church

Everybody wants community and they will pay big for it.

| johnas9000
ChurchSelf Help
1 Community1 Community
2 Sense of Belonging2 Sense of Belonging
3 Friends3 Friends
4 life lessons4 life lessons
5 north star for hard times5 north star for hard times
6 something to believe in6 something to believe in
7 sense of purpose7 sense of purpose
8 sense of hope for better future8 sense of hope for better future
9 charismatic leader9 charismatic leader
10 some charity10 some charity
11 leader often flawed11 leader often flawed

I was watching TV this morning and stumbled across a televangelist. It’s amazing how far we’ve come. But what sets someone like Tony Robbins apart from Jim Bakker? The answer is nothing.

Sorry if I am impugning the good that many do. But even in the good that they do, dont they all say “listen to me, I have the answers, pay me, do as I say, I am not perfect, I will teach you lessons, find peace friendship in our community, do not spread blasphemy amongst our herd or you will be expelled.” I could go on literally all day.

By the way only Osho said dont follow me if you are not following yourself you are already on the wrong path, Pure genius. He didnt even write a book because he didnt want anyone to follow. All his books are his speeches transcribed. Had to insert him because he is the only on in all of history that I know of that doesnt say “follow me”

I am not saying the others are doing bad work. In fact I know both the church and self help gurus have inspired countless monumental success stories. All I am saying is that they fullfill the same basic human needs,.

They all have their stars and their crooks. I just like honesty and transparency. I also believe most of them have a good heart and are sincerely doing their best. I still own my own brain, so I do have questions.

Blind faith has its upsides and its downsides. I made the comparison recently to house flipping or the “no money down craze”. Many who got rich had Shit For Brains. (PS guess who owns SFB inc). I noticed forty years ago the most successful were not necessarily smart they just did exactly as they were told becasue they didnt have the ability to discern.

In fact most super intelligent people are plagued by their brains. I remember thinking in my early twenties. I wish I could just be happy joining the union making $50,000 a year buying a house in Staten Island, having 2 and a half kids and a dog. Unfortunately I would rather kill myself then be that bored with life, and I almost did countless times. But I didnt succeed. So I guess we will figure out what is next in life for us all.

Sorry for the segue. The brain is too active. The point of this blog is whether you belong to a church a cult, or a self help group, we humans all want, no NEED, community, family, a sense of belonging, a map for life, and hope. There is nothing wrong with seeking it, just dont drink poisoned Kool Ade. Some Kool Ade might be the price of admission. Its too bad the leaders of the churches and self help courses are not into growth. They fear that their kingdom will be toppled if anyone tries to improve what they are doing, because that means they are no longer the sole arbiter of everything.

PS once again I am acknowledging that I learn from all of them. I love to learn. I am also smart enough to understand the way their ecosystem must operate. They can not tolerate everyone questioning them.

Can you imagine if Christianity allowed every parishioner to question everything every day? LOL

Maybe they all use religion as their model, it’s pretty obvious how to run a community of “learning” “Self help” “Self growth” or even “Salvation” “Hope” and “life skills” and “life lessons”

I guess they are all like the McDonalds LOL. McDonalds is famous for creating protocols that anyone can follow. So is religion or self help any different than McDonalds? oops on to the next blog.

To be successful, you must be like McDonald’s: replicable, unquestioning, identical. Actually, hotel chains are like that, too. You know what to expect. Meeting expectations gives people safety. We can even get into the neurology of that and how David constantly reminds us that the amygdala must feel safe.

The amygdala is really interesting must do a blog on that too.

Oops almost forgot AA. But AA is only 2 million compared to two billion in Christianity. Maybe they need to borrow more from the church. PS I learned a lot from AA as well. Serenity prayer is about every single issue in every day of your life. So is HALT. Are you hungry angry lonely or tired? I would bet if HALT was hanging in every household 99% of all arguments would never happen.

But we all need to belong to something, unless you lucky enough to have a dozen siblings and a family bigger than a football team. I wonder how large families fare psychologically? I am sure depending on their leader and rules, they are either fantastic or fantastic disasters too.

Why are the biggest sinners at church?

| johnas9000

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. I just posted this on Facebook.
“What if we could choose who we are when we are reborn? Today, as we celebrate the season of renewal, let’s embrace the power of personal transformation. May you find joy in shaping your destiny and discovering the boundless possibilities you choose today and every day. You are reborn every day. You can release all the worries, problems, fears, and negativity and embrace joy, gratitude, giving, and sharing. Happy spring, and may your choices lead you to a life filled with abundance and fulfillment. Happy Easter to those who celebrate and observe. Although we all must share faith and the positive possibilities of what this day represents no matter your faith.”
I turned on the TV and heard someone preaching. Within a few minutes, he said that your sins have been forgiven. Then he said your future sins are forgiven. Then he said your past sins are forgiven. Then he said, all of your sins were forgiven thousands of years ago.
No wonder why I have seen the worst people at church. When I was a little boy 60 years ago, I noticed that of the few divorces in our parish, those men were all deacons or some other notable position in the church. Today, I hear my friends tell me about all kinds of evil people who were either attempting to have an extramarital affair with them or were trying to cheat them or their families financially.
It is apparent to me that since I don’t attend church, I don’t get a “get out of guilt jail” free card. I am not even close to perfect. But I don’t think I have ever lied to anyone. In fact, I am constantly accused of being brutally honest. I also would suspect that if I cheated on someone, I would carry that guilt to my grave. And I don’t have room to carry that much guilt.
Isn’t that better than thinking you can go to church and be instantly absolved? Or, at worst, say a few hail Marys?
I am not dissing religion. But it seems to me that everyone is taking bits and pieces and using them to get away with “murder” or, at the very least, cheating and lying.
Even if you want to believe 100% in god and that Jesus died for our sins, it is not a get-out-of-jail-free card to be an asshole. It seems like people are using religion, or more correctly perverting religion, to allow their worst behaviors to be OK, actually to be instantly forgiven.
There is something very wrong with that attitude. Personal responsibility comes first. Yes, we have all sinned and will probably sin some more before we die. But don’t use it as an excuse to do stuff you know is terrible.
I was recently speaking to a friend who was speaking to some high-level TM master. He had the nerve to tell her that she wasn’t evolved while he ( a married man) was hitting on her. Worse yet, he admitted he had cheated at least four times. By the way, you know that probably means 28 times. The law of 7 states that whatever they admit to, multiply by 7. I only have one drink a day. I only cheated once, etc.
It’s deplorable. I truly pray and hope that this Easter, the world will evolve to a better place. There is way too much crime, war, and awful people doing awful things.
Please ensure that repeat sinners are taught a lesson, not just forgiven. Repeat criminals need to be kept in jail or some other way to protect the innocent people they kill. Repeat financial criminals need to be put in prison and stopped from stealing, and repeat emotional killers need to be kept away from good people.