For an ideology to be successful, it must include a compelling “us vs them” component. Ritual complexities serve to strengthen the sense of belonging to a very special, exclusive club. The added component of a personal deity conveys an entitlement to the worshiper, that creates separation from the uninitiated.

Orthodox Jews actually believe that they are endowed with a special sabbath soul that others are lacking. Christians imbibe the body of Christ. Muslims see all uninitiated in their faith as infidels.  As an adherent in one of these faith’s gets closer to the deity in observance and subjugation, they become “more holy”. The rest of us are “impure”.

The goal of “imatatio dei” imitation of god, is worth consideration. Used in the context of a religious ideology, the faithful is instructed to act as god does. Since no one has actually seen or heard from god, what they are actually following is a human projection of what their ideology believes god is. The initiated however does not see it that way and completely believes that through their faith they are walking hand in hand with the Devine. That creates a powerful sense of entitlement which is very attractive to the human ego.

In a community of the faithful, the concept of us vs. them is emphasized. In almost every sermon I heard, inevitably  a comparison was made between members of the faith community and others. Many prayers regardless of how harmless they seem, are brimming with “us vs. them” themes. The message received is clear, you the faithful are better than everyone else. The more extreme believers, who follow closer observance to the written word of god, a different standard of morality and ethics is directed to the non-believer. That can show itself as a polite indifference to full out Jihad in the case of Islamist Muslims.

“Us Vs. Them” is a central theme in every religion. I ask, other than support the ego what does it accomplish? It is nothing more than a self serving device that any human that conceived of an ideology knows will help make it a successful venture. From Nazi ideology of the pure German race, to religious ideologies that differentiate the faithful from the sinner, the common ground is the devices used to sell the goods. The lure of “us” being better than “them” in the face of human ego will always tempt man. Regardless of how irrational an idea may seem once it becomes aligned with a position that supports ego gratification, many will be swayed.

Big Brother Burt blogs have maintained that religious ideology is a tool that many have used throughout human history to cause a great deal of harm and destruction. In the past I have compared religion to a drug whose abuse potential is enormous. This blog shows the “addictiveness” of these tools. Many brilliant, and greatly intelligent people are lured into religion because people are searching for ways to feel better about themselves. What better way is there to feel good than knowing you are part of a community of people who are in line directly with the creator. You have risen above the common man and your version of religion is the absolute truth. Every time you pray you reinforce these behaviors by thanking the Lord for opening your eyes and elevating you away from the land of sinners.

As time goes on you develop a smug contempt for those less fortunate than you whose eyes have not been enlightened like yours have. In some instances it is ok to take advantage of, to cheat, to malign and even murder the sinner, the goy, the infidel.

Big Brother Burt knows better. He was once a member of your club. You cannot fool me as you do the uninitiated. Your religious ideologies are self serving tools that work best on the poor, the downtrodden and anyone who needs to lift themselves upward with high doses of “us vs. them” cures.

Can humanity live happily in harmony without the need for harmful ideologies. If we all became a little more giving and less concerned about ego gratification wouldn’t our planet naturally become a better, more fun place to live. Look around, in places where are religious observance is the lowest, we see the highest quality of life. The opposite is true as well.

The time has come for integrity to emerge. Let our hard fought values of human freedom and emancipation release us from the need to serve harmful ideologies and start to build a future based on bringing humans closer through embracing diversity within our cultures. Ideas which separate people rather than bring them closer need to be re-evaluated.

Big Brother Burt

To all the knowers of God, I say hello. I am just another human sharing space with you on this planet. I consist of matter and energy, and poses limited mental and physical capabilities. The boundaries imposed on me within this existence, limit my ability to know the deity as you do.

Speaking with other god knowers as yourselves, I am told just to believe.

Amongst your kind their is no agreement about the true nature of this deity you all know so well. You have all waged wars, murdered and tortured countless peoples to prove your point.

I wonder, when it became so difficult to state, I simply don’t know anything about a deity. is the honest truth that we are incapable of answering all the questions of our existance somehow too embarrassing to some?   It is incredible to me that as a species we felt the need to invent and perpetuate complex ideologies and mythologies to support a theory no one has any direct knowledge of. Granted we find ourselves living, conscious and not understanding the reasons and basis of our existence. The possibility of a higher ordered more intelligent being(s) than us is of course  plausible. To fabricate and define that being and then attribute authorship and authority to that being has been proven to have disastrous consequences.

