Let's pretend Jesus is real

[HairOfTheDog]

If religion is created to control people-I wonder who is controlling the people that I know. The pastors-the members of the churches, the congregation.
I am pretty sure most pastors felt called to the ministry and not coerced into believing that it was just a good idea.

Am I on the wrong track?

My feeling is that the control factor is primarily imbedded in the religious stories and teachings themselves (the indoctrination). Then, it's exploited and changed by some governments, religious organizations, and cult leaders in order to maintain their customer bases (believers), make money, and control behavior and thoughts.

For example, many religions dictate that sex before marriage is a sin. So, depending on the sect....you're either going to hell, dirty for life, or need to offer penance to be worthy again if you've engaged in pre-marital sex. That's an example of controlling human behavior.

And, if you're sexually attracted to people of the same sex, well.......you're pretty much fucked in the eyes of most major religions (though that's slowly changing as western religions continue to struggle to keep their diminishing congregations).

Among many sects, homosexuals are still forced to deny their natural attraction and live a lie, or undergo ridiculous and ineffective 'conversion therapy' if they're outed....lest be shunned.

Catholics and many other Christian sects profess that homosexuality is an abomination against God. Since those religions don't support or acknowledge marriage between two people of the same sex, waiting to have sex with the one you love until after the wedding isn't an option for staying 'pure and blessed' as it is for heterosexuals. That's an example of religious control + discrimination + focus on baby-making potential to keep the membership/business growing.

Then there are all the ways that various religions have dictated a woman's place as subservient to men. Donovan mentioned he was going to touch on that history. It's extremely rampant in religious history and still persists in a lot of religions to this day.

Anyway, pastors who believe some/all of those religious control principles because they've been indoctrinated can still feel a real calling to serve others.......without being forced or controlled into serving. And, they're not necessarily bad people. Some are very bad people, we know that from history and the news. But most, I suspect, are decent and truly compelled to do what they believe is good.