Is Christianity Really Brainwashing?

Hello to ATS
I have been reading and watching for quite some time with much amusement.
But in reply to this one I have decided to actually join in.

I find it interesting how when someone who is Wiccan shares their take on another faith, or a critique, it is seen as an attack.
Oh well.

I was raised Christian with a twist. My mother was an abusive drug addict that returned to religion for a "wellness" fix. She tried to kill me in the crib and as a child and teenager while out of it. My sister saved me.
My step father was an excommunicated catholic.
My aunts and uncles (not blood) were palestinians from Tel Aviv. They were quite liberal. And my mom was involved with the guys I found later. (slut)
Church was for me a strange experience. My parents beliefs were a vocal practice, but not lived out towards my sister and I.
I spoke to spirits at a young age of 3. Was I brainwashed? Mom said I was being silly.
We lived in a haunted/evil house. Brain washed? My entire family was terrorized. I was abducted and sexually abused by pagans. I was told to hush by them and my own mother. Who was brainwashing who?
When I read the bible I found references to reincarnation and questioned the validity of the creation account. Brainwashed? Maybe.
I wondered who the "us" and "our" was in the creation of man story. Brainwashed? Maybe.
I even questioned what it really was that Yeshua/Jesus was saving us from. Cause I felt the churches were holding back on something or was ignorant..Now am convinced they are both by choice. LOL
I attended and became part of organized church even after my parents quit going. Brainwashed? Maybe
I had seen spirits and interacted with them in as physical a way as you can get when I was tortured as a child. Brainwashed? By who here?
My sister would fly across a room from being hit by what no one could see. I watched teeth marks form on her arms and side and back during a very crazy episode. Brainwashed? All 4 of us must had been.
I am almost 40 now. And I have been through churches, calling themselves open, attacking me for showing them the errors of their own false doctrine.
I am not Catholic or pagan or Wiccan or anything. I am Human, as I was created to be. The Earth is as Good a planet as any to live right now.
I still believe in God ,or "Gods" because the Elohim are Plural. Don't know how they reach Monotheistic systems with the stuff in that bible.
I still believe in Yeshua/Jesus as one who has saved all of us from a state of arrested development in our incarnations. Seems we needed someone to be the first to evolve to the next form so we could follow.
No one has been left out or lost. Though I still believe in correction.
I don't find a real Hell anywhere in the scriptures other then questionable translations with inserted definitions for social control purposes.
I do believe We have all lived in forms before Adam. Whether you follow the Atlantis/Gallic/Druid traditions, is up to you. It is rich with lore and history. It certainly fills in the blanks that the Hebrew kids left out to make up their own version of a religion they hijacked.
I do believe the Creation story is as mistaught as it gets.
And it supports regurgitated ignorance over generations.
It's actually quite clear if you look at it from a scientific and anthropological view. And if you're not just looking to disprove a bunch of christians then you might read what it really says.
Creation is in the first verse. Then some crazy catastrophy wipes out the world God knows how many times....LOL.......Then we come to one that forces man and other animals underground for about 7000 years give or take a thousand years. So after the atmosphere filters to where day light can be seen again, Plants grow. They filter the air more and you have a visible sun and moon. Man still sets in his under ground world for a while. Then from ones point of view he breaks through from the clay ground of the fertile crescent and his women follows. The rest is a continuation. They live above ground and get their groove on having kids.
Meanwhile something similar is happening all over the world.
That is my brainwashing in a nutshell.
I could spend all day destroying the excuses for religious folks bad behavior. All religiouns.
I found my experience with christianity no less terrifying then the occult and black magics.
The Earth has a beautiful wild magic that she shares since she is our mother. It was her womb that has helped us to survive ourselves. And I believe she will do it again if needed.
Am I brainwashed? Maybe. I have no qualms with how the Elohim reveal themselves to each individual as long as we do not harm the Earth or each other. We need to evolve again very soon. No comets or space ships for now. Just Human until humanity cannot contain us in this form any longer.
I like the Op's point of view. But also remember it is a Point of view. Not the view of everyone.
But christianity needs an enema for its belief system.

Originally posted by autowrench
reply to post by Gorman91

 

There are also a lot of other draconian "laws" in the book of Leviticus. Have you read it?

