By John the Atheist ~
We've all heard the old mantra "Religion brings comfort to many people". In response, I say this:
"Those who find comfort in religion are usually those who have been THREATENED by religion."
Let me explain using this analogy:
If I break into your house with a gun and demand all of your money and threaten to kill you and your family, most likely, you are instantly terrified and you will gladly oblige to my demands as long as I don't harm anyone.
If I then say to you, "I won't hurt you if you give me what I want," you feel a hell of a lot better.
If I very "generously" state afterwards, "Hey, you know what, I don't really need quite this much, how about you just give me the TV and 100 bucks, you can keep your purse, your wallet, credit cards and everything else and I won't harm you or your family," you would most likely be thanking me profusely.
If I then assert, "Look, I'll tell you what, keep all of your stuff, and if you just admit that it was all your fault for leaving the back door unlocked, (you could have locked it, after all, but YOU "chose" not to) then I promise I won't harm you or steal from you in the future, BUT REMEMBER THIS... I KNOW where you live, I KNOW where you work, I KNOW where your children go to school, but I really, really, really like you and want you to make the right decision, but the choice, of course, is yours..." Well, then, I would venture to guess that you would be ECSTATIC, you would be humble towards ME, incredibly grateful, and basking in MY glory!
The above representation is one that could have occurred on a scale that is perhaps only minutes long. if this were to ever happen to you, in a relatively short period of time, the thought of how great, admirable, and charitable I was to give you back all of your things and not harm you or your family... this feeling would subside. Your rationality, common sense, and intrinsic value of justice would kick in and I would soon have a team of cops on my trail with a helicopter circling overhead with a spotlight directing the path for the hounds! But you must admit, for a while there, at least for a few minutes, you would feel so damn thankful and beholden unto ME!
Do you see? If I had never THREATENED you in the FIRST PLACE, you would feel no reason to be thanking me NOW. And Christians actually think this is a GOOD thing when it comes to the god of their "buy bull!" This is the sick, twisted mind set of the average Christian, whether they know it or not.
Most religions take advantage of the young and vulnerable, and the wounds run deep. Let's just use MOST Christian religions as one example: Not only are you (usually) threatened with having everything taken away from you if you "choose" not to believe . . . but you are blackmailed, bullied, and browbeat over the period of years with the sick and evil threat of ETERNAL DAMNATION! In the extremely lucky event you can ever escape that type of mind torture which was molded into your brain while it was in it's clay-like state, it would still probably take years for you to realize why you should actually condemn the very institution and dogma that kept your brain in shackles for such a long period of time. Even on the way out of your brainwashed status, you would more than likely feel a certain "love" or "respect" for the very ideology that poisoned your mind in the first place. This phenomenon can be explained, at least in part, as the psychological paradox known as "Stockholm Syndrome." I contend this psychosis is routinely found in victims of religion, just as it is found in many victims of kidnap, torture, and slavery: three words, in my opinion, which should be included within the very definition of the word "religion."
"Those who find comfort in religion are usually those who have been THREATENED by religion."
Let me explain using this analogy:
If I break into your house with a gun and demand all of your money and threaten to kill you and your family, most likely, you are instantly terrified and you will gladly oblige to my demands as long as I don't harm anyone.
If I then say to you, "I won't hurt you if you give me what I want," you feel a hell of a lot better.
If I very "generously" state afterwards, "Hey, you know what, I don't really need quite this much, how about you just give me the TV and 100 bucks, you can keep your purse, your wallet, credit cards and everything else and I won't harm you or your family," you would most likely be thanking me profusely.
If I then assert, "Look, I'll tell you what, keep all of your stuff, and if you just admit that it was all your fault for leaving the back door unlocked, (you could have locked it, after all, but YOU "chose" not to) then I promise I won't harm you or steal from you in the future, BUT REMEMBER THIS... I KNOW where you live, I KNOW where you work, I KNOW where your children go to school, but I really, really, really like you and want you to make the right decision, but the choice, of course, is yours..." Well, then, I would venture to guess that you would be ECSTATIC, you would be humble towards ME, incredibly grateful, and basking in MY glory!
The above representation is one that could have occurred on a scale that is perhaps only minutes long. if this were to ever happen to you, in a relatively short period of time, the thought of how great, admirable, and charitable I was to give you back all of your things and not harm you or your family... this feeling would subside. Your rationality, common sense, and intrinsic value of justice would kick in and I would soon have a team of cops on my trail with a helicopter circling overhead with a spotlight directing the path for the hounds! But you must admit, for a while there, at least for a few minutes, you would feel so damn thankful and beholden unto ME!
Do you see? If I had never THREATENED you in the FIRST PLACE, you would feel no reason to be thanking me NOW. And Christians actually think this is a GOOD thing when it comes to the god of their "buy bull!" This is the sick, twisted mind set of the average Christian, whether they know it or not.
Most religions take advantage of the young and vulnerable, and the wounds run deep. Let's just use MOST Christian religions as one example: Not only are you (usually) threatened with having everything taken away from you if you "choose" not to believe . . . but you are blackmailed, bullied, and browbeat over the period of years with the sick and evil threat of ETERNAL DAMNATION! In the extremely lucky event you can ever escape that type of mind torture which was molded into your brain while it was in it's clay-like state, it would still probably take years for you to realize why you should actually condemn the very institution and dogma that kept your brain in shackles for such a long period of time. Even on the way out of your brainwashed status, you would more than likely feel a certain "love" or "respect" for the very ideology that poisoned your mind in the first place. This phenomenon can be explained, at least in part, as the psychological paradox known as "Stockholm Syndrome." I contend this psychosis is routinely found in victims of religion, just as it is found in many victims of kidnap, torture, and slavery: three words, in my opinion, which should be included within the very definition of the word "religion."
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