religion (well religion as we know it) is merely a point of view. it is no different then laws of a country. they are merely the majority's points of view.

i think it was ben kenobi in The Empire Strikes Back that said something to the effect of (to luke skywalker on degobah, once he finds out vader is his father) "you will find that many truths that we cling to are based on your point of view."

you will find no more highly debated subject than religion. keep in mind that before all of the laws of civilizations there was religion. religion was the law of the land. now, for the most part it is merely a way to control the masses. i mean the catholic church still tries to denounce evolution for christ's sake.

not only that, but why don't women hold very high positions of authority in the catholic church? because the church fears women. this dates back to pagan times when men worshipped women, because women have the ability to give birth or to make life. people worshipped nature and the heavens and starts.

christianity didn't start catching on 'til Constantines time (4th century i think). Constantine was a pagan, but a smart leader, he knew that christianity was starting to spread like wild fire so he used it to his advantage.

during one point in time, the catholic inquisition killed over 5 million women in a 300 year period, claiming them to be witches and heretics.

why does the catholic church have almos 40 miles of shelves in a vault under the vatican that contain texts that can denounce them? why is there a gospel of judas that has been proven authentic? why do they denounce the dead sea scrolls that are written in aramaic (the language jesus probably spoke) which basically say that god is all around and that you don't have to go to church to get you some god. why must you pay 10 percent of your earnings as tides? why is the catholic chuch the largest single land holder in the world?

i'm not just picking on catholics. this is just stuff off of the top of my head.

same thing with islam. the word jihad means holy war, yes. but it means the war that one fights everyday to be a good muslim. not to kill inidels (someone without faith). last time i checked christianity is a faith, a faith that shares the same god and prophets (minus mohammed) as islam does. it was some humans input that tainted the meaning for personal gain.

that's the problem with religion today. it's not for the people. it's a business. and as long as humans can taint it it will never be pure.......nothing will.

one of my favorite quotes of all time is:

"until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter" (african proverb).

or basically, history is written by the winner. the loser is absolved into the winners society/culture etc. the winner ususally let's the loser keep a few traditions and whatnot to keep a sense of continuity, comfort or security. those traditions are eventually accepted throughout even the winners. it's the nature of the beast.

look at christmas for example, jesus wasn't born dec. 25. the bible tells us this. he was born in march (i think). why do we celebrate his birth on dec 25? because it's easier. because the two major religions before christianity have gods whose birthday was dec 25.

if you ask someone what god looks like what is probably the most common response you will get? an old man with flowing white/grey hair and beard. hmmmmm, this looks very similar to zeus.

so basically, all of these means are merely a method to keep us in check, fighting amongst each other, so the power and wealth can remain in the hands of a few.

it's always ones job to sort through all they shit they are told and find the TRUTH for THEMSELVES. never belive all that you hear or read for that matter.

sorry for rambling, i'm just passionate about stuff, ya know. anyway, keep the thoughts coming and i'll do the same. this is how we learn truths. question, question, question!


-shake