The key obstacle of contemporary society to Christian identity is that the former is itself the result of a historico-cultural cycle profoundly informed by Christian religion. New society is, in many respects, an advanced, complex one, possessing a vast range of useful anthropological observations and abilities, of remarkable adaptability and flexibility to learn, understand and integrate. In certain instances, though, as a ‘country without faith,’ a society willfully separated from the religion that brought it existence in the first place, and therefore, eventually, a frail civilization, comes to light at the present moment.
Tradition is what binds many of us individuals- religious or not. Humanity celebrates the predictability of traditions and values handed down from generation to generation. There are, however, times when these man-made observances can potentially hinder our ability to walk in line with God. This is particularly the case for Christianity, for we so often associate God with our own beliefs. “The Bible Was Not Written in English”, an easy to understand bible guide by David Murdoch, details the deception and false assumptions that arose from humanity’s mistranslation of scripture and attachment of our own beliefs and traditions to otherwise sacred, original text. In fact, it is far greater than our month or calendar of holidays. If we’re not vigilant, it’s easy to skip a revolutionary thing that God is doing for the sake of maintaining rituals keep us satisfied.
Here are few discrepancies and misleading beliefs that stem from a spiritual blindness caused by religious tradition:
- Some religious beliefs are rooted in Iron Age tradition
The Iron Age was a period of widespread superstition, bigotry, injustice, prejudice, misogyny, and abuse. Slavery had the approval of God. Women and babies became basically men’s belongings. Warlords also involved in scorched earth tactics. Desperate men slaughtered cattle, farm goods, and enemy troops as burned sacrifices meant to please violent gods.
Sacred books, like the Bible, the Torah and the Koran, both retain and defend remnants of the Iron Age religion, placing the name of the deity and blessing to some of the worst human urges. Any individual who tries to justify his own temper, sense of dominance, belligerence, bigotry, or environmental catastrophe can find justification in writings that pretend to be God’s author.
Currently, humanity’s spiritual identity is growing, rooted in an even greater and wider interpretation of the Golden Rule. Yet other traditional Christians are reluctant to move on. They ‘re rooted to the Iron Age. This forces them against reform in a never-ending fight that wastes public resources and hinders the imaginative challenge of overcoming it.
- Sometimes, religion encourages helplessness
Women are seen as more respectable in the more religious denominations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam if they let God handle their family planning. Food shortages, economic hardship and disease are attributed to God’s will rather than poor choices or ineffective systems; believers are waiting for God to solve their problems for them.
This unhealthy and self-demeaning mentality affects culture as well as individuals. Before the main religions of today come into being, average citizens had no ability to reform societal institutions, either through technical advancement or by activism. Living healthy and doing well is mainly family affairs. If this mentality continues, faith encourages religious morality without social accountability. Structural issues should not be overlooked as long as the individual is compassionate to his friends and relatives and charitable to the local culture of believers.
- At times, religion monetizes and exploits the charitable and good intentions of the faithful
Tactless monetary pleas during periods of distress are luckily not the standard, but religion regularly redirects charity in order to sustain faith itself. Charitable people are indoctrinated and motivated to give until their last penny to promote the Church itself rather than general welfare. Every year, thousands of missionaries are involved in the challenging task of raising souls rather than protecting lives or preserving our global life support network. Their jobs, tax-free, is going up with financial and human resources.
While leveraging constructive moral energies like compassion or empathy, religion also redirects emotional outrage and anger, applying these feelings to abstract biblical laws rather than to problems of actual damage. Orthodox Jews are spending money on women’s wigs and luxurious items. Evangelical parents, compelled to pick between justice and compassion, drive gay teenagers out onto the pavement, while bishops and c atholic priests are enforce laws on the operating rooms.
- On multiple occasions throughout history, the Catholic church has tampered with original scripture to fit their own agendas
Speaking to an audience of Jewish representatives in the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Francis announced that he had ordered the Vatican Secret Archives to declassify the collection of ancient scrolls which had been kept secret from public view for decades by the Roman Catholic Church. The Scriptures, which were sealed in stone and destroyed in 463AD, are believed to represent the real name of God as revealed to Moses in the Book of Exodus. Pope Hilarius released a rule banning the use of the name of “YAHWEH” from official Church literature.
This was done partly because of the need for “greater transparency” within the Catholic Church. “It is a shame to claim one thing and do another,” Pope Francis said, noting that the Church is “living a double existence” while holding the name of Christ hidden.
A source inside the Vatican Secret Archives told reporters that the Church only became aware of relics in the fifth century. “The Romans uncovered them during the siege of Jerusalem and the subsequent degradation of the temple in 70AD. Four decades elapsed until Rome turned over possession of the Scrolls to the Church in 463AD, “the source clarified. “Upon examination, Pope Hilarius released a decree prohibiting some use of the name of YAHWEH in official Church literature.”
Some historians believe that the name Jesus is not just a transliteration. It is a distortion of the transliteration of the Hebrew term that stripped the omnipotent & powerful name of Yahweh from its traditional meaning.
In fact, on many occasions throughout history, the church has suppresses facts, cherry-picked sources, fabricated records, employed ambiguous authorities, ignored injunctions, manipulated language and translations, and has invented, amended, and discarded various parts of original scripture- further distorting the truth hidden in the sacred text, and further complicating the word of God for many modern-day believers.
Allowing religion to have infinite immunity from criticism is both unjustified and destructive. Unless we are able to reveal theological irrationality as it happens, we could potentially incite irrational public policy and foster bigotry in the schooling of our youth.
Trina’s Travel 