Are you Brainwashed by your Religion????

So then it seems we are agreed learning and reading the Bible is extremely important for self development - good all the best urban

Every experience in life brings learning. We must see things for what they are rather than what we want them to be. Many people in the world have good self development and have never read the bible. God's system works regardless of any of mankind's books. Still, I am not against anyone reading anything.

Yes and peer pressure pushes people to be the same. They don't realize that diversity brings out a larger view, more ideas, more possibilities, and a better life for all. The true picture of this world will not be seen until all are freely able to express that which is special about themselves and will do so.

Be who you must! It's a part of the plan! Listen to the advice of others but walk your own path. I have been down a path few have gone. Many are not ready. For those who are, I point. The choices freely belong to each of us the path we take. I will love you all unconditionally regardless of any of your choices. I will place the truth out there not to convince anyone of anything. Truth will always be around to be discovered for those hungry enough to search. So stand on your own two feet. Discover rather than expect it all to be served up on a plate. Hmmmm???? Where does one look to discover God??? Going to take some thinking and work. Like so much in life, it'a all a test of intelligence. Are you up for it??

Fight it all you want smilingjack. Discovery is going to take work. I do not want to control any part of your journey. One must start and also have the hunger to know. I don't believe you have either. All I hear from you is What if? What if?? Go discover the truth for yourself. I place truth out there. I have supplied a good starting point. The rest is up to those who hunger for the truth. Could I be wrong??? Am I assuming??? All I can say is: Ways far beyond those of any person. Intelligence at such a scale that we are mere ants. So what Am I doing about all this???? I widen my view. I stretch my thinking. I am learning. This will take much time and effort on my part. My journey continues.

Why doesn't God give you all the knowledge possible???? It's because you would have knowledge but no wisdom. Wisdom is attained through the struggle to acquire knowledge. Wisdom comes in the journey. Serving it up on a plate creates followers. I want thinkers and explorers. I want you to acquire wisdom. I have learned in the past that when I give someone all the answers, they come back confused by their experience. They lack the wisdom to really Understand. Each must take their own journey to discovery. Each step opens new doors to discover more. My road was much harder. No one was pointing for me. I had to find the starting point for myself. Of course, I hunger for the knowledge more than most as well. I have placed truth out there. If people do not understand, they must work at it. God works on multiple levels with multiple views. All the imformation arrives, however one must sometime work on what was actually said. Depth is the word. People tend to carry a very narrow view and see only what's on the surface. We are going to have to correct that. It does take work. Little ole me arrogant??? Would you call me arrogant if I said the world was not flat but round???? Of course not because you already have that knowledge. I make no demands on anyone's actions. I will show my view and make people think, if that is possible.

I think it is too easy for adults to push a child in a certain direction and not let the child chose what is best for them.

Yes, I guess many do not even realize what they are even doing. Many are acting just like their parents acted. It will follow generations until one day someone THINKS FIRST!

Perhaps too many parents have told their children what to think instead of how to think and choose. Still we must help those brainwashed best we can. Point them in the right direction.

Yes,you are right that there were a lot of Germans not brainwashed by Hitler. Life was really hard for them at that time, but they did their best. You are right that religious stories were made for the kids. I guess many people would rather not grow up. They might consider you a betrayer yet they do not realize that is where they should be. Thinking takes work. Discovery takes work. For some, it's so much easier to point fingers and accept that which is handed to them on a plate. Tell me. Is their path really the way to wisdom????? You don't even have to think to answer that one. When one blindly accepts, there is no thinking at all. That is always a dangerous thing. OK Vandy, Don't ever let me catch you brainwashed. I'll be like a bad cold. You wouldn't get rid of me til you started thinking again. Of course, I'm not worried about you. Keep pointing your religious friends in the right direction regardless of how mean they get. You never know when one of them might start to think.

