Deceit as dogma

Hello, Friday. That 'religion' has tried to embed itself more and more into the U.S. government is a fact that few deny. The 'Evangelical Christians' have been supporting TheOrangeBuffoon since he realized he could manipulate them so easily. TOB simply spoke to their desire to have their religious doctrine become the law of the land. I read an interesting article the other day on the dilemma now facing those believers. Believers have been told their entire lives - don't think instead "Trust in god...  and lean not on your own understanding" and "in all your ways submit to him". There are dozens of similar sayings in their bible. That mindset is taught from their pulpits and by their parents. Maybe that's why Marjorie Taylor Greene 'regrets' that she was 'allowed to believe things that weren’t true', and still be 'supported' by most of the GOP. "Allowed to believe" lies? -- what happened to check facts? Does it take a "sinful amount" of thinking to check the veracity of a story you've been told? Well, actually I guess it does, or "the church" and "the preachers' could lose their positions of authority -- and we can't have that, can we? 

This mindset (believe because 'authority' said so) leaves people susceptible to all sorts of lies, stories, and conspiracy theories. Many are unable to determine reality on their own. It is freaking scary to me that some people *want* to be this way, *want* to live this way. I've asked before why people want to be sheep? Few ever answer. I think I got one answer some while ago -- it is the "comfort" of knowing "we're cared for" by "something greater than ourselves". This sentiment was from a grown person, no longer a child. At what point does someone like this stand on their own two feet, accept responsibility for their own actions and be proud of their own accomplishments? At what point do people recognize that "the church" has its own interest at heart, not the interest of its congregants? The Paycheck Protection Program for Small Business is only one recent example of blatant church abuse of its position. I blogged on this some while ago. 

The Cult of TOB has taken advantage of this thoroughly indoctrinated flock of followers. Ripe for believing without thinking, they are gullible and susceptible to more and more outlandish stories, misinformation, outright lies. You know "the church" is keeping its followers wound up about the pandemic response. The church misses its weekly (or more?) donations. Disinformation about COVID has cost lives because it pushes some people to take unnecessary risks. Lies and misstatements are more and more often spread on social media, leaving consumers of fact-free information at a disadvantage. The media moguls should have made fact-checking more widely known much earlier in TOB's reign, but few recognized the real dangers that were looming as the claims became more and more outlandish (space lasers started the California wildfires!?). People were susceptible partly because of lack of education, too. When is the last time anyone heard about "civics class"? Censorship or "de-platforming" isn't a solution, either. New sites can pop up faster than nefarious sites can be shut down, as this discussion on TheDonald site points out.  

Though the supernatural has been part of our existence since the first people were frightened of the first lightning, there's no reason for religion to retain control over us. The benefits of 'religion' include the social and support mechanisms that come with any group dynamics. Although a human creation, the 'God meme' (2006 Richard Dawkins) is incredibly appealing, and as a result, has continually been passed on through cultural transfusion. A modern secular country could provide public institutions that create the same social functions as religion, without the disadvantages of “irrational” religious restrictions based on unverifiable beliefs. We are social creatures. We can improve our lives by doing for ourselves, not by waiting on any deity to take care of us. 

We must have civil discourse, with everyone working from the same set of facts with common civil behavior and expectations. Differences of opinion on policy and implementation can then be addressed and resolved, for the benefit of all of us. People must become more informed, more skeptical, more rational, more aware. The "enemy" is not Satan. The "enemy" is ignorance and apathy. The 'enemy' is us.