Where many will see religion as a harmless diversion that gives many support and direction, I view it as the erosion of human integrity. Morality, ethics and spirituality can be invested in humans without the need to lie. Moral choices can be made by people living in societies governed by the rule of law, without the need to introduce super human interventions. Religious people claiming they need a bible or a spiritual leader to prevent sin are often morally corrupt.  Let’s take ownership of our own moral compass and teach our children to respect human diversity and live in a manner which enriches our lives and the lives of those around us.

When you adopt the lie of the god knowers, you will always have the problem of supporting an ideology which is in conflict with well being of others around you. Those who choose not to believe the way you do, are in your minds compromised. Your religion has developed many degrading labels with which you casually use to identify the non-believers. Attitudes and laws dictate a different standard that is applied to us infidels.

A person once they buy into the lie, is rewarded with ego gratification by believing they are following the dictates of a higher power. In their minds they become “right” and everyone else is “wrong”. Extremist god knowers will give their lives and take the lives of others to be “right”. In death they are fully expecting that their deity will continue to embellish their ego gratification!!

My own parents, strictly religious people, are happier to be right in their convictions than embrace the love of non believers around them. The level of ego gratification that these religious ideologies provide is amazing. Once a human believes that he is in sync with a higher power he becomes unstoppable. The problem is that when you start with a lie the potential for abuses is incredible. The god believer also gives himself the permission to believe in things that no rational human would, outside the context of their religion. When the unthinkable does happen and horrible deeds are performed in the name of the deity, even the more moderate amongst the ranks will find a way to justify the behavior.

Big Brother Burt is appreciative to anyone who takes the time to read these postings. Hopefully at some point we will start a conversation. We who are privileged to live in a free society, finally separated from the tyranny of religious persecutions, need to see religion for what it is, a fraud. According to polling it would seem that most people in our free western world have already come to this conclusion. These blogs along with the writings of many brilliant thinkers are seeing the light of day. As science and technology gives us more insight into the workings of our universe the allure of religion becomes more irrelevant.

To all you god knowers I say this, what gives you the right to tell anyone that you know anything about the creator. No matter how many books you write and how many statues you erect the simple truth is that no human on this planet has any knowledge of these things.

The bible story of the Tower of Babel is incorrect. Like many stories in the bible It was edited to serve religious ends. It makes no sense that the ancients were building towers to destroy God. More likely they were trying to get closer to God as evidenced by all the structures built to honor the early deities. It was the result of adopting God into their lives that caused the rift amongst them. As one group claimed they had the better godhead wars broke out and peoples were killed and separated not unlike today. The human ego when supported by notions of the Devine, becomes a powerful tool for hate.

May the innate intelligence of our species, combined with the nurturing loving kindness of our universe assist us in reconnecting and healing the wounds inflicted through centuries of abuse and persecution.

Big Brother Burt

Roughly 150 years ago, President Lincoln abolished slavery in the western world by signing The Emancipation Proclamation. Some 3500 years earlier a semetic tribe enslaved by a despotic Pharaoh was offered a deal to leave Egypt and serve a gracious deity in the desert.

The events of January 1, 1863 are recorded by humans using tools they invented, paper, pens, photography,  and still exist today. The events of The Exodus as believed by Orthodox Jews, was recorded by the deity himself and transmitted generation to generation as an original text that exists today.

The idea of slavery, to our modern sensibilities is abhorrent. Is servitude to a deity in a religious context a form of enslavement. What comparisons can be drawn between human bondage and serving the demands of a religious ideology.

In the more extreme (fanatical) religious communities, who claim greater authenticity and observance to the original texts, children are raised in isolation from the greater world around them. Religious training and observances, often trump the need to train these children with tools necessary to survive and contribute to the greater world. Members of these communities who feel a need to pursue secular goals or higher education are strongly discouraged and may even be threatened. By limiting choice, by keeping members of the community uneducated and ignorant of the greater world the chance of people straying from their religious obligations is less.

The attitude in many religious communities is that the secular world is the enemy. Televisions, internet is discouraged and even banned. One young lady told me that she had to sneak off to the public library to read books of english literature and science. We may argue the merits of television and the media, the point remains that people raised in a free society have the ability to choose for themselves. My wife and I choose not to have broadcast television in our home, and yet we are not enslaved to anyones ideology.

