Indoctrination and fear

I saw this as the topic for a feature in On Line Opinion and just had to comment.

Less than 50 years ago Christian religious observance was widespread and exposed us all to common ideas of what was right and wrong. It was reinforced by school curricula. With the decay of organised religion, and diversification of curricula, where do we as a community derive our views of right and wrong?

You must be joking.

Christianity has ideas of right and wrong?

Well perhaps, but it’s clearly diametrically opposed to what I, my family and my friends, consider right and wrong.

Religions, by definition, are immoral. Not amoral but immoral (adj. Violating moral principles, not conforming to the patterns of conduct usually accepted or established as consistent with personal or social ethics).

Both past and present conduct of religions and adherents, especially those in a position to display a moral example, have shown clearly that:

• intolerance of non-believers is guided towards either forcing their acceptance of whatever “god” is current ... or annihilation;
• that immoral behaviour, say pedophilia, conducted by adherents is OK because they're “of the chosen”;
• theft, rape, torture, destruction of culture, even genocide is OK when done for the “greater glory of god”.

We need go no further than the short history of Europeans in Australia to see direct evidence of this. To dispossess the people of their land, culture and life to “save their souls” is the height of ignorant, arrogant barbarism.

I'm still appalled and deeply ashamed of what was done by my forebears. And yet they were applauded by their “moral guides”.

Religions promote elitism, xenophobia, intolerance, ignorance and fascism (n. a governmental system with strong centralised power, permitting no opposition or criticism, controlling all affairs, etc.).

Religions encourage slavery, torture, murder, and unquestioning obedience to rulers, i.e. the church.

They usually rely on “writings from god” or “gods” as definitive proof and therefore licence to commit whatever evil they so desire. To my knowledge there is not a single shred of proof for any of these writings. Be it the Bible, Koran, Talmud, Sutras, or whatever texts.

The medieval “dark ages” were a direct result of religious, societal control.

Enlightened witch burning? Redemptious torture? “Indulgences” for the rich to commit any crime with prior forgiveness. Nowadays,you must ask forgiveness, after your “sin”, to receive absolution, then you may go “sin” again.

History clearly shows that any society that relies on religion for moral guidance hastily plummets into barbarism. Our own society displays this. Current fundamentalist governed countries are shining examples of the savagery of religious tolerance. The US has been taken over by this and is without doubt the greatest threat to world peace since Hitler (another “good Christian” by the way).

As to moral guidance, we obtain our morals from the society we live in. We learn them from our parents, siblings, friends and any others we interact with. This is a basic part of any culture. We are a group animal, and as such we must find ways to interact, not just peacefully, but co-operatively for the benefit of ourselves and our progeny. This is how we have evolved successfully to the current state of the world.

There has always been a few in love with the idea of power through whatever means, and they have been, without exception, the cause of enormous death, destruction and suffering. But most people are, by nature and nurture, easygoing, tolerant, kind, understanding and persistent. It is primarily the mercenary and insidious attack on their fears causing the weakness that allows these few “Hitlers” to flourish, albeit for a short time.

Religions have always played on the fear of the unknown. This works best on the ignorant, hence the religious idea that “too much learning is dangerous for your soul”. Yeah, right.

My hope rests on the persistence of people. Slowly but surely we're progressing to a time when it will be clear to most that religions, and the tyrants they beget, are unnecessary and not to be countenanced.

My despair is that it’s taking so long.

People who choose to believe in invisible friends take those learned moral standards with them. Their strength of character determines how long they can withstand the corrosive effect of the immorality they elect to swim in.

An enlightened society is only possible through example, emulation, education (and I'm not referring to schools), tolerance, individuality and the freedom to consider and discuss ideas that are new, different, revolutionary, unpopular and even immoral.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Ghandi.

My principle experience with religion is with Christianity, but I have a made a point in reading up on others and have discussed religious ideas with followers of Islam and Buddhism.

I thought, when I was young, that it must be my misunderstanding of religion that was the problem. Now many years later I see it was the very ideas that were involved as well as the hypocrisy that turned my stomach.

To be perfectly honest, religions disgust me and I'm constantly amazed on meeting otherwise intelligent people, especially university graduates, who have been taught critical thinking, who have this blind spot of idiocy.

I can only assume it’s because of childhood indoctrination and fear.