If you choose to response to this, read the whole article. I know it’s torture for an ADHD person, but you’ll under the context better.
Very young, I was immersed in mono-theistic belief like most people in the USA. When I entered my teen years, I began to explore to religion and spirituality. Constantly, I did the one thing you shouldn’t, question the beliefs. It never really took.
Lets define the difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is specific list of beliefs that can’t be questioned. Spirituality is free form where you explore beliefs finding the ones that suit you. Religion is typically modern western systems such as monotheism(christian) and ancient western systems(poly-theism), enlightenment from some outside source. Spirituality is typically eastern systems, Neo-Pagan/New age, and philosophy, enlightenment from within. There is a bit of grey area between them.
These things I found to be true about religion in general:
Thou shall not kill with the exception of another religion competing for followers, (un)holy wars.
Love all with the exception of another religion competing for followers.
It’s mythology, if it’s not my religion.
There is no respect of competing belief systems, arrogance about my beliefs. “We have to convert the heathens. Save their souls.”
Put simply, mine is better than yours, so nya.
Religion practices pure hypocrisy.
Religion is pure pursuit of power, there is nothing noble about it
It’s controlling and manipulating people for the benefit of a few.
To question the authority of person in power, threatens the person in power
(brought these points up in philosophy class)
“Where religion reigns strong, horror soon follows.” Book: “Holy Horrors”
These beliefs have been used for mass murder at various points in history. The indirect or direct genocide of pagans in the dark and middle ages, known to modern pagans as the “Burning Times”. Any religion that doesn’t allow you to the question the authority of person in power is a dangerous cult.
Me personally, having ADHD made me explore my beliefs much more deeply. When I begin to explore pagan history using logic, I saw the truth, not the history written by mono-theistic culture. Pagan were the villains and mono-theistic the heroes. When the truth is very different, pagans were the victims and mono-theists were the villains of the story and history. When I made this realization, I saw they were hypocrites and the sheer volume of blood on their hands(most conservative estimate:100,000+ counted names). How history had been twisted or the truth covered in fog. How pagans/neo-pagans were and are treated as non-existent in the media in modern American society. They are to be converted in private, hassled, laughed at, and not taken seriously. So much for the first amendment to the constitution.
All once it hit me, I was horrified and started exploring other ways of looking at the world, spirituality. Then one day I watched one movie that changed my life forever. “Out on a limb”(1980’s), it was mind blowing. Everything in it made actually made sense. It opened my eyes to whole new world. I read every book I could find on the subject of “new age”/neo-paganism. Since this was spirituality, I could selectively accept or reject anything I read. I accepted some beliefs, rejected others. I finally found the peace I had searched for all my life. By the time I was 24, I was fully neo-pagan/new age. It has been an amazing journey. Also, I had found the tools that later helped me manage my ADHD.
Currently, I’m exploring my “brothers”, pagans, through a major website. It’s interesting to see how similar we are. How they had found their beliefs. The articles are great reading. “The myth of mono-theism” is next on my reading list. 