Sociopath Community

Much of this, and more has, has led me to believe that religion may have been started by early rulers as a way to enforce fear, loyalty, and obedience upon their subjects. It is possible that this knowledge may have slipped away from us over the many years, and now here we are left to sort out the pieces of a puzzle we may never solve.

Yeah I tend to agree. All dogmatic religions operate from controlling by fear and with the lure of heaven if we behave.

Example I have read that  the concept of reincarnation is not accepted by most churches( even tho it is alluded to in the bible)  because it means if we think we get to come back, we won't tow the line in this life.

As you say we have been left with a puzzle....Who can ever know the truth . 

But churches and bible don't offer it...I feel sure of that and am glad I have not wasted time with either.

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I'll just go with two of the major ancient religions, since I'm most familiar with them, but I find it interesting that they both seem to have an escape clause as to why you don't have divine favor.

In Judaism, it's a crime to look at someone lustfully. Not to have an affair, not to have extramarital sex, not to rape someone, just to feel sexual desire for another person who is not your spouse. If you do that, you've broken the law. So you can understand why God is punishing you.

In Hinduism, you don't even have to commit a crime in this lifetime - you're being punished for what you did in your previous lifetime. You deserve whatever your situation is, because in your past life you did something that warrants it. Good luck trying to defend yourself from that.

Comparing Judaism to Christianity, and Hinduism to Buddhism, you can see a shift in perception from adherence to divine law to attempt to achieve salvation. Christianity started out as a subversive movement (I take "Give unto Caesar..." not to mean submission to Caesar, but rather, give it to Caesar so he leaves us alone, in the Kingdom of God you don't need that coin anyway), and Buddhist thought undermines the Hindu caste system by claiming that action and thought, not birth, is what makes one noble.

Christianity obviously got co-opted by Rome and turned into a state religion, but it's interesting to think about Jesus the subversive zealot who was crucified for disrupting the state, rather than Jesus the Divine Holy Son of God to Pray to For Miracles.

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by Synthetic

In Judaism, it's a crime to look at someone lustfully. Not to have an affair, not to have extramarital sex, not to rape someone, just to feel sexual desire for another person who is not your spouse. If you do that, you've broken the law. So you can understand why God is punishing you.

It's the same in Christianity, but Christ wants you to gauge your eyes out if you lust with them, and cut off your hands if you sin with them. It's one of the commandments.

You're also not allowed to keep grudges.
You're supposed to perform magic.(Healing with divine power et cetera)

You're not allowed to save money, any money, at all.

You're not allowed to defend yourself against attacks from other men either.
And you must wash the feet of the people around you.

Those are in the commandments.

Ah, yes. But the Bible has been modified,  changed and bended through time to allow kings and rulers a little bit of leeway.  The Bible was bended to justify the crusades. As well as economic greed with the passage "reap as you sew". It's all a matter of interpretation.  However, I didn't read of any harsh punishments that God would bestow upon sinners, it mostly speaks of God watching sinners bringing their own downfall with self destructive behaviors without his aid. A little more passive than cutting off limbs, besides one of the key beliefs in Christianity is that you can be forgiven and accepted of all wrong doings at any time by simply asking of forgiveness. 

"You're not allowed to defend yourself against attacks from other men either."

I thought the "David & Goliath" story was a fine example of righteous self defense.  

In short, I wouldn't make such assumptions about a religion if I wasn't well informed with its ways.

Those weren't assumptions. I just read the commandments, those are the words of Jesus, and stand above all else in the New Testament.

by Obsidian

It's the same in Christianity, but Christ wants you to gauge your eyes out if you lust with them, and cut off your hands if you sin with them. It's one of the commandments.

You're also not allowed to keep grudges.
You're supposed to perform magic.(Healing with divine power et cetera)

You're not allowed to save money, any money, at all.

You're not allowed to defend yourself against attacks from other men either.
And you must wash the feet of the people around you.

Those are in the commandments.

 I'm not sure I get your references about the above. Can you explain how you reached those conclusions? Sometimes I can't tell whether or not you're just having a goof. I assume you are.

@Tryp - It's "You shalt not murder", NOT "You shalt not kill"

Exodus 20:1-17

2 “I am

the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.


3 “You shall have no other gods before me.


4–6 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to
them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who
hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and
keep my commandments.


7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.


8–11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you
shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do
any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your
female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
For in six days the LORD
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the
seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.


12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
long in the land that the LORD
your God is giving you.


13 “You shall not murder.


14 “You shall not commit adultery.


15 “You shall not steal.


16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.


17a “You shall not covet your neighbor's house;


17b “you shall not covet your neighbor's wife,


17c “or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or
his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

So...some little wooden headed alien (QL) pointed out that it's 'you shalt not murder', not 'commit' murder. She's detail obsessed. I find it's easiest just to smile and play along.