Non-religious

With a side of heresy

Not even done writing and this already looks like it will be a long one. Sorry! but not really. I feel compelled to flesh out my starting point, where I’m coming from, in order to make sense of where I want to go. And where I want to go is way down a theological rabbithole. So this article/post/essay/whatever is all about me. Again, sorry not sorry. It may make sense to you, it may not, but it will partially explain The Freeq and what is to come.

Ready or not, here we go. Read on if you dare.

^Up there^ in my mini-bio, a couple of my personal adjectives (not pronouns!!) are non-religious and heretical. “Non-religious” is pretty self explanatory - I do not subscribe/believe in/agree with or otherwise have any truck with any religion or religious authority. I do, however, agree with and even like some of the tidbits found inside each of them. Some of their individual teachings and tenets are quite good, like the one about loving others as yourself, but the overall feel of them, their restrictions and exclusivity and hypocrisy, is just plain ol’ yucky.

Now, “heretical” looks like I should be hunted down and burned at the stake. Probably for stating the above paragraph (as well as other stuff I have planned for future writings). The actual definition is:

heretical

hə-rĕt′ĭ-kəl

adjective

Of or relating to heresy or heretics.

heresy

hĕr′ĭ-sē

noun

An opinion or a doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs, especially dissension from or denial of Roman Catholic dogma by a professed believer or baptized church member.

Adherence to such dissenting opinion or doctrine.

A controversial or unorthodox opinion or doctrine, as in politics, philosophy, or science.

I definitely have a controversial opinion and it’s waaay at variance with established religious beliefs, all resulting in being non-religious.

I am not quite anti-religious, only partially. You see, I do not believe in organized religions at all. They are/were entities created by man taking advantage of the varying beliefs of the populace, mashed all together and put into law in order to control the masses. Then they sent in the goon squads to make sure everyone bent the knee to this new way of thinking. And they’ve been doing it ever since.

But people who truly believe, and walk their talk, actually find comfort in their beliefs. If this is what floats their boat, far be it from me to tug away their comfort zone. The little ol’ blue haired ladies that attend every Sunday, bake cookies to raise funds for a new organ, are nice to everyone and just lives their lives as a good person who loves God....yeah those ones seem to embody what their religion supposedly stands for. I sure as hell won’t be the one to push any anti-religious thoughts upon them, they’re happy where they are. Leave them be.

It’s really too bad they are few and far between. Most I’ve met are “Sunday morning Christians” - pious as hell once a week then asshats the rest of it. My aunt and uncle were like this: Catholic to the core but only whilst in church or thumping their bible. When they had my grandfather out of the care home for a visit, he always went back with bruises - once “falling” down the stairs. His will was in court for almost 10 years because this Christian aunt and uncle were the POAs of the living will and the executors of the main will and stole everything.

I have found most so-called religious people are nowhere near what the basic tenets of their religion describe. Mostly it’s just a box checked off on various identity checklists, probably meant only to make sure the right wording is used during the funeral. ?? Who knows.

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I did, however, grow up in a very strict religious household. And yes, back in the day, I did find comfort in it and I truly enjoyed a lot of it. We were part of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Not the Mormons but kinda brothers to. The Reorgs stayed with Joseph Smith in Illinois when the Morms followed Brigham Young to Utah.

See? It IS lion and lamb!

[Note: shows how much I’ve kept up with “my religion”...they went and changed the name in 2001 to Community of Christ. Arrrggghhh!]

I lived with my grandparents and, Grandpa being a High Priest and Grandma as Head of Ladies’ Auxiliary, I was completely immersed in religious life. We read The Daily Bread before breakfast, said prayers at every meal and before bed and before a trip and before a school event and before...... One evening a week was with Grandma’s friends doing Auxiliary stuff. Sundays were Sunday School for everyone then the sermon. Sunday afternoons were usually dedicated for a trip around the city visiting shutins, giving aid and comfort and the occasion communion.