Yes, God does exist. I find it funny when people make it more about religion than God. God has given us all total freedom to choose. Funny how people choose the physical things when we are all spiritual beings in our true natures. Yes, there is a lot to learn and people are at different levels. I guess that makes it easier for us to teach each other. As for justice, everyone will understand their choices and actions when they return placing everyone on the receiving end. One can never complain getting what one is giving or can they?? That is learning at it's best. We should hold no hate in our hearts for those who have wronged us, however it is our duty to point them in the right direction. I think it is a crime not to let them know that something is wrong. All in all, keep that Unconditional Love in your heart and for others. Life will be much better and you will change those around you for the better. Isn't it wonderful. You don't need any holy book to do that. Pretty simple.

Yeah those are stories for kids. Kids cannot understand all types of emotions like betrayal, love, hatred etc. Their vocabulary is also limited. They wouldnt even understand why people fight. To make them understand such things, our elders must've created stories and made them realize what is right, what is wrong. But in the process, they didn't cover up the loopholes in the stories. Kids were not expected to be smart enough to find those loopholes. But hey, as adults we can, and we have a right to. In our religion the main substance is in Gita. Now, if you read Gita without other stories around it, you'd feel as you are reading a law text book without cases in it - bare act as we call it. The feelings and emotions that are discussed in this are something that people are made to experience and understand before reaching that content of the epic. Ironically, people get stuck to the stories and dont reach to this main part. Even if they do they memorize it like some kindergarten school kid. Partly our busy lives have to be blamed. We have to fend for ourselves. We have our chores and we have our future to plan for. Nobody is doing it for us. We also have more entertainment tools than ever before, and thanks to some not so spiritualistic priests - a lot of irrelevant and outdated customs and rituals - which incidentally cost in terms of time as well as money. So life is too busy for us to reflect upon our religion, and those who have time for it at their old age feel indignant about it because they've spent their whole life considering themselves to be holy and religious by chanting those verses. Their so called faith is further hardened by politicians and unscrupulous priests for vested interests. Some people do not experience many of the emotions that are available in the stories surrounding the main scriptures. Others are not able to extrapolate things to their real life, but then we all differ in intellectual levels, isn't it? All I can say is god is there. And he will do justice. It may take time. And while it feels as if justice delayed is justice denied, he and only he can make everything right within a fraction of seconds, and remove the feeling of hurt, pain, sorrow, whatever, and make us feel happier. So trusting him is the best policy. Anyway, what have I to lose if I believe in god?

I agree mankind is doing the brainwashing. You claim the bible to be the only true source from God yet it too was written by mankind. Perhaps, it's time to stop following mankind and search for God on our own. Does anyone really need a middleman????

No. It was not written by men. It was transcribed by men. God does not need for us to search for Him. Since the beginning of time, man has been searching for a god and has found many. There is either a god or there is not. But with all the gods out there, I can't see why a true god would want us to "search" for him. Because many will not find him but will find false ones instead. As I see it, there are good people in every religion. But there is only one God of one religion. And many of these good people are missing out on this true god. I just happen to think it's the one I worship.

I think I'll add that although men wrote what God wanted thousands of years ago, don't forget that it was men who taught these converts. There was no Bible back then. When the Catholic Church took over Christianity, the masses were in the hands of the clergy. Thanks to Gutenberg, some of the masses were able to see what the Bible collection contained and yet the Catholic Church still dictated things. So when Galileo got hold of a Bible and decided that Copernicus was right and that the earth did revolve around the sun, the Catholic Church almost burned him at the stake. The men of the Catholic Church decided that their decree was more important than what the Bible said. No, the Bible is not the word of man.

66 and yet with a young mind.

Sounds like you have experienced much yet you choose your own path. This will lead you quicker to God and the real truth than following blindly. Some thing for you to consider: If all the physics of this world add up completely, so does the people factor. With many more variables, the people factor will be much more complicated. God has placed truth all around us. All the secrets of the universe stare us in the face. How long did mankind watch birds fly before they figured out how??? We must always remember that there is always more to learn. Look around you and discover for yourself. It's waiting for you.

