Posts: Blogs / In John I Trust: The invention of religion.

this is the GREATEST STORY EVER!!!!

not too unlike the jewish tribe of waponi woo.

"'E look like you. 'E got white face. 'E tall man. 'E live 'long South America."

long south america

that's chile

one day, when i have enough money i will bring them their cargo

that's me

I am john

** Junk food faith for a fat head nation **

The US, a nation overwhelmingly god-fearing, also overwhelmingly rejects science. Many millions lack an intelligence sufficiently educated and critical to reject the unctuous Fundie Fare they stuff into their brains.

True believers across the US demand that scientific knowledge should be dictated by some theo-political ideology whether rooted in 17th century Protestantism, or 13th century Catholicism, or 12th century Islam. For these 21st century iPod consumers and Twitter users, technology is Cargo Cult -- magic devices created by the ancestors and delivered to an Apple Store by ghosts.

As consolation, the US is the grossest outlier among developed nations in its affinity for religious enthusiasms and in its failure to accept now elementary basic truths like evolution via natural selection.

Consumption of junk food faith leads directly to intellectual blockage, gastric self-righteousness, and boundless ego inflation.

Surely fundie prayers have been answered: Super size me Jesus!

the anti_supernaturalist

Note: Check the Pew surveys on Religion and Society. http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_category.aspx?id=318)

When people say that religion is universal they fail to account for a critical difference between institutionalized "cargo" religions and traditional hunter-gather groups’ folk religions.

just as sports are to war, as pornography are to sex, as religious institutions are to folk religions.

Religious institutions feed off of the basics fundamental features of folk religion- stuff were biologically predisposed to be interested in- marketing the finished product- a combination of hyper agency detection and quasi propositional stories displayed on the big screen mixed in with live music and now a days if all that is not enough they also offer day care, gift shops, restaurants, amusement parks, and museums about their religious text.

Religious institutions evolved along side with agriculture//civilization, as humans began living in large groups of nonrelated individuals somebody had to, as the collective mind of the group, act on behalf of the group. What better way to do this, at least for the potential leader, then claim divineness or at least a close relationship with the divine. Making theo-political ideology a good move (but that does not make it the best move) and therefore used over and over in civilizations. Eventually the society, hopefully, through education and technology decide to drop the theo from the political and low and behold we get a system like in the US. Problem is however the theo part is never really teased out, typically a decreed is made to separate the two or you elect a official religion.

Based on the competing religions hypothesis, the US is set up to fail because it has allowed an unregulated religious free-market system. By declaring a separation of church and state and not funding an official church - two things happen- it allows the people to choose between religions (thus creates spots for new religions to grow and this ultimately then strengthens the previous existing religions) and it forces the religions to rely on the principals of capitalism in order to survive.

While countries like Denmark, Sweden and the UK have an official state religion that is funded by the government. Thus they have no competition among religions. With no competition and a better quality of life people lose interest in the church and realize the importance of secular ideology – focusing on socialized government programs, education, science- making the most out of this life on earth. What scares me is how the US’s religious capitalism is spreading around the world. Why wouldn’t they, there are billions of potential believers out there and every seat filled is more money in the bank.

Adding to that new technologies- by feeding into out biological tendencies (e.g., social networking, sex, cargo) further distract people form carrying about issues and allow others, who they have aligned themselves with, to make the decisions for them.