This church baptized at the age of 8, figuring this to be approximately when children could reason enough to make the commitment to God. We had a confirmation ceremony as a baby, sorta making the promise to commit later. Grandpa did both of my ceremonies. I asked him to officiate at my wedding years later but he declined, saying he wasn’t licensed to do marriages. Since that license included funerals as well, and since he couldn’t get through 2 sentences without blubbering, he refused to pursue it. He was such a gentle soul and cried at the drop of a sad or happy hat.

Throughout the years, I attended all the children’s programs, youth retreats, youth camps, bible studies, shutin programs. You name it, I was there. And thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it, to be honest. Especially the youth retreats and camps - getting away from parents, camping out with friends, doing all the naughty stuff that tweens and teens do whilst away from said parents, the arts and crafts times, the nature studies - just all of it was a blast! Yeah there were prayers and hymn sings and we had to be good little Christian boys and girls but it was still fun.

Even though our church had all the petty rivalries of a normal entity, thinking our branch was better than the one in the city south, or the Reorgs vs Morms tag football games, and even thinking we were the only ones to be saved when the Messiah returned and swept us all off to Zion...it was still pretty tolerant of other religions. Or at least, being a kid and not privy to the political wranglings of the upper levels, I thought it was tolerant.

Now, RLDS concept of Zion is not the Zionism that is being revealed in the media today.

The concept of Zion in the Community of Christ relates to a theology of the "kingdom of God". As a doctrine, it is therefore closely founded upon the kingdom parables of Jesus as recorded in the four gospels. 

...Zion is now understood more as a cause, as a way of living or as a state of existence, and is usually not regarded as having its foundation in a specific place. Officially, the denomination states that "[t]he 'cause of Zion' expresses our commitment to pursuing God's kingdom through the establishment of Christ-centered communities in families, congregations, neighborhoods, cities, and throughout the world. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_Christ#Concept_of_Zion

Having said that, I have no idea what behind-closed-doors-nitty-gritty-shenanigans go on in the CoC or how close they really have come to the now-popular definition of Zionism. I closed that door years ago and have never looked back.

During my teens and twenties, I attended many churches just out of curiosity. I went to Christmas Mass at the local Catholic church for years just because it felt good. I’ve dropped into services/meetings of Greek Orthodox, Mormon, United, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Mennonite, and a bunch of offshoots too numerous to remember, pretty much everything from robes and choirs to sandals and guitars.

I was kicked out of the Mormon church service because I wouldn’t separate into the Men’s or Women’s group as I “should” - yes they still did that as of the 1990’s - and questioned them as to the reasons why the sexes needed to be separated. Supposedly the men were the only ones smart enough for bible study discussion, the women were relegated to the basement for tea and kids. Since I opposed the segration, I was quite assertively asked to leave.

The only ones I was not allowed to sit in on were the Tabernacle and the Mosque. Hmmm.

What I found was that the more orthodox religions spent those 2 hours on Sunday mornings telling me what a bad person I was, how everyone is a bad person, how we’re all going to spend eternity in Hell (with a capital H), how being a member of that particular sect was the only way to salvation...basically how the world went to hell in a handbasket because we’re all so bad. But usually no mention made of how to turn this around and be a good person based on the basic tenets of their particular religion.

The sandals and guitars groups were more uplifting. Their heads were stuck in the clouds of joy and bliss, believing the world was so good, all of us were good, the Lord is good, God is great, and just the belief in God made you a good person and that everything is right with the world because God’s in his heaven. But, again, usually no mention of how to keep on being the good person based on the basic tenets of their particular religion.

Needless to say, I had my eyes opened and learned a lot and none of it - none at all - was worth going back the next Sunday. Or ever.

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Since I was in the military at the time my son was born, he was baptized at the non-denominational base church by the base padré. We just stuck “United” on his certificate for want of anything better. I was still at the point of believing that religion and baptism were necessary things.

When it came to baptizing my daughter, however, we found out how religion really works. My own RLDS branch wouldn’t do it because I wasn’t a member of that particular branch (hence they didn’t get my money). The local base church wouldn’t do it because they said I came from a cult and they didn’t recognize me as a christian. (This even after knowing the other base church baptized my son no problem. Different padrés, different rules I guess) In fact, none of the churches in that large city with a population of almost 500,000, would baptize my daughter without us having been members first and actively tithing. Hmmm, so much for open arms, suffer the little children to come unto me, love everyone......tripe.

We contacted our grandmother whose late husband was buried in their churchyard - dead giveaway as to how much money they sunk into that place [pun intended]. She made one phone call and poof! we had a baptism appointment for the next Sunday. Imagine that! All of a sudden I was persona grata, at the same church that denied us previously.

I’m thinking Jesus needs to pay a visit to these places and overturn some tables.

I also found out about that time that my stepdad paid to have his late wife’s name spoken aloud on the anniversary of her death. They were devout catholic before she died and he didn’t mind paying to have her death announced that Sunday during mass. But the next year, on the anniversary, it cost him $50 to have her name inserted into a long list of names and that list intoned under the heading of In Memoriam at the end of sermon. I can imagine the price has gone up since the early 70s when this happened. Dad saw through that, and a few other things, and turned his back on religion altogether.

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I was a relative latecomer to the larger “conspiracy theory scene” at the tender age of 40 or so when I began to open my eyes and starting looking at the world in a more critical way. Things just didn’t add up which made me curious as to why.

I started delving into the histories of various subjects, religion being just one, and was finding that the popular taught history is not quite the same as the unpopular recorded history. I actually started with my own RLDS religion then the Mormons, and what I found out was truly shocking. I was almost ashamed at going through 40 years or so of life being so blind to what was going on. But it just fueled the research fire and off I went.

I read about Constantine against the pagans, the Templars against the Saracens, the Inquisitors against the heretics, the genocide of the Cathars, the Muslims enslaving the Christians, the Jews against the goy, the Islamic hardliners against the infidel, the Catholic church against everybody - and it just opened more questions than answers.

Especially since the rock-bottom basis of all main religions is The Golden Rule. Sadly though, none of them live by it.

Why are there three main religions, Christian, Jew, Islam, when there’s supposedly only one God?

Why are Christians separated into Catholic and Protestant? And then Protestant split into thousands of branches - when there’s supposedly only one God?

Why do some Muslims hate the Infidel?

Why do some Jews hate the goy?

Why does the Catholic church display so much wealth in their gold-lined cathedrals and still dun the little guy for 10% of his income? Where does it go?

In fact, why do people pay to go to church (and any little extra perk they might wish)?

Why do the different groups of people with their different opinions and beliefs always want to force their way of thinking onto others? In some cases leading to wars and bloodbaths and witch-hunts and Inquisitions and genocides.

Why was there never a separation of church and state no matter who announced that there was?

All these questions and more about so many different groups of people with their different opinions and beliefs - and yet they all believe in One God. How is this possible? It doesn’t matter what name is put to this entity - Allah Jehovah Yahweh Khuda Tengri God, or the other 100 or so names according to all the different religious sects - it’s still one entity. And people fight over whose interpretation is best? It still all boils down to opinion. No one has ever proven the existence of this being let alone what it wants to be called, or even whether or not it wants to be worshipped/adored/fought over. It’s still all opinion and interpretation. And wars are fought over this opinion.

So yeah, I’m non-religious. I refuse to be drawn into the fight over opinions.

And that’s all this is - my opinions - based on what I’ve read and watched. It’s pretty much all backed up by archaeology or scientific discoveries or translations of ancient records and yet all these are still open to misconception and misrepresentation. Some intentional and some not. It all boils down to whatever anyone wants to believe happened based on who they trust to have written about it.

Read, watch, listen, research, make up your own mind. I’m attempting to do just that but the jury is still out on a lot of it. I wasn’t there, you weren’t there. And until someone who was there steps up, none of us will know for sure. It will remain all just opinion.