Leviticus 19:27 reads “You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.”

Watch Football? At least, the pure version of football, where you play with a pigskin. The modern synthetic footballs are ugly and slippery anyways. Leviticus 11:8, which is discussing pigs, reads “You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.” Better throw out that bacon.

No tattoos. Leviticus 19:28 reads, “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.”
Not even a little butterfly on your ankle. Or Thug Life across your abdomen. Or even, fittingly enough, a cross.

Polyester, or any other fabric blends. The Bible doesn’t want you to wear polyester. Not just because it looks cheap. It’s sinfully unnatural. Leviticus 19:19 reads, “You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.”
Check the tag on your shirt right now. Didn’t realize you were mid-sin at this exact second, did you?

Divorce. The Bible is very clear on this one: No divorcing. You can’t do it. Because when you marry someone, according to Mark 10:8, you “are no longer two, but one flesh.” And, Mark 10:9 reads, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Shellfish. Leviticus 11:10 reads, “But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you.” And shellfish is right in that wheelhouse.

Most of Leveticus is reformed by statements in the New Testament.

In Mark, the context of divorce reads as an EXTERNAL force to the parties involved. While most of the religious scholars choose not to read it this way, there is no reason why it cannot be interpreted in this manner. People external to marriages have often interferred with them, particularly in feudal cultures.

This admonishment does not necessarily apply to the people of the marriage.

See - knowledge. It is your friend.

A lot of the statements you have made could simply be Googled and you would find entire Bible studies.

Though to answer your question .... everything is brainwashing .... even teaching your kid to brush his teeth or not .. whatever floats your boat.

reply to post by autowrench


I would not go as far as saying it brainwashing my friend, but rather a controll tactic through fear. Fear is always going to dominate, no matter what.

Here's an example:

On one hand you have one religion that promises if you try your best to do good to yourself and those around you during your lifetime there's a special place you get to go to after death to live in harmony for eternity.

On the other hand you have a second religion that also says if you try your best to do good to yourself and those around you during your lifetime you will also have a special place you get to go to after death to live in harmony for eternity...BUT, if you screw up or you don't belive this religon is the only truth your going to burn and suffer in agony for all of eternity.

Now both religions may be identicle, but because one says "you must follow us or else!" Of course it will be the dominate religion in the end.


People are fulltime stress factories. Even the most atheistic individual must admit there's still a little voice burried deep inside their mind saying all the time " I know what I believe, but what if I'm wrong?". We all have it, and will till the day we die no matter what religon we follow or how deep our faith runs. Those that deny it are only lying to themselves.

It is this very fear that allows a religion like christianity to dominate for so many generations. Too many people fear the consequences if the do end up wrong.

In one sense, sure its good that some people will not commit hanious acts for fear of being thrown "in the bowls of hell", but because of its built in catch 22 christians really cannot say how many people follow the faith bcause they are faithfull vs how many follow the faith because they fear otherwise.

Let's be honest here...do the readers here truely believe christianity would be as big as it is today if the original biblical texts had no mention of hell, or prices to pay if you did not follow?

Where would christianity be if the book spoke only of the good deeds and preachings of christ's work and ended with "he died and rose to heaven to wait for the rest of his brothers and sisters" with no mention of satan, hell, or "revelations"?

The answer is christianity would be an entirely different religion all together!

Not to mention, it would never have became the dominate religion because some other religion after would have popped up saying "follow us or else" and the masses would have moved on the the next fear based prison.

The real challenge is try explaining this to a religious extremist...in most cases you won't even get past the first sentence...



-Peace brother! Don't try to bang your head around it too much, you'll only end up with a headache-

reply to post by autowrench


Found this on ATS somehwere. If its poster is on this thread... thanks

So, this is how it works…

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string, and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all the other monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result – all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.

Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know, that’s the way it’s always been done around here.

Originally posted by Aeons
reply to post by LunaKat

 

I am currently of none. I do not have a religious concept that would be recognizable to most of the 7 billion people on this planet.

You want Christians to get it? Then tell them to read the Bible. They are not educated on the matter, and the solution is simple.

