Religion, a hidden mental disorder Religion is a disorder which affects young and old, intelligent and unintelligent, common sense, rational thought and logic. What is religion? Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship. 1. The life or condition of a person in a religious order. 2. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader. 3. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. In the beginning Man increasingly became aware of his existence through evolution. This awareness posed as many questions concerning his existence then, as it does now. The “who, what, when, where, why and how” of man’s existence became increasingly disturbing and difficult to answer, thus religion was born. Religion was an easy answer for all of life’s mysteries and pacified many fears at the same time. Even today religion serves as an escape and justification for nearly any obstacle or problem a person comes across in life. “It was god’s will” “God told me to do it” “I was lead by the spirit” “That is what the writings say therefore it must be so”. These writings being the fabrication of man are forever interpreted to slant in the direction the faction or religious order feel lead. One million different interpretations will ultimately lead to one million different religions. How does religion in the beginning parallel modern day religion? Manipulation and pacification of the masses are no different today than they were in the beginning. Religious teachers Convinced themselves and others that whatever the prophet felt and thought and did was all inspired from god, therefore it must be true. This was a very dangerous time and turning point in the evolution of man. Man’s fear of the unknown and inherent need to follow left a deep hole in man’s mental evolution. Once man took that leap into the hole of blind faith, humanity was doomed never to find its way back out. Manipulation of the masses began innocently enough, however, over time this form of manipulation evolved into manipulation for gain. Gain of power, Gain of control, Gain of wealth and many other forms of gain through mental and ritualistic manipulation. Many of these grew in the form of rituals which required followers to perform acts which defined their faith and commitment to the religious order. As religion spread throughout the world diverse cultures and philosophies began to argue the meaning of the one true religion and the one true god. Fair enough, all of their stories and rituals and worship of the god they were manipulated into believing conflicted causing many to question the validity of all religions including their own. Even today the problem has grown totally out of control. We can see example after example of this mental disorder spanning the entire globe. The middle east is particularly interesting in that the same belief held by millions of people has become dissected into so many factions that they will kill each other for not worshiping as their varying interpretations dictate they live their lives. What are some underlying causes for such a disorder to have nearly all of humanity affected? 1. A natural need to belong. 2. A natural addiction to ones own brain chemicals. (Self induced drug trips) 3. Emotions further enhance the effects of these chemicals. If you dissect history it is evident that any occurrence equated to religion has the same fundamental flaw. That flaw being the influence of man. All of religion is centered on a higher power. Typically the higher power need only be untouchable to attract the addict. The influence of man combined with the natural need to belong creates a potential melting pot of abuse and mental disorder. Brain chemicals interact differently from one person to the next thus it would make sense that there will never be just one religion. There is basically a religion for any kind of addict that exists. There are continually added to this melting pot, new religions which cater to the “modern” follower. These modern addicts think of themselves as enlightened. The base of this is simply any new or old religion serves to excite the chemicals in the brains of the followers in such a way they are drawn back for more much like a crack addict is continually drawn back to the streets for a fix. These followers gather together to self induce a chemical fix as needed. Some only need a fix once a week while others devote their lives to the effort of bathing in their own self induced drug trips. Unfortunately this self induced drug trip does not always have a positive effect on the follower or the society in which the follower dwells just as a crack addict does not always have a positive impact within the realm of society either. Some religions attract (for example) the Prozac crowd, while others attract the methamphetamine crowd; others the PCP crowd and so on. What is the Prozac crowd? The Prozac crowd is populated with those seeking a sense of euphoria in serving their god. Religious induced euphoria amongst this crowd is often referred to as “feeling the spirit” or “feeling the presence” of god. What is the methamphetamine crowd? The Methamphetamine crowd needs a greater stimulant than the Prozac crowd. They are not able to release an adequate dose of chemicals by simply feeling closeness to their god. This crowd seeks to interact physically with their god while either alone or in large groups of people. This heightened need for a release of chemicals attracts others with the same addiction. These people gathered together can develop into a chemical frenzy while interacting with each other. A virtual chemical orgy will often take place until all are sufficiently tranquilized into their desired euphoric state. What is the PCP crowd? The PCP crowd is a dangerous mix of both the Prozac crowd and the Methamphetamine crowd with a twist of schizophrenia. These are the cancer of all religions and society. These are made up of “cults” (a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader) which have evolved from the depths of mainstream religious beliefs. These groups of religious addicts are likely, in some cases, to physically harm other people and/or themselves in order to maintain the high level of addiction to their own brain chemical release. This crowd will defend its right to exist with fervor, zeal and in some cases, to their own death. The correlation between the varying attractions and religious needs to chemically alter ones mind can easily be found in a range of affluence to poverty. Now this does not imply that every person who is well off cannot become a radical religious zealot nor does this imply that every person that is poverty stricken cannot become part of the Prozac crowd. Looking at statistics world wide, the more poverty stricken and oppressed are far more likely to turn to religion to fully purpose their lives which would otherwise lean toward hopelessness. It is widely known that education has a great impact on the path one will follow in religion as well. Those not well educated are drawn much easier into cults and religion which offer answers to which there are no questions. Ignorant and the not well educated will be drawn into a sense of hope and meaning which in most cases was not a prior part of their lives. Commonalities shared by all religions 1. Belief in a god or higher power Throughout history people drawn to this type of addiction have been abused by the creativity of man. Followers of any religious entity place themselves at risk of abuse and manipulation. This often times will pull the addict deeper into a “sense of belonging” which will alter the release of chemicals giving the addict a new euphoric high. This new state of euphoria can be strong enough to overtake rational thought and reason. People of all religions are faced with the dilemma of either believing what has been written by past followers of the religion or seeking the chemical fix elsewhere. All written doctrine, as well as, supernatural inspiration has been written by man. Some which would be referred to as prophets (providing they existed at all) have never communicated with any god. These people have simply had a self induced drug trip that allowed them to believe so strongly in their hallucinations that they have convinced themselves and others to accept their inspiration as truth. 2. Praying Praying is a way of getting the chemical fix anywhere and at any time it is needed either alone or in public. Praying in and of itself is not an unsafe practice and fairly harmless to others therefore it is an accepted practice in most places and in most societies. The chemical release from praying is more of an antidepressant and will rarely render an individual unfit to operate machinery or drive a car. Even “non-religious” people will resort to praying in times of need or distress. The tranquilizing effects of praying often will induce a belief that a prayer has been or will be answered. People susceptible to this form of thinking will often turn to inductive reasoning as a means of justifying their irrational conclusions. 3. Scripture and Storytelling Without these writings, the group would have no foundation to substantiate their belief; therefore scripture and storytelling has been proven throughout history to be the single most effective means of manipulating followers while herding their thoughts and actions. Many followers will act on the premise that “if it is written it must be true”. Blind faith is the “out” these people have to shrug off the ever looming face of reality. Creating an alternate reality (god, heaven, hell etc.) which cannot be proven or disproved is an easy way to justify the use of irrational thought simply to serve an addiction 4. Charismatic leadership A charismatic leader is nothing more than an emotional button pusher. The more emotions which are induced into the message,the more the addict feels the transfixion of the altered state of mind and thus becomes more vulnerable to the suggestions and wishes of the leader. As entire groups of people are taken in by the charismatic delivery the harder it will be to challenge the purpose and