Hijacking God.

[Jayhawker Soule]

My remark, if understood properly (and this is the second time I'm clarfifying, so you have no excuse) is to say that when an empire decides to expand its territory, or to pilfer resources from everyone else, it will USE religion as a rationalization to do so. This doesn't mean that this is the only use of religion. Now if you actually think the above is nonsense, I don't know what to tell you.

Let's quote your post in its entirety:

It usually happens that a culture/nation/people consider themselves superior and entitled. Religion is simply a convenient excuse for empire. I don't care if it's Asia/Buddhism or the Middle East/Islam or the West/Christianity. The REAL reason is expansion for reasons of resources.

Once again: The assertion that "religion is simply a convenient excuse for empire" is nonsense.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Let's quote your post in its entirety:

​

Once again: The assertion that "religion is simply a convenient excuse for empire" is nonsense.

Last time, I clarified what it meant. For you to continue to quote it and try to make it mean something different from my clarifications is simply not being a fair conversationalist. I'm wondering what it is that is making you invest this amount of energy into it. But regardless, the conversation is over, because I'm not going to keep repeating myself.

 

[ajay0]

I am curious about where people get the idea that God supports them exclusively? While growing up we were inundated with "Manifest Destiny" and America as a Christian Nation.

I was just listening to Hail Britannia and the author felt that England was supposed to rule the world.

What happened?

This is part of the conditioning mechanism present in all organised religions so that the new generations will continue to perpetuate the religious and political ideologies.

Propaganda or conditioning instills likes and dislikes in a person, and thus using such mechanisms it is easier to regulate the behavior of a person growing up or living in society as per the needs and desires of the religious priests or political ideologues. This is also what is happening in the marketing or advertising sector where ads come up showing that a winner is he or she who uses a particular brand of car or perfume or toothpaste and the rest all are losers with a capital L.

Under such impressionable conditioning forces, it is hard to think for oneself and come to the truth on one's own, and hence the need to decondition oneself thoroughly.

 

[Ellen Brown]

This is part of the conditioning mechanism present in all organised religions so that the new generations will continue to perpetuate the religious and political ideologies.

Propaganda or conditioning instills likes and dislikes in a person, and thus using such mechanisms it is easier to regulate the behavior of a person growing up or living in society as per the needs and desires of the religious priests or political ideologues. This is also what is happening in the marketing or advertising sector where ads come up showing that a winner is he or she who uses a particular brand of car or perfume or toothpaste and the rest all are losers with a capital L.

Under such impressionable conditioning forces, it is hard to think for oneself and come to the truth on one's own, and hence the need to decondition oneself thoroughly.

I think perhaps that any group of people is able to be conditioned to think the way a strong leader demands. I've seen it with the Baptists, TV Pastors, Catholics, Mormons and others. And, I've seen it with Employers, and especially the Military.