How far does religion go?
Before I start, you need to watch a movie. This movie is available on DailyMotion and is separated into 5 parts. Here are the links to the parts:
That film is a real eye opener, and that is what I am going to talk about today. I am going to talk about the extent to which religion will go just to make sure that that particular religion has power in the community, in the government, in the world and, most disturbingly, in the children.
There are people in this world who call themselves “Evangelicals” and this film explains what evangelicalism is all about. Let me explain: It is a Christian denomination who believes in conservatism, creationism and brainwashing. Yes, you read correctly: brainwashing. It is one thing to believe that evolution does not exist, that science (and I quote) “proves nothing” and believing that we do not need to worry about the state of the earth because 1) Global Warming does not exist and 2) God is coming soon, anyway, so what is the point in being concerned…BUT it is a completely different thing if you start brainwashing children to believe the same thing and to alter their spiritual and political beliefs.
Far from what religion is supposed to be, it has evolved into a monster. Where is the original thought that religion should be separate from the state because, after all, we live in a free country. The point of democracy is completely thrown out the window when organized religion starts taking over.
In America, 20% of the entire population calls themselves “Evangelicals.” That means, that because they will all vote for a certain political party, that political party is guaranteed to be in power. That is what organized religion is, and that the evil of it all. George W. Bush has nothing to fear, as long as he continues the “conservative” route he is currently taking. But wait, if that is not enough to disturb you, then read on.
Brainwashing. That is what the film is about. As a child, you are required, by law, to have fun. To live a child’s life. These children are 10 years old and they should not live the life that they are forced to live. In the film, they attend a camp that is lead by a woman whom I will call Crazy Lady. Crazy Lady is probably the roundest person I have seen in a while, physically. I usually have no problem with that, but when she starts speaking about “fat, lazy Christians should get up and preach the word of God” and “fasting” I cannot help but stifle a laugh. The irony is overwhelming.
So, she continues to preach to these children, and all of a sudden, she just says, completely randomly, that Harry Potter is evil. Not only that, but “if Harry Potter lived in the Old Testament, he would have been killed mercilessly.” That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about the bible. But wait, there’s more! The whole Harry Potter display was apparently a direct message from the holy spirit.
But the comedy act just keeps getting better and better. I cannot help but laugh when she and her brainwashing group starts praying over the chairs “and to let the blood of Jesus Christ wash over them.” Nice. But the funniest thing, by far, is when she says: “Devil, I know what you want. In the name of God, you will not ruin the minds of these children. And God, please bless the microphones, the audio equipment and the Powerpoint Presentation.” And then, she starts speaking in tongues and she looks like she’s is having a seizure. The irony, of course, lies in the fact that not only is she the one ruining the minds of the children, but she is doing the Devil’s work for him. Why? Because the one sure way of turning the world against you and your message, is to promote brainwashing children.
So, I am speaking of brainwashing, but I have not yet said what the children are being brainwashed for. The answer is shockingly simple. The children are firstly thought to honour their parents and to accept EVERYTHING their parents say without question as the ultimate truth. Nothing wrong with that, is there? Only, the parents are teaching the children that dinosaurs did not exist and are faked in order to prove that God does not exist, they teach their children that science is a load of dung and “does not prove anything” and evolution is just another scheme to prove that God does not exist to try and counter the 7-day creation theory in Genesis. So, their parents are guilty of feeding the children false information in regards to what is proven by man and science and what is said in the Bible. Some people just don’t understand metaphors. So, what harm does that have on the children, you may ask? Simple: If they are in school, they will counter anything that a teacher says about those subjects, and other subjects. By doing that, they will grow up to be illiterate about the world around them in regards to science. Not to mention the low marks they will get by refusing to write exams on those subjects because it counters their belief.
Of course, the suffering of the children does not end there. Have you ever heard of a child that has political beliefs? These children do. They are thought by the Crazy Lady to vote for a political party. George Bush’s conservative Republican party, to be precise. In a few words, she tells the children to vote for him because of so-and-so reasons, but in the same breath she says that if they vote for another party, they will, in effect, live an afterlife of eternal damnation and servitude in the deepest depths of Hell. Scary? Not quite.
Children are thought to pray in tongues. Normal thing for them to do, I suppose. But the poor children start crying from apparent intensity. They are as red as tomatoes and crying freely. Just when start thinking “oh, the poor kids,” I see them going to prostitutes and telling them that “God talked to them” and he wanted the “prostitutes to know that they are going to hell. Have a nice day.” And a little 10-year-old girl wanted to have them repent their ways. Now, if some random girl came up to me and started saying that I am going to Hell, then I would have to question the sanity of girl. But it gets better. She actually goes over to a few people sitting on a park bench, and she asks them “If you were to die right now, would you be going to Heaven?” The guy, being a little shocked, says “yes” and she looks skeptical. She walks off, and a says to her friend, “They are probably Muslim.” The people on the bench hearing this, of course, looks like someone slapped them with a wet fish across the face.
So, what do you make of all this? I believe that there are limits to how far you push children to do your bidding. I firmly believe that if you are going to use children to do your work, then at least let them do it knowing both sides of the argument. I don’t just mean religion, but about the world in general. Children cannot be expected to be saints, and since that is what Evangelicals believe, you can only imagine the hell these kids go through just to please their pastors and parents.
Before I end this article, I thought I should leave you with a little story. The Evangelical kids are lying in their camp bunks and telling ghost stories to each other. All of a sudden an adult comes in and tells them that they are going to Hell for telling things that do not honour God. In a similar incident, an adult takes the child by the head and shakes him violently, speaking in tongues, telling the Devil to leave the child alone and to stop filling his head with evil ghost stories. The adult thought the child was possessed by Satan himself because he was telling a ghost story.
Think about that.
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