2/20/17 - Religion is the product of ideology. Hence, the terms can be used interchangeably, and any ideology could be considered its own religion, a faith composed of some logic of ideas. Whether a specific ideology has been defined as a religion is irrelevant to me, as I would define a religion as an alliance of faithful who believe in the power and truth of their own ideological notions. Let us take the example of a force I find prevalent in modern ideology. There seems to be a war waging between cruelty and kindness, one side of it being dominant in a given individual; clung to faithfully for its truth and power, worshipped either with demonic or angelic intention. Specific concepts and symbols are associated with either side - the love of money, prestige and power. Glorious architectural achievement, scientific excellence, thematic musical composition. In contrast, some uphold values of humility, thoughtful consideration, and honesty. They recognize the beauty of nature. They become artists and philosophers, not minding if they are designated by their inferiors as Losers in The Game. Often, those who worship the extravagant exploits of human beings also worship a religion. God is just another thing which they have conquered and scientifically classified as a set of simple rules one must follow to reach Salvation. They enjoy the rituals of their Church for making explicit to them the manner in which they must abide to be correct in the eyes of God. Philosophers and artists predominantly value a spirituality that is not associated with any human construct, believing in intuition and reason as their method for connecting to the Mind of their Creator. Both sides of the ideological war are known intuitively. A pure heart leads one to pure concepts, demanding to be expressed in artwork and ideas. An evil heart leads one to a failing world which seeks to glorify itself despite its unresolvable problems - always seeing another expression of human religion as the source of corruption to be eliminated to yield an unblemished world. What if faith in the world inevitably fails because the world inevitably fails? What if the world and the glory of humanity are irreparably corrupt, and not to be believed in? Worshipping a tragedy would certainly be demonic, as God, no doubt, wants a triumph for Himself and His faithful. This is the primary dichotomy in all ideology, ill-intent opposed to good-will. Belief in the power of cruelty to proclaim you as victor, or the power of kindness to realize a promise that you will receive what you gave. It's the difference between saying "you lose" and "you win", and losing with your victims or winning with your friends. Evil seems to know that is an undeniable reality in life that you can win or lose, and they treat it as a game to be played for victory. But, what if they don't really understand the rules? If they make up their own rules, it's easy to see how they could win at their own game, trying to convince people that they lose, according to the official manuscript - written by Todd the meat-head. Todd believes in eradicating anyone not on his team - not born in his family, not upholding the same, trivial, worldly customs. He won't break bread with anyone outside his family, and he designates himself and his familiars as "winners" of an innate spiritual inheritance. His cat will go to Heaven because it was his cat, and his children will all be Kings of Men, always to be respected without consideration. Todd believes in the power of money, so he set himself to making lots of it, and knows that it will be passed down through many generations of benefactors of his glory. What Todd doesn't know is that his money is worthless, his world will die, and no one will remember his name. He thinks a strong family will substantiate his existence. He competes with others, like him, for a place in the world. The world is waste material. Something to eat for a higher purpose. What do you do with the energy your food provides? |