The Heavy Hand of Religion

One of the biggest reasons for disharmony on the planet is religion. Never a day goes by without some strife between different religious communities. Religion is supposed to be the pathway to God, but would it still be a religion if it leads to violence and wars?

The religions are at loggerheads with each other to establish their supremacy. As a result, millions of dollars and millions of person-hours are spent converting as many people as possible to accept a certain religion.

The connection to God is a personal affair. Therefore, there is no place for a third entity to be between you and your God. The way religion is sold makes you believe the impossibility of finding God without an organization or a faith leader showing you the way. Unfortunately, these organizations and faith leaders are not accessible for free. It is no wonder that organized religions are more for-profit business enterprises than anything else.

Why do religious organizations succeed in commandeering subservience? A simple answer is that most people seek God only when they need help! Nevertheless, the few genuine seekers of God also need their questions answered. So there is a real need for real guidance in searching for God. But, unfortunately, religious organizations sense this vulnerability of the people and do not hesitate to exploit it.

Unfortunately, the religious texts compiled by the initial followers of the founders are esoteric and cryptic. The religious leaders usurp the liberty to twist the meanings of those texts according to their whims and motives. They also instill fear of displeasing God if what they say is questioned. Seeking clarification of doubts about their teachings is sometimes considered blasphemy punishable by death.

The sad state of affairs belongs to religions with one person as their founder. Those founders themselves had experienced God, and therefore they wanted others to have the same experience. Their teachings, over time, have unfortunately got severely twisted and misused.