The Perceptual Prison That is Religion

Beforehand, I would like to admonish the readers, especially those who are religious, not to view this article from a subjective mindset, but with an open and objective mindset. It is important that we encourage the free and open expression of ideas and opinions. In order to be able to objectively challenge the validity of opposing ideas by comparing them and exposing the flaws in their underpinning arguments, so that a consensus can be reached on the most logically superior ideology.

I want to say I feel everyone should be allowed the freedom to practice whatever religion they choose, so long as they do not force their own religious beliefs on others, and that such religious beliefs and practices are not against the well-being of humanity in general. I would also like to say that I feel major religions are largely responsible for the origination and precedence of moral values, which continue to be advocated and upheld by the majority of society today. Therefore, the purpose of this article is not to push for the abandonment of religion. Its purpose is to spearhead the efforts to make open-mindedness, together with freedom of thought and expression to be more tolerated and less restricted by certain aspects of society today. With one of those aspects being: religion.

For this article, I will be giving the reasons why I think religion puts severe limitations and restraints on freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of choice. All of these limitations religion imposes tend to block the ability to consider alternate possibilities, and they ultimately limit the human life experience.

Intended Psychological Operation

It is believed that major religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all emerged from Saharasia, in the Middle East and Asia, around the same time before they spread across the world. The emergence of these religions is believed to have been intended to bring forth what is termed “The New Psyche”, a new form of human perception that would be largely dominated by the left brain. The left brain is majorly responsible for: surrendering of intuition, the perpetuation of tradition, obsession with rules or details, and so on, with all of these traits being largely required for being a religionist as you will find in today’s world. In order for the major religions to have stuck around for as long as they have, a change was required in humanity: a general shift from right-brain dominance to left-brain dominance. what I am trying to say is there is a very good chance major religions were introduced largely for the sake of a psychological operation but were disguised as being for the sake of spiritual enlightenment and connection to the divine. And this psychological operation was one intended to keep humanity ensnared by a perception largely dominated by the left-sided brain in order to make them more easily controllable.

Promises of Farfetched Rewards and Punishments

The way major religions have been able to continue to keep their followers devout for so long is because they tap into two of the biggest drivers of human action: desire and fear.

Over the years, the Abrahamic religions have been able to garner monumental levels of devoutness and unquestioning adherence from their followers by promising them that a place of complete bliss, delight, and peace awaits them if they lived their lives in the manner that their god ordained. Now, a lot of people on earth are living in utter misery, and there is just so much unexplainable suffering in the world that it is completely understandable why people will seek consolation and refuge anywhere they can possibly find them. And this is why a lot of people still turn to and stay devout to religion. The majority of people want a win wherever they can get one, whether in this life or in the hereafter, no matter how ludicrous the promises of such a win may seem, and major religions have done a good job of exploiting this basic human desire to win.

As regards fear, well fear is known to be the currency for control. How the major religions have utilized fear is by making their followers believe that if they fall short of the commandments of their assigned god, they will go straight to hell. Where they shall lie in agony and torment for eternity, under the watch of the Devil and his demons of course. The aim has always been to drive these conjectures, that instil fear and ultimately compliance, into the minds of their prospective followers while they are still children, a period in all our lives where we are most impressionable.

Forced Indoctrination of Children

To put it plain and simple, religion is a form of perception programming. Most parents have to force and coerce their children to participate in the same religion to which they belong. This is because most parents have no strong arguments to convince their kids — especially the very inquisitive kids — to practice in their religion willingly, so the next best option is to force them to practice. Religion is a perception programme because, from a young age, kids are indoctrinated and compelled to repeat the same religious practices, until the point where anything outside of the programme enters a realm of invisibility, as a result of familiarity.

Promotion of Senseless Violence

Some religious beliefs are responsible for much of the violence in society today. For example in some Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq Yemen, and so on, it is Sharia Law that if a man sleeps with another man’s wife, the man should be stoned to death. It is also Sharia Law in some of the said Nations that if a woman dresses scantily, that she be arrested. It is also in some of these same Islamic Nations where we hear of honour killings, most of which are religiously motivated. Now are these punishments not a bit over the top? But of course, most indigenes of such Nations would not see it like that, because they are too far deep into the perception programme. Everything else outside of the programme is ignored, as a result of familiarity; such laws and beliefs are all they’ve known and lived by all through their lives.

Perpetuation of Very Questionable Practices

Another common theme you will find in major religions is the perpetuation of practices that have no reasonable meaning behind them. Examples of such practices include abstinence from the following because they are considered sin: eating of pork (present in Islam), blood transfusions, even in cases where they may be life-saving (present in Jehovah’s Witness sect of Christianity), switching on light bulbs during the weekends (present in Judaism), coming into close physical contact with any woman that is not a relative (present in Judaism), and there are still many more of such ridiculousness.

To end this article, I would like to remind the readers that the aim of this write-up was not to poopoo any religion or religion as a whole but to encourage open discussion on topics that are considered to be taboo or blasphemous. It is important that we learn to start seeing the grey area in all expressions of opinion, and to stop seeing things simply in black or white.