Organized religions are some of the biggest scams known to man. And before you start flipping your lid about how I'm trashing religion, you should take note that I'm not talking about personal religion at all. I could care less what you do in the confines of your friends and family, or in your own home. If you keep your religion simple and personal, good for you -- I don't care.
I specifically say "organized" for a reason: because I'm referring to the bulltshit that's involved in mass religion -- shit like mega-churches, religious products, televangelists, and the massive profit margin that has turned organized religion to shit. Sadly, some of the biggest offenders are the Christ-based factions.
PROPHET = PROFIT
My hatred of organized religion has absolutely nothing to do with the tales of prophecy, the rapture, spirits, holy symbols, or a belief in gods, but it does have a lot to do with this kind of shit:
WOW!!
You're totally gonna burn an eternity in Hell for $118.95.
Look, I'm no religious scholar, but I'm pretty sure that Christ preached the idea of being humble and simple, and being satisfied with living a life without want for material goods and sin... not being blatant, self-centered, obnoxious, and covered in bling.
The overselling of organized religion doesn't just extend to retailers. It goes even deeper than selling bibles and crucifixes at retail and worse than a local preacher passing around a collection plate expecting donations. The greed machine goes for the jugular with these fucking religious TV shows who beg for your money --sorry, DONATIONS-- and try to sell you shit that you don't need: like books, DVDs, and music so you can feel good about your relationship with God because you don't fucking practice your religion worth a shit.
The worst offender of promoting "lazy" religion being, of course...
CBN (The Christian Broadcast Network).
While writing this article, I decided to take a browse to CBN.com to see if maybe they had changed their message since the last time I saw The 700 Club begging for cash on TV years ago...
I got my answer loud and clear:
Then I headed over to the "Shop CBN" page
(I love the little crucifix icon, and the "Give it up to God" shirt, lol):
Now, I've never read the bible, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that there wasn't anything in there about making sure you've got a good marketing and advertising firm...but it does look like The 700 Club has the priorities in life straight:
...and don't forget good old Benny Hinn, the hypnotist, and his "Automatic Giving Plan" where you can set up your credit card to send automatic "donations" for the rest of your life without any effort, and you get FREE JERUSALEM CANDLESTICKS!!!!!!:
Far be it from me to tell people what they should and shouldn't do (Hell, I know I don't want some jagoff trying to tell me what I can and can't do with my life), but if you ask me, I say that if you honestly believe in your religion, then you don't need anything more than a simple, humble place to pray to your god(s) and the peace of mind to appreciate your gods for what they provide for you.
You don't need some fucker sitting on his gold-covered throne (or popemobile) with his fancy clothes and shiny emblems to tell you whether or not you're pleasing your god every week.
Fuck you!
Don't let these motherfuckers tell you that you need to buy anything or send them money. If you find yourself needing a solid gold Christ Ring, then you might need to re-evaluate your stance on your religion's values.
Do yourself a favor: Believe in whatever you want to believe. I don't care if you believe that space aliens who fly in DC-10s dropped your soul into a volcano then blew it up...Just don't pay any money for your religion. Why not? Because if someone tries to equate religious beliefs with a monetary value...
IT'S A SCAM!!
Unfortunately, it's not just the money and greed that make organized religion a problem. As history has shown, the bigger the religious group, the easier it is for them to justify atrocities in the name of their gods. Organized religion has been responsible for some of the worst things known to humanity...and the saddest of all is that there are far too many sheep who are willing to be herded to buying into the bullshit called organized religion.
If you want to believe in a religion, just KEEP IT SIMPLE and do it for yourself. Don't let yourself become a part of a group, because we all know that always turns out well:
