Dependence breeds oppression
There’s quite a little theological fur-ball going on over at the Lawrence Journal-World website in response to my letter to the editor. Unfortunately, many seemed to have not actually read the letter, or at least chose not to understand it, which is only expected from those with deep religious conviction. However, one response caught my eye:
I do not wish to start any more arguements only to offer my perspective. I am not a Bible scholar, it is taxing to name the books in order. I believe in God’s Creation of the world. I sometimes am upset with how things are and wonder why God allows it. But as a parent I have a new insight on things I did not understand before. With my daughter I tell her things in words she understands. I do not believe God lays out everything because we would not be able to take it. My favorite example is ‘what color was the universe before there was color?’ I believe the Bible states that it was dark, but what color is dark if there was no black. There was no matter, no light, no time, only the Father.
For me the bottom line is God is the creator and I am the creation, it is his world and I am a steward. I am supposed to take care of it as a neighbor’s house who is away, not make it my own home. It is really unsettling for me to come to terms with. I was not raised in a church and valued independence. It feels wrong to me to accept dependence, but perhaps it is right to depend. Perhaps is is a clever disception [sic] of Satan to breed in us a spirit of independence.
Demand proof and you will receive it, but it may come too late, for the proof is not on earth.
God gave us faith, hope and love; above logic, above reason, and above intellect. All this is from the perspective and bias of a believer. Please do not take this as an assault on your belief. —Uniqueconformity
Uniqueconformity sounds like a nice person, trying to do the best with what he/she has, but unfortunately, I believe her reply demonstrates one of the primary problems with any religious or dogmatic belief system. Her view is one of belief in a mystery that provides no answers or evidence of its existence, yet demands obedience and cannot be questioned. This is a belief that shuts down the mind to any real inquiry. If you come up with a question that is uncomfortable because it contradicts your idea of god, then you must forget about it because it might be too dangerous.
“I was not raised in a church and valued independence. It feels wrong to me to accept dependence, but perhaps it is right to depend.” This person is putting their full belief, trust, and dependence about the world, morality, and behavior in the hands of imaginary idea. This idea has the power to fully pervert a rational mind with the most grand of delusions. “Perhaps is is a clever disception of Satan to breed in us a spirit of independence.”
I can’t help but think of the possible analogies to political ideology. We must trust in whatever leader appears to have more power than us. We must not question. Anyone who does so must be under the influence of some dark and evil force. We have to believe that these leaders have good reasons for the things they do, even if we don’t know what they are.
It is a sad, simple, and ultimately dangerous way to look at the world, and does more to produce tyranny in government or religion than any malevolent despot could.
