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Paul Kirhagis

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Where do organized religions go wrong?

I identify with the idea that humans are built to transcend themselves to contribute to the group as a whole. Organized religion is a bridge that allows those who have similar values and morals to come together and to help others grow. But how would we explain things like the crusades or the Spanish inquisition in this context?

Does the transcendence that a group experiences fall apart at an individual level then rebuild itself into a mutated version of the original? or does some other process occur that twists the collective masses into behavior that is clearly against the original purpose of the group?

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    Paul Kirhagis

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    Jan 12 2013: When i think of religion I believe it is a conduit for people to channel something that is innately part of their humanity. Fancy words for the idea that people feel spirituality on a most fundamental level then find something to help them connect to it and the world around them.

    Do you think that the leaders who were the spearheads for the religious atrocities across the centuries were true believers and, if so, would we chalk up their actions to their individual insanity or to the organization itself?
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      Gail . 50+

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      Jan 12 2013: Interesting question. I think that the answer lies in the "when" factor. If you have already turned a population into sheeple, and have convinced them that hell awaits for those who do not support you, then the responsibility lies on both the corrupt leaders (who may sincerely believe that they are right because that is what they have learned) and the sheeple (who may not know that they have agreed to terms that are unconscionable because they grew up thinking that crusades are holy ventures and the highest and most greatly rewarded expressions of faith)
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      Mathew Naismith 10+

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      Jan 12 2013: G'day Paul

      Yes the leaders where & are true believers, how many priests actually took part in torturing? Many by the order of the pope that these people be redeemed in some way, what are Islamic fundamentalists doing today? These people aren’t expressive of the main stream Islamists but can be very influential to an illiterate society as was the pope, bishops & priests in the dark ages.

      These religious fundamentalists truly believe they are doing the lords work to the bitter end which of course makes no sense to the true teachings of these religions. The creator is all accepting & anyone who is not of this mind themselves to some extent is not true to their faith, no fundamentalist is true to their faith.

      Why were the dark ages the dark ages? Fundamentalist religionists trying to rule the world through the illiterate.

      Love
      Mathew

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