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God Hates Religion
God Hates Religion
Religion advocates the absolutism of a particular belief-system. We formulate our doctrine, our theology, and demand
that others affirm it absolutely as we do no variation; no freedom of thought or opinion; no doubt (for doubt would indicate
that one does not believe it absolutely.)
Such absolutism is the basis of "fundamentalism." Fundamentalism is a religious idolatry that tends to worship a
particular formulation of fixed fundamentals of faith. These fundamentals usually include both the detailed doctrines of a
belief-system, as well as the meticulously prescribed behavior patterns of an ethical-system.
Religion employs the absolutism of a particular and prescribed moral law, a closed-system of ethics. These behavioral
laws (judicial, theological or sociological) are comprised of dos and don'ts, "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots," rules and
regulations, and codes of conduct. They are legalistically applied with rigid inflexibility and with perfectionistic
expectations of absolute obedience.
Such absolutism in belief and behavior leads to the absolutism of exclusivism: "We are absolutely the only ones who
have found truth; Ours is absolutely the only way." Thus religion begins to employ the rejective "tests of fellowship" which
demand acceptance of their belief-system and conformity to their behavior patterns or else they will disallow you to be a
part of their socialistic group identity. They disallow individualism and freedom of thought. Identity is found in the whole.
Any deviations are met with condemnatory judgmentalism and guilt manipulation unto conformity. Severe forms of
corrective social "discipline" are employed to keep people "in line," subscribing to the absolutism. Threats of
excommunication from the authorities in charge are used to create absolute conformity and absolute obedience.
Authoritarianism
God, because He is absolute, is authoritative. But when any man, or group of men, claim to be the designated instruments
of God's authority and attempt to express such authoritatively, especially in an autocratic or totalitarian way, you then have
the authoritarianism of religion.
The bulk of mankind are followers, who will follow a leader like sheep. There always have been and always will be some
men, therefore, who set themselves up as leaders and authorities claiming to represent God and to speak authoritatively for
God. They often claim to have a special "in" with God, a "hot-line" with God, or they claim to have a special vision, a
special "calling," a special understanding, or a superior spirituality. Some people inevitably follow such people and regard
them as religious authorities gurus.
The well-known proverb states, "Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The selfish propensities
within men cause them to abuse power and use people to their own ends as they lead. Such results in authoritarianism. It
may be but a subtle emphasis on "pastoral authority" or the spiritual authority of an elder or a "shepherd," or it may be a
special esteem granted for those in exalted positions of so-called "clergy" or priests, ministers, preachers, presbyters, etc.
These are then developed into an hierarchical order of ecclesiastical positioning and politicizing.
These self-designated religious authorities often foster a dependency attitude of the people upon themselves. Directly or
indirectly they encourage loyalty and commitment to the organization they lead, or to themselves. As incentive for such they
often convey the idea that they hold the eternal fate or spiritual destiny of others in their hands, in their power.
The sense of personal equality before God is lost. People are expected to learn their "place" and told not to "get out of
order." "Do not ask questions; do as you are told." "We will do the thinking and the feeling for you." "We will do the Bible
study and the praying the relating to God." "We speak for God, and we will tell you what is true." What is this but mindcontrol propaganda, advocating blind, unquestioning submission and obedience. It is an undemocratic system of nonequality wherein the religious authorities have no accountability to the people they serve.
Such religious authoritarianism creates a "fantasy-bond" of the people toward their so-called "priests." There is a
projected idealization of the authorities as being especially close to God -- almost "gods" themselves. The religious
authorities then exploit the people, utilizing superstition and fear to control people's thinking and behavior by shame, guilt
and threatened loss of identity or eternal destiny.
Religious authorities must create a sense of direction and momentum for the people; a sense of doing something and
going somewhere. There must be a program of activity that will keep people "involved," feeling that they are meaningfully
expending their lives and energy for God's "cause." This is also fueled by the self-serving purpose of financing and
perpetuating the religious system.
Activism
God is an active God, and He wants to act in us by the expression of His character and ministry. But when any man, or
group of men, claim that they are the directors of God's activity and that they have discerned what God wants to do in you,
how God wants you to act, beware of religious activism.
Religion is perpetuated by the activism of the people. People want a sense of meaning, a sense of purpose, a sense of
belonging, a sense of identity, a reason to be. These are God-given desires. Religion offers a false-fulfillment of these
desires. Religion repeatedly encourages people to become more involved, more active. Involvement, commitment,
dedication, consecration -- these are the hallmarks and the "passwords" of religion. Religion fosters a fixation, a
compulsion, an obsession, an addiction to religious activities, explaining the absolute necessity to be thus engaged in the
activities in order to please God, and for the good of the whole -- never admitting that it is primarily for the good of the
religious authorities!
Activism seems to become an end in itself within religion: the activism of financial giving, the activism of keeping all the
rules, the activism of church attendance, the activism of participating in all the ordinances and rituals, the activism of
recruiting others to the "cause." Such activism is a not-so-subtle form of "works" salvation, which leads to physical fatigue
and exhaustion and other forms of addiction.
Religious activism sometimes takes the form of social protest. People are enjoined to stand up for God's absolutes in
political activism. Sometimes they go so far as to engage in criminal and terrorist activity even wars. In the midst of such
they usually develop a persecution-complex: "It is 'us', the good guys of God's army, against 'them', the army of humanism
or satan; and only by our ardent activism will God win!"
So often religion defines spirituality by the amount and intensity of one's activism. "If you are really going to be
'spiritual' and close to God, you must be doing what God wants you to do," i.e. our proscribed form of activism.
Much of religious activism is perpetuated by people simply as an escape from reality, an escapism from the day-to-day
functionality of life. It is much more difficult to stay right where you are and be the father or mother, husband or wife,
employer or employee that God intends you to be, than to carry a sign and chant choruses or to busy oneself in the program
of a religious organization.
Religion results in dysfunctional socialization. It will never produce the functional loving community of mankind that
God desires. Religion is unloving and self-serving. What religion offers is a pseudo-love, an addiction to the sense of
belonging, an addiction to the sense of being cared for and sought after, an addiction to the sense of meaningful existence
and purpose and identity.
This expose of religion is in no way designed or intended to impinge upon the reality of Christianity. Careful distinction
between religion and Christianity must be made. As stated in the beginning of this article, Christianity is the dynamic
spiritual life of the risen Lord Jesus indwelling the spirit of man so as to create functional behavior unto the glory of God.
Religion is the man-made aberration that attempts to impose absolutism, authoritarianism and activism upon other men.