Magic tricks, hypnoses, disease, plague and misunderstood natural phenomenon are the basis of all religion. From the time man lived in caves, Shaman and Witchdoctors manipulated their people to have them believe in miracles. A God would have more power over man. This was the perfect way to control them. Mind control is more effective than physical control. Man couldn't make a flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or spread plague, it had to be God. So the legends begin.
The promise is always there like a carrot on a stick. If you prosper it is God, not the hard labor of your back and the swet of your braw. Now you should give a greater share of the bounty of your hard labor to the Shaman, where he can carrry on God's work and insure that your prosperity will continue. But if you should fail? God has his reasons, just look what happaned to poor Job. Now you should give more of your meager earnings to insure your failure won't continue. The Shaman is getting his from both ends. But he's God's chosen one, of course God wouldn't allow him to fail.
As time past man became more civilized and the Shaman more sophisticated, calling themselves Priest, Profits and Pastors. But their mission remained the same, control of the masses. And man kept following that carrot, keeping safely between those blinders created by the Shaman. As succesion of Shamen followed succesion, the origin of their legend was lost. But it remained a powerful message. Now the Shaman begin to believe his own propaganda, which made him even more convincing.
There have been thousands of religions throughout mans time on earth. Many religions are dead. What happens to the Gods when religions die? They become comic book super heroes. But many religions live. There are hundreds maybe even thousands of religions on earth today. Christianity of course being the most powerful with two thirds of the earth's population possesed by it. I'm sure I will never see the day when we have a comic book hero who only has to utter the magical phrase, "Christ all mighty!" and instantly becomes Super Jesus flying through the air wielding his cross like a mighty sword. But I can imagine future generations who might.
All religions die eventually, some just last longer than others. We have viable religions today much older than Christianity, and some much younger. But I imagine Christianity will outlast them all unless some upstart religion, comes up with something more appealing than immortality. Man can't bare the fact that he's going to die and it all ends there. But it doesen't reall end there. Our living cell are linked to all life on Earth through eveloution. So until all life on earth is gone you will never be completely dead.
Religion has either controlled government or been controlled by government from the beginning. The Witchdoctors of Africa, the Roman Catholic Pope and leaders of the Protestant faith all find religion a very effective means of controlling the masses. That was its origional purpose and the purpose hasn't changed since man came down out of the trees. People might defy human authority but it takes a brave soul to defy a God.
If you are an American you can be thankful for the U.S. Constitution which neither denies you the right to follow that stale carrot, or insist on which false God you must follow as many countrys do. The Constitution even allows us to turn aside take off those blinders and live free.The carrot has grown stale. Life is too short to waste chasing shadows. Love of humanity is a much more rewarding pursuit than chasing a false God. Yet so many waste their soul for fear of losing it. Such a pity when the greatness of man is so much more.
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