spanking and striking the child does not communicate the message, parents think they are passing. Because many times, the children don’t realize that the actions they did is wrong and why it is wrong
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Manners and etiquette” … aaaaah, but whose, and why?
My advice to the young— “Throw out God, and His Holy Bookery … just treat others in the first instance as you would have them treat you. But if you have to, treat ’em back as they do treat you … they’ll soon get the message”*.
Who needs the fear of Gods (and/or divine retribution) to simply be nice, and just?
*And now on behalf of those no longer—for obvious reasons—able to speak or act for themselves; can we not burn a few thousand Christian clergy at the stake, or stone to death a few thousands of other Abrahamics?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was thinking poison, but then I remembered poison can hurt a Christian, so I don’t know now
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think ‘free thinking’ is considered a poison by the religiosi (for obvious reasons). Indeed, let’s get out there and spread the poison … give ’em a taste, it doesn’t need be compulsory (are you listening, Priests?).
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think your right in the sense religion is suppressive. It can squash curiosity and questioning; things inherently critical for human spirit to flourish.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I was spanked some but not hard as a child only by my Mother and rarely she used little switches on my legs. This was in the early 50s. It was the way it was done then and my folks were not religious, it was just the culture.
I must say I never felt unloved or that I was abused. But now as an older adult looking back, I don’t feel my mind was formed enough yet to connect this spanking with what I had done wrong. I do know that I could be a smart ass and a bit rebellious. 😊
I do feel now it would have had more impact for her to have a talk with me and to the point of making me feel bad for what I had done, which I believe would have had a more profound impression and lesson learned than a mere spanking. I believe she would have been different in today’s world as well.
And I do wish my Dad had been involved, but he left it all to her. He was somewhat an emotionally absent father.
Probably because it was infrequent and not severe, I have no ill effects nor any resentment. My Mother became my best friend and I always had her love and support. I miss her to this day.
LikeLiked by 3 people
You could be a rebellious smart ass? You? That’s what I’d have guessed 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had several spankings as a child (also by my mother) and regrettably, I performed a fair share on my kids as well. I’m not proud of the latter, but we tend to repeat many things we learn/experience. Would I do things differently if I were given the opportunity for a “do-over”? Absolutely!
In my particular case, none of this was related to religion. As Mary said, it had a lot to do with the culture.
LikeLiked by 3 people
And the majority of parenting culture….religion
LikeLiked by 3 people