Now, the New Testament does indeed contradict or reform many of these concepts. Further, it doesn't have a limitation that many other religious concepts have, in that those laws/parables are not consider the final solution. Most of what can be considered general "laws" in it are minimum standards, and maximum limitations.

edit on 2011/12/30 by Aeons because: (no reason given)

Thank you for answering my question. I have told Christians to check their Bibles and that is found in the Old Testament. But they brush it off as meaningless because they consider the start point of their religion to really be Jesus. Anything before his birth that might be in the Old Testament is "Jewish." They miss the connection.

And yeah you're right the NT does contract the OT in a lot of places. And the religion that comes out of all of that is to be non-changing. The more we learn about ourselves or our world will have no effect on that religion.. It is a religion that is not to evolve.

Human beings evolve..we're not the same people as the Victorians for example. And generally we upgrade our values and thinking as time passes. And religions that are viable today also evolve. That one won't though and I think its gonna be its own downfall.

reply to post by Gorman91
He did eat the passover lamb ,did he not ....peace

reply to post by LunaKat


There is nothing to stop Christians from interpreting the standards given to them as minimum standards. That leaves it as an open-ended religious concept that does not foil evolution of cultural thought.

Originally posted by Zeer0
reply to post by dilly1

 

No I claimed there some type of Evidence for Aliens. I did my own research so I guess I brainwashed myself O.o

That's exactly what you call it. Care to share some that evidence or that astute research of yours.

But you won't


**********This is to ALL Alien lovers , you are no different than christians. You're all brainwashed. Stop listening to other people and start listening to yourself. Try using logic.

reply to post by LajanAytik


I have actually read this before. (I'm sure if you search the web its out there somewhere).
The version I read was actually a study done in behavioral science (I believe at some university), and instead of cold water, it was a battery (electric shock). One end of the battery was connected to the floor of the wire cage, the other was connected to the ladder. The ladder was placed on rubber pads, and held just slightly away from making connection by a few springs. The weight of the monkey on the ladder caused the circuit to compete.

I’m sure that being in some group setting in a hall in which you must bow your head and close your eyes (which puts your brain into a relaxed alpha brainwave state) and listening to some nitwit drone on about talking snakes and other non-sense, has to be a form of hypnosis

In fact on the occasions I am forced to go into a church (twice now), I always make a point of keeping my eye on them slippery buggers who stand at the front – very unsavoury lot if you ask me

Originally posted by Aeons
reply to post by LunaKat

 

There is nothing to stop Christians from interpreting the standards given to them as minimum standards. That leaves it as an open-ended religious concept that does not foil evolution of cultural thought.

Take for example the attitudes towards women and children in especially the OT but also the NT. If you take the Bible literally as many Christians do... that stands for all time. It is not to be changed. Those who have more "modern" attitudes say are told they are in error. In fact when I was looking back one time as to why Jewish people didn't buy into Jesus... one of the main reasons given was because Jesus changed the Scriptures. That he was changing the rules and not holding to the Scriptures. Thats all those contradictions. And they felt that the was a mark of a false Messiah.

So if you believe that it doesn't foil evolution of cultural thought (which I agree with you) we would be told we are in error. They want us to stick to the absolute letter of the "Word." No changes...you do exactly as it says.

While I can agree with most staements you've made here, OP, I would balk at the term 'brainwashing.'

It implies that there exists no free will in the matter, which, to a large extent, there is.

I'm sure it could be argued that children are exposed well before they are able to make such a decision for themselves, yet the world is full of those who, eventually, found their own way.

Indeed, Christianity has truck sized logical holes that people drive out of in droves.

No, brainwashing is too harsh a word.

Sadly, most people still need some type of stringent dogma with which to guide their moral lives, and Christianity still serves that purpose well, warts and all.

Having said that, however, there is no doubt that the Church itself is completely happy with parishoners who ask no questions, pay their tithes, and don't bother them too much.

The town I live in is very small, here in the Great Plains of the Southwest, and if a building is under construction here, it is either a car lot or a Church. We have MegaChurches every four blocks or so, and our population is around 300K.

Churches are very profitable, tax free enterprises, and left to their own devices, want nothing more than butts in the pews and money in the collection box.

Greedy and immoral perhaps, but I would not say the Church is in the business of brainwashing.

hey brainwashing happens but it's a product of governments who pervert the true word of Yaweh and his son Yeshua the bible explains this . People who don't believe the bible or the God who wrote it shouldn't try to interpret it for those of us who do.