I have chosen my own path and it is working for me. Everything in moderation. I take life gently and simply and try to enjoy it. I am always learning and looking to learn. I am open to new ideas while holding on to cherished and old ones. It is important to be open to new ideas when you get to my age of 66.

Yes, life is the education of God's children. Who we become is all that matters. In time we will all learn to love unconditionally. People that value and memorize holy books above all else, can't see the forest for the trees. They cloud their vision with what they want to see rather than what actually is. It's all so simple and stares us all in the face yet so hard for many to see. OK, sid556, always good to hear from you!!

Yes, people should never assume that the path to God must go through religion. Perhaps, people should also teach their children to choose rather than just telling their children what to do.

I haven't read that book. I'll have to look into it. We are all Spiritual Beings in our true natures. I think you are right that it is important to know yourself. It is also important to be true to yourself. Beyond that is a limitless supply of knowledge. There is always more to learn about God and Life. That is why I think it is so funny when one runs across someone who has memorized their holy book then claims to know it all. What is the first thing a wise man realizes once he becomes wise??? The first thing a wise man realizes once he becomes wise is that there is so much more to learn. I cry that!

What better way to keep followers than to brainwash them?? That's not saying every church is doing this ,but it is out there. One must also realize that all holy books are written by mankind. They all claim to be the word of God when in fact they are the words of mankind. God is so much more than you can find in any book. We should discover on our own rather than depend all our information on others. WE must all look at stories in holy books for what they are-stories. Satan only exists for those who need someone to blame for their bad choices. Even with bad choices comes learning and growth. Let's all choose to take responsibility for our actions, learning when the consequences return to teach us. God will love all His children Unconditionally regardless.

That's right.I think that religion does not mean to brainwash people.It's a sacred thing from God.Everyone has it's own faith in God,no matter what's his/her religion is.I think there's nothing wrong with memorizing verses from the holy books.Problems evolves when leaders of the church are brainwashing people for their own benefits.It's really good to know the teaching on your religion base on the holy books,and not just based on the teachings of the leaders of the church.

Yes, people do tend to group and follow. I've noticed this even driving on the interstate. Even so, it is a Choice people make. People should stand on their own two feet. With the diversity of this world, more ideas will be generated when each of us expresses that which is special about us rather that quietly following the crowd. It would be a path to a much brighter future.

Yes. People should always be open to the possibilities. At the point when one thinks they know all the answers, they just stop looking. There is always more to learn and discover. Those poor souls who follow blindly aren't even on the road. They are in a box. WE must interact when we discover those people. Shine some light in those eyes.

What should we do about that?? bluegemini???

Clearly, I don't have to worry about you standing on your own two feet. Good for you. You make God proud. Don't forget interacting with others teaches all. Interacting with religious people can cause a bit of Drama at times, but never allow that to prevent you from saying what needs to be said. Point them in the right direction. Just like all the physics of this world adds up, everything about God will add up completely. Point out when beliefs do not add up for those beliefs will never be true in the end.

Thank you. I'm glad someone agrees with my way of thought. It is hard nowadays to say what you believe in in a society dictated by the old ways. But I have hope for the younger generation. Information has made them educated in a way that they can learn for themselves "how to think" and not "what to think".

Yes, I'm afraid GREED is a powerful force in this world. There will be hard lessons for those who value it over people. It's the lesson they desire to learn by their own free choice.

Very Good for you!!!! Your Thinking will bring you the truth. So many religions, people and countries want to control others. They don't realize that when there is total freedom, more ideas from the diversity of people will make life better for everybody.

Yes, I think this type of brainwashing does happen all over the world not just with religion. People need to question and think more, rather than merely accept what they hear.

Mankind's greatest problem is that everybody wants to rule the world. They don't realize that the diversity of people creates many more views bringing more ideas and creativity. We must never allow others to box up potential through control. You are right. The picture is always better when there is freedom for all.

Yes, God is much more than you can find in any book. Understanding takes much more than memorizing. That's in all fields of knowledge.

If you love the North, why should you let a little drama chase you away, besides these people probably need to hear what you have to say.