An important point in history is the adoption of Christianity in Constantinople by Constantine. But many of the policies within religion are all about control. For Constantine, this would have been useful to keep his people peaceful and under his control.

In addition, the so called "religion of peace" would discourage the overthrow of the government and encourage prevention of it's overthrow.

Many Christian practices, like Christmas, were adopted to gain the support of the people and lure them away from their pagan practices.

It also seems that most of the fundamentalist religions are the most controlling and demanding of conformity. This gives those in charge far more power than they would otherwise have.

So, do you think most religions are about religion, or are they about control and maintaining a specific government? Were they knowingly implemented by people like Constantine for that purpose?

Both yes and no. Those with an ill will go to much further extents to impose it, than those with a good will.
If you know what you are doing is bad, then you would most likely take extra measures to make sure no one noticed.

god is perfect, religion is a slanted political viewpoint of what god should be. so thus we have different religions; different places and events and languages leading to different interpretations of what god means or is.

ultimately, religion is about control, but not the bad kind. its been misused and greatly misunderstood
but so is science, and its at the same place...

Id say most religions are there to support the general acceptance of a shared viewpoint.
I just dont see how we can look at any religion as purely a system of keeping the people from thinking or acting out, when it is religion that helps so many people make any sense of anything.
to the OP
I think before we had a lot of different things to reflect on, religion and politics were the same thing, like before language for instance. but then you get people from side a of earth meeting up with side b who's language is different and describes the same things very differently causing confusion or misinterpretation of the same ideals.




[edit on 3-3-2008 by psychedeliack]

Yeshua could have been King. Moshe could have been King.

Moshe died in the wilderness. Yeshua died like a criminal.

Moshe founded a "Nation of Priests". Yeshua founded a World of Gods.

They both had two milleniums of theoretic political advance.

[edit on 4-3-2008 by Rigel]

"One nation under God"...hmm

"Jihad" "Holy War" "crusades"


"In God we trust"

I'd have to say religion is about power

Is religion about power? It depends on how you practice. Try to break away from mainstream religions and find your own way to God. I do admit that absolute power corrupts. When leaders see how religious people will do anything for God they manipulate that power to gain extra power.

A religion that is based on Grace cannot be used for control, and almost all none catholic Christians believe in salvation through grace. The reason that Rome was successful in using religion for control for many years was that they base salvation on both grace and works. If I do not do what my Church says then I can still go to heaven as that is between God and me, where with the Roman Catholic version there is no salvation outside of the church and you have to do as they instruct to be saved. One allows control, the other allows freewill.

IHO

Religion started, and is and always will be at the very core, a way of giving explanations for the unexplainable, a guiding force for people who need structure in their lives, who like the routines. It was so people would not spend their lives worrying about death. It gives a sense of order and peace that is otherwise hard to get in this turbulent world, which was much more turbulent in the past, when the majority of religions started. Religion made people happy.


And then...


People realized how this powerful guiding force could help reach previously unattainable status. In the pre-civilized world, status was achieved, that is to say you had to earn it through actions and deeds. If you faulted you lost your rank. These societies were relatively egalitarian. This is true even of most tribes and chiefdoms that survived to modern day, although many chiefdoms starting having a more ranked society.

Anyways, it was through religion that first hereditary over class came to be. This was in lower Mesopotamia, in Sumer, considered the first civilization(didn't give me flack about Atlantis or others, even if they existed we don't know anything about them). Anyways so the very first Noble class if you will, who were born into the position, was not from some powerful warlord passing his son the crown and so on, but from the priests of Sumer, the very first civilization. There were no kings at first, if I'm correct right up until Akkadian times. Religion was THE power right from the start. (Sumerians invented writing, the wheel, the plow, among many other things)

The divine right went on from there. Everyone from the Pharaohs to the great dynasties of China, to the Kings of the middle ages, has since then used the divine right of god. It was up until the Enlightenment, the only tangible excuse the Lords, Kings, whatever name they went by had for the hereditary dictatorships throughout history.

Talk about a source of power. I won't even touch the power of the Catholic Church.

This thread hits it right on the head. I'm tired of people blaming religion for wars. No people use religion as a way of gaining power, then using it to their own ends, blaming religion. The crusades weren't really about gaining the holy land, at least at first. There are several reasons, the biggest was that the knights of feudal Europe were basically in a constant state of war and the church decided they should unite against a common cause, which happened to also put a lot of coin the church coffers. If you analyze most "religious" wars, they all use religion as a front, but it always comes out to power and money. There are a few examples of purely religious war, I can't think of any off the top of my head, but most involve some kind of power being gained. I cannot think of a single war that was fought not to control the people but to change their faith...

The theology has next to nothing to do with what the people use the religion for, all religions are basically good when you break them down, they are just historically used for other means. The theology is changed modified or exploited to meet the political needs of the time.

Thats my entire point. Religion is harmless, people need to leave it alone. But it has been used and abused, and has traditionally been the single greatest justification for power. No other reason comes close. I am your all powerful leader because I am God (or some kind of descendant or otherwise related). Even the new world civilizations, the Inka, Maya, Aztecs etc, were all God Kings, so it is not just an old world trend. Religion is about good teachings, but in the end it is the single most powerful weapon of control in history.


This because as I explained in my first post, it means so much to so many that people will follow those who say they are the manifest of it. Religion is a powerful force in so many peoples lives, and that has always been harnessed.

[edit on 4-3-2008 by Tenebrous]

Originally posted by johnb1

Remember What the BIBLE Says It is A sin to Commit Suicide

[edit on 4-3-2008 by johnb1]

Dude...
are you even trying to take part, your confusing the hell out of me, how is most of what you said related?

If Ive misunderstood my apologies.


And what the hell does the white stripes have to do with religion as a means to control...good band but...uhh...

[edit on 4-3-2008 by Tenebrous]

Dude are you even human, or like a spam bot...you have derailed this whole thread, which I was enjoying...
I don't care if you wanna convert, but do it where you arnt derailing a thread...

And dude how come you talk like some cliche jazz cool cat thing, and you randomlly capitalise stuff...

[edit on 4-3-2008 by Tenebrous]