Christianity is by no means a problem on this Earth there are plenty of state and national religions for you to choose from if you are going to complain about brainwashing

Originally posted by Zeer0
reply to post by dilly1

 

Oh and im not sure of this but people really examine the Evidence and Fakes and Legit Sighting/Video etc can are are known and proven real. Even if only 3% of UFO sighting are kefir. I thought you should know that do to you limited knowledge of Ufology.

How the hell do you know people have truly examined the evidence.?? Hello!!,,oh thats right , accepted faith.

How do you know its 3%? Did you invent that #.

My limited knowledge of UFology?????? That's pathetic and hilarious all at once.

Listen BW'd person. ALL FO's(not UFO's) ,,are man made(not talking about birds ,bats and insect). Do you understand? No you don't. You want to believe so bad that aliens are taxing around earth as we speak. You have taken decades and decades of alien propaganda, from hollywood to the internet, LITERALLy. So you pick your 3% alien evidence and try to fit-and share with as many people with similar alien-POV's.

Its all about the #'s. UFO-alien following is nothing else but a cult ,like christianism. Its a following of something or somebody.

To me its all the same stupid crap.

Do you hear that??,,,,, that's logic knocking. You should try it some time.

I wouldn't say that Christianity is based on Fear but rather, uses Fear to quell one questioning the unknown. I'm sure in earlier times, people had a lot of questions about a lot of stuff they didn't understand.
They had 3 options:
-turn to religion for answers
-turn to science for answers
-stfu

Most people turned to religion which as a result, gained control over matters of state and society. With this power they were able to punish those who turned to science (witches, heretics) and those who stfu'd (outcasts, banishment).

reply to post by MrsBlonde


Christianity is by no means a problem on this earth?

Are you being obtuse on purpose?

It is a huge problem to millions, since Christians cannot seem to be satisfied with their own personal lunacy, but feel the need to jam their beliefs down everyone else's throat.

That is a problem.

Originally posted by milkyway12
A lot of the statements you have made could simply be Googled and you would find entire Bible studies.

Though to answer your question .... everything is brainwashing .... even teaching your kid to brush his teeth or not .. whatever floats your boat.

You make no sense.

First who are you posting to? The holy ghost?

And off course,, using google and wikipedia is the salvation for knowledge. Right?.. Spare me the BS!

Teaching your kid to brush is not the same as having blind faith in god.

There is a cause 'n effect with brushing your pearly whites. There is NO cause 'n effect GOD.

Try to use logic for once in your life , please.

In my opinion, we all lie to ourselves. All of us. To varying degrees, but constantly and inescapably. Our delusions are persistent and insidious. Cognitive science and generative psychology tell us that everything from free will to our perception of time to our sense of self may be illusory for all we really know. Quantum mechanics tells us that everything we perceive around us is an extrapolation of the information in coherence before us. Cognitive dissonance tells us that even our very memories are not accurate representations of events we perceive as central to our personalities and identities. Secular and religious, atheist and agnostic alike, we all deceive ourselves in my experience.

So on that basis, I do not begrudge people their religious beliefs. I'm an agnostic skeptic myself, but if someone wants to believe what a holy book tells them and base their life and actions on that, how can I judge them as being any more deluded than I am in my insistence that I'm "real," have free will, and that reality exists even remotely consistent with what my eyes tell me? Or if I reject all such assumptions and try to be wholly objective, concluding nihilistically that nothing matters (which I don't, because as I said, I'm agnostic, but for the sake of discussion suppose hypothetically that I do,) how can I then care enough (when ostensibly nothing matters) to take issue with what someone believes?

In my opinion, I can't. Hence, I choose tolerance.

Originally posted by Zeer0
reply to post by Laserjock

 

Not all Religions but Christianity openly says to kill people who are Homosexual, disobedient teens, people who work on Sabbeth day and is extremely sexist towards women. And as a kid it was burned in my head that if I didn't believe in the Bible completely I would burn for it and I'm not alone. Sound like Social Control to me

??? What bible are you reading? Where did you ever get the idea that Christianity said it was ok to openly kill homosexuals or disobedient teens?