All major religions are
based on books which were compiled from bits and pieces of ancient stories collected
over as much as two-thousand years. Some bits and pieces originated from oral
traditions while others were written by unknown authors who had no firsthand
knowledge or eyewitness experience of events they wrote about, and whose
writings were credited to familiar names for purposes of credibility.
Not all bits and pieces were
retained and used to compile the canonized publications in use today, there
were as many bits and pieces of stories discarded as were eventually used.
Someone, or someones, made decisions by a majority of votes to determine which
information was to be retained and used in the compilation of a final canonized
book, and which were to be omitted. The official process of material selection
began with the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, and lasted until the Council of
Trent in 1545 AD, before a common consensus was committed to the final selection of material. Today most Protestant denominations accept a New Testament of 27
books, while the texts of some Orthodox denominations use as many as 35 books.
This begs the questions,
“Who were the editors of these canonized books, and how did this compilation
take place?” Yet, even with the dubious origins of questionable myths and
legends by unknown authors, kingdoms have been created and destroyed, people
abused, tortured and killed, wars fought, all based on books that possess
questionable claims of authority, and prohibit their examination for truth.
Before the advent of
moveable type and the printing press, access to religious material by the common
people was essentially prohibited. Only priests, clergy and religious leaders
were permitted to read and interpret canonical writings. In 1439, when the
first printing press was developed in Western Europe , Johannes
Gutenberg was summarily criticized by the Church of Rome for making Bibles affordable
and available to the proletariat. Centuries after Bibles have become economically
accessible parishioners continue to be discouraged from reading and interpreting
its contents for themselves.
It seems almost unbelievable
that so many generations of people have had their lives controlled by such a questionable
and unverified collection of ancient stories. In today’s world, claims made by
products of any kind must be backed up by a common standard of verification
before being allowed on the market for general public use or acceptance, or
face legal consequences. Yet, when it
comes to religion, ancient myths and legends are continually being adapted to
contemporary conditions on a weekly basis from rostrums, and have been unquestionably
accepted without a shred of proof.
There are many reasons why
the source of religious dogmas have not been questioned or investigated.
Obviously, one claim is that the source of words contained in canonized books
came directly from a deity, which unfortunately cannot be verified or
questioned. If the conflicting, contradicting, confusing words included in canonized
books are from a deity, how is it possible that the creator who made an
infinite universe of billions and billions of galaxies of suns, stars, planets,
and life, was not able to communicate with mankind in such a way that there would
be no confusion of truth; a communication that would not have resulted in thousands of religious sects, cults and denominations
of conflicting dogmas; a message that would have been delivered to all 30 to 35
million people living all over the world at the time, and not to just a handful
of middle eastern, semiliterate, nomads living in a tiny corner of the planet?
Another reason dogmas have
not been questioned is we really don’t want to know the truth. Myths and
legends of all kinds, both biblical as well as secular, have been entwined into
our cultures in such a way that to question their reality is perceived to be a
threat to civilization and the fantasies we want to retain.
Two admiral qualities common
to all major religions are the tenets of social interaction and justice.
Although the details and practice of these two primary tenets may not be
identical in all religions, the threads of both are woven into the fabric of
their beliefs. However, these two traits were not inaugurated with the origins
of religions; they have existed for millions of years throughout the animal
kingdom before man existed. When man came into the scene through evolutionary
channels, these two traits became refined as cultures and civilizations
developed. Not only did man’s mental acuity continue to develop, but so did the
imaginative answers he devised to explain phenomena which confronted his
everyday world.
Since the beginnings of
mankind, we have searched for answers to questions. Questions have been the key
to learning, and questions seldom remain unanswered. Even in the void of
technology to provide accurate answers, superstitions demand the most available
answer, not necessarily the most reasonable or correct answer.
Before there were any
religious rituals to explain death, animal kingdoms, as well as early man were
acutely aware of the finality of death. Mankind, however, by the urging of unanswered
questions, superstitiously developed the concept of an afterlife. There is,
among all cultures of the world, a belief in a place where a person’s identity
continues to exist or live in a paradise beyond death’s door. Some cultures even
expect the bodies of the deceased to eventually rejoin their spirits in an afterlife
at a prescribed time when all the dead are raised. Religions evolved to enhance
and promote the rituals of the spirit’s passage into an afterlife. Myths and
legends were developed to support this belief and have been accepted as truth
without question.
Now, there is a third trait
which has been added to the fabric of mankind’s religious dogmas, the idea of
an afterlife. A mysterious spiritual existence where justice is meted out to
the departed based on their social interaction during their lifetime, gave
religions additional power and control and has become a unique selling point.
Without it, religion becomes just another social club. Some religions practice
a “get your loved one out of hell” opportunity to the surviving family and
friends of the departed by making sacrifices or the purchase of indulgences
which can be granted for the forgiveness of any and all transgressions committed
by the departed prior to their demise. The addition of this third trait to the
cultural fabric discourages most people from pursuing any questioning of
religious foundational dogmas, as they want it to be true. It is psychologically
comforting to imagine that we, or our departed loved ones, will experience carefree
happiness and rewards in an afterlife, while our enemies will be served endless
suffering. Myths and legends continue to be exploited as reinforcement of this afterlife
possibility.
Billions of dollars are
spent annually to maintain religious property and promote religious dogmas.
Additional billions are spent in “missionary” causes all over the world to “evangelize”
unsophisticated and unsuspecting people. Remote tribes that have survived
thousands of years with their own creation stories and gods are suddenly the
target for modern religions and a foreign morality. With this exposure to a new
world come risks for which they have no immunity. Do they hear the “good news” to
recognize the nature of their sins, or are they victims of questionable dogmas?
Almost every religious denomination or sect is in the market to capture a share
of unsuspecting souls with dogmas that are based on ancient and questionable
sources. Could this possibly be the intention of a universal creator?
Two thousand years ago, man
had no idea about the age or composition of the universe or the source of
energy generated by the sun. Early man had no idea that all living things,
flora and fauna, were composed of basically the same five types of particles
(atoms) with almost identical DNA. Early man had no idea that viruses or
bacteria existed and were responsible for illnesses and plagues, and had no
concept of the source for schizophrenic behavior. These maladies were thought
to be caused by demons or sins of the persons afflicted. Early man thought
natural disasters such as droughts, floods, earthquakes, etc., were caused by
the wrath of gods. Yet, with the advanced knowledge we have of our universe
today, we continue to rely on ancient superstitions as the foundational source
of material for religious beliefs and practices.
We will never know the amount
of deviation our superstitions have taken civilization to on this mythical
train ride. We haven’t found the answers because we have been afraid to ask the
questions, as if a search for truth would offend God. We continue to advance
dogmas based on superstitious beliefs, completely disregarding the truth that
we are a part of a creation immensely grander than any religion or
denomination. The creator did not initiate multiple religious dogmas; these rituals
and rules are manmade based on erroneous answers to ancient superstitions and
the migrating stories of supernatural myths and legends.
We are made of the same
noble material as the creator of the universe, whose image is life and whose
singular truth will endure forever; a truth that will continue to elude us
until we have the courage to question the reality and accuracy of books of
supernatural myths and legends upon which religious practices are based.
o