The slavery of the mind observed in a religious community is far more dangerous than most of us imagine. People when they choose to believe, allow themselves to suspend reality in the context of their faith. These people as a consequence of this decision can now accept ideas and participate in behaviors directed by the leaders of their faiths. Examples of this control will affect every aspect of these peoples lives. Believing they are acting in step with the Devine these people then become slaves to the whims of their leaders. I have seen entire communities go out and vote in a democratic election for local politicians who their religious leaders favor. What does that have to do with religious observance?

Those amongst us who reject this proposal should consider the power of ideas when people truly believe they are following a directive from god. It has been shown countless times that these people will stop at nothing in achieving their goals. Countless parents have abandoned their own children who refuse to believe like they do. While parents whose children who have murdered in the name of god are now celebrating their children’s martyrdom. What else in this world could have such a decisive effect on the deepest bonds of close family members. Even in the more moderate religious communities, choices are limited and lifestyle expectations are demanded. Once you break away from the narrow minded thought that governs your religion you become an outcast, an infidel. 

The reality today, as a person tries to leave a repressive religious organizations, the family will often turn their backs and ostracize the individual. We re seeing suicides and abandoned children as a result of this horrific situation.

Besides the obvious comparisons to slavery, another question can be posed. If your religious ideology is so great and wonderful, why would there be all this fear of the free world? “These truths should be self apparent”, obviously they are not. The only truth is that religion has fooled many people for a long time. As science, technology provides greater insight and the resulting secular world becomes more sophisticated, religious leaders are going to have to fight harder to hide  the truth from their followers. That fight, in the Judeo-Christian world for the most part, is no longer being fought with bullets and bloodshed. It seems for now that that they have made peace and can co-exist in free societies. “Render unto Caesar” and other statements in the Judeo-Christian literature exist which have instructed the faithful to behave more or less civil amongst the rest of us.

Big Brother Burt sees a correlation between religious ideology and enslavement of people. It is my hope and prediction that a day of enlightenment is coming when people no longer have the need to harm others with the tools of religion.

In pharmacology drugs are classified by their potential for abuse and addiction.  Substances that show evidence that they can harm the user, are either highly restricted or eliminated completely. The benefit of any drug must be evaluated carefully against it’s “side effects” before it gets approved by the FDA.

We as humans seem to have an innate desire to invent tools and products to serve our needs. Medicine, technology are tools we invent to improve our quality of life and satisfy the needs of many. What happens when one of these tools become subject to abuse and malfunction. We recall, we re-engineer or we eliminate the product because it does more harm than good.

Some humans throughout time have obviously felt the need to invent religion. We looked around and had questions without answers. Suffering, disease, death, effects with no known causes. So people began to organize themselves in religious groups, supplicate themselves to a deity, find comfort and answers in their particular beliefs. This invention of religion, was a process of taking one set of unknown variables and repackaging itself as a more palatable idea. These “ideas of religion,” themselves unknowable, work so well because we all love stories with happy endings.

When stories and fables are elevated to the level of true ideology, the potential for abuse becomes enormous. Snow White and Cinderella are harmless, because we all know it’s not real. Adherents to religion believe completely  that their “stories” are real. They believe that their religious leaders are representatives of gods word on earth and their ideology is the only true path. Adherents are rewarded with ego gratification that they are walking hand in hand with the creator. Terminology has been created to identify the rest of us. Infidels, unholy, epicures, goyim, damned, certainly not very complimentary.

The great ego of the religious adherent has a need to lift himself higher by diminishing others. With Judaism and Christianity today it’s mostly a matter of smug superiority, others in the Muslim world can justify murder to satisfy their religious ego.

I submit that religion is and has always been used as a tool to harm others. In our western world where science and technology is providing more answers to the unknowable, religion is clearly loosing it’s foothold. In many impoverished areas of our planet holy wars are still being fought so that few can control and enslave many.

The harm and abuse of religion certainly outweighs any benefit. No deity who is representative of loving kindness would bestow upon creation a set of values and ideologies that are so prone to human abuses. It is clear that we are all imbued with an intelligence that is used to improve the quality of life through tested and proven means.

When we us humans understand the intelligence, and the nurturing nature of our universe that we are all part of, the need to separate ourselves from others through fictional means will disappear. Big Brother Burt hopes and predicts that the day will come when the stories of all our great religions will be just that. Religious ideologies and their proponents will be forgotten.

Big Brother Burt