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The Hypocrisy of Religion
Posted by Raven on July 17th, 2008
Sitting out on the patio this noon, sipping some gross disgusting wine and admiring my first me-made bouquet of wild flowers from my garden, I have some thoughts.
I’ve always had **issues** with religion, Christians and what not. To me it’s always been preach one thing but behave in another. Do as I say. Not as I do. I try not to post about these things, BUT I need to do so once in awhile.
This is from a religious blog:
For too long already we have failed to recognize the great dignity of feminism in our society where nothing is sacred, much less the female body. We’ve replaced sacred femininity with modern day “feminism” where women work to become more like men. Abortion has destroyed the maternal love of women and the widespread and accepted indulgence of lust coupled with the use of contraception has lead many women to allow themselves to be objectified – used and abused for the physical gratification of another.
Woman! Recognize your dignity! Our bodies are made so clearly sacred and precious to the eyes of the Lord – never to be subject to the lustful desires of men.
You know what this reminds me of? Islam. HATE to say. But that’s not my point here.
AND why can’t women be lusted for? Please tell me.
Explain to me why is it the men who seek the porn? Who post images of objectified young women on their blogs- where the last post might be some religious rant? Why is it the married men who seek the services of prostitutes far more than any other group of the male species? How can a single man call himself religious and attend church and all that- and go out and sex it up/do the one night thing with women he has no intention of having a relationship with? <–as a habit. Why do these men preach one thing and turn around and do exactly what they tell others NOT to do?
Why are religious people so hypocritical? Surely this God they all bow down to, pray to- doesn’t approve of all these humanly human antics and behaviors? Or, is it that modestly rules apply only to women? Does God approve of men of being sexual beings only?
Either way, I don’t like it and more and more I am finding myself blessed NOT to subscribe to religious beliefs. The hypocrisy is so loud and deafening I can’t stand it.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I respectfully disagree with you Raven on this. Because there are those who do not “walk the walk” even after “talking the talk” does not necessarily negate the good that comes from organized religion. There are many men and women who are indeed moral and live lives according to their religions. And there are those who try and struggle, yet continue to do things that are against their religion. And those people become hypocrites when they do not acknowledge that they are imperfect, just like those who don’t follow their beliefs, and act self-righteous. Those people do indeed make me ill as they misrepresent my fellow Christians. I am a Christian, and I’ll be the first to say I am imperfect. I don’t think I am any better than anyone else. I just believe that I’m saved through Christ Jesus. That is the difference. Even the Apostle Paul, a man credited with being one of the greatest of Jesus’s followers, admitted that he fell short of the words he preached…
Romans 7:14-25
It is those who do not even try or attempt to live the life they know their religion calls for, those who put on the trappings of religion yet live a different life, they are the ones who should question themselves and their apparent hypocrisy. But I reject the argument that religion itself is evil, or worthless, or filled with hypocrisy.
Lusting after women? Because it ISN’T about relationships. It ISN’T about love. It is the feel good, do it mentality. It leads to other evil thoughts, like rape, incest, adultery. Do I “lust” after my wife… I do not think so, not in that sense. I love my wife, and because I find her physically attractive, I more than desire her sexually. But a woman I just find attractive, and I want her sexually only to throw her to the side when I’m done… that’s lust… and that doesn’t lead to the betterment of anyone in the end…
And modesty? It applies to both sexes. If you read Song of Solomon in the Old Testament, it is quite obvious that sex is not something that God finds evil or abhorrent. Its sex outside the rules He set for proper relationships that is wrong. And once again, I’m no choir boy on this either. I’ll admit I sure as hell stuggle with lust and desire, just like every other man… its just do we have the self-control? Some more so than others.
But because there are those who fail to hold up their standards to what they hold others or their values… just because people pretty much ignore the Constitution in Washington D.C., do we just say the Constitution itself is invalid? Or because the Republicans look more the New Deal Democrats that conservatism itself is invalid. Just trying to find an analogy.
This is not meant to be an attack on you Raven, just my response to what you wrote. The nice thing about Christianity is it is indeed about freewill. You are free to come and leave, free to make your choices. But like all choices, there are consequences to them, and people have to learn to live with them.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
People seek power over others. If hypocracy serves that goal, then they’ll be hypocrits.
July 18th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I am more of a spiritual person rather than just a ‘christian’. That word is used far too often by people who want to either earn your trust to take advantage of a situation. Read your bible and you’ll see that Jesus did not only preach in a building called a ‘church’ and there fore, you don’t have to go to church every time the doors swing open to be a christian. You should not have to announce to the world that you are a christian because if you do then who are you trying to convince, me or you? All you have to do is read what I have written and where there are two or more discussing Jesus or God, then we’re in church. And that’s my opinion!!!!!
Madam Antionette
July 19th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Duncan,
I have never been religious and don’t know, haven’t read, Bibles and all that stuff. I form my opinions based on people’s behaviors, and too often their words go against their behaviors. I don’t mean once in a while either- I mean 99% of the time.
When I spoke of lust, I used it as an example of the biggest DAIS/NAID: Men always look and drop and drool, LUST, at women. That’s normal I guess…but when it becomes a daily thing, when men seek out web sites and magazines with images of air brushed ladies- it’s a problem. And from what I see its the religious men who do this far more than non-religious men. I cannot help but think there is a connection. I wonder if religious men are trying to live to some standard that goes against their very natural instincts. You may call it a struggle but I call it fighting Mother Nature. I don’t think religious men can ever be content because they will always be in the fight.
A little lust can go a long way in marriages- when the lust is aimed at the other. Problem is, we get to USED to the other and they no longer appear sexy. Routines, familiarity and boredom set in. I have personally seen how this ruins marriages- and the men always claim to be religious. I know it for fact. Hypocrites of high order indeed. Same with women but not as bad and blatant.
I tend to see, and believe in the science of human sexuality and behavior. Science is proven and explains much. Religion is all blurry and subjective and not absolute. It often makes no sense and goes against everything I have experienced, seen, been involved with. It’s hard to buy into it all when there is another very probable reasoning for all things.