http://www.agnosticforums.com/general-religion/1021-how-religion-brainwashes.html Draw your own conclusions. (EDIT: In the interests of full disclosure I own that forum.)
They definately seem similar... I guess the good thing about brainwashing is sometimes they don't want your money, Sadly the same can't be said for religion.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." - Tom Wolfe (or perhaps Thomas Wolfe, Google results seem to be split on which one said it)
Trust me on this. The organization that I belong to does not want your money. Or me for that matter. Are you going to slander me or the organization for that too? Col
I agree...my denomination does not care about money either...unlike some where the parishioners must pay for the pastor's new mansion...
Right so the churches just magically appeared from nowhere. Nobody paid for them, They don't pay bills, They don't have heating, It's all just magically taken care of.... you clown.
All finances for this organization are 100% funded by voluntary donations point blank. Prove otherwise. I know you can't because you simply don't know. Tarring with that same old brush again huh? Col
If they can get you to believe in an invisible friend, I'm pretty sure they can steal money from you and make you think it's voluntary, The good thing about the religious is they are gullible idiots, So taking money from them is easy.
I don't have a problem with Churchs accepting donations. The priest has to make a living somehow. And as long as the rest of the money is being put to good causes what's the big deal? Churchs do a lot of good things for their communities with the money they raise.
This is what I know. I can walk into the headquarters of the organization I belong to and ask to see the books for the funds. Now, do you know of any other organization that will allow that? I know the funds are completely voluntary. Because every gathering I have ever been to, there is not a plate that gets passed around. There is a donations box at the back of the hall. There is no obligation at all to donate. We just do because we know where it is going. Col
That's basically it. Its someones living, Their business. And in all honesty if i had the nerve to take money from cretins under the pretence of religion i would. These idiots seem more than happy to turn over thier hard earned cash to a child abusing priest.
Most businesses have to make thier earnings public. But let's see you put your money (their money) where your mouth is. Go get the accounts and publish them. Let's see how much these scum bags cream off the weak and needy.
But how does this change the fact that the money is used to pay for the bills of an organization of, in my opinion, brainwashed & misguided people whose primary goal is to recruit & brainwash more people. It's one big horribly wrong ponzi scheme!
No. You do it! Seeing you are the one accusing and slandering. I have no reason to defend them at all. You simply DO NOT KNOW. There's no other way to say that. Col
A church is more like a community centre than it is a business. The priests aren't exactly living the high life. And all priests are child abusers? I don't understand what you're getting at. All of the priests I've known were honest people. Personally speaking, I think this is where atheism gets misused. That is, people who are angry with religion misdirecting that anger at honest people who are religious. What's the deal? Good people are good people, no matter what they believe.
Oh man. Is it wrong to show people there is a better way of living their lives? To give people a real hope? To provide answers for why people are the way they are? You call it brainwashing, SO DO I! Our brains do need washing, to wash out the rubbish indoctrinated by man. Our people leave clean lives and are happy and we never murder and never go to war. We are taught to live with good principles. Why would we not want to show others that they can live this way as well? Love. Simply put. We have love for our neighbours. Just the same way Jesus has love for mankind and he was taught by his Father. Yeah. Brainwashing huh? Tisk...such a bad thing to be teaching...Tisk....
They probably didn't fancy you. The Vatican and catholic church pays out millions of dollars a year covering up child abuse and paying off abuse victims. Paedophilia in the church is widespread.
I have explained in many other threads the dangers of religious faith, namely lost productivity, loss of critical thinking & ability to make decisions rationally. This is not a better way to live. You probably won't agree but it's evident to me & others who still retain their ability to think critically that the bible is "rubbish indoctrinated by man".
You are correct in that I would not agree the Bible is rubbish and that's coming from me who has the ability to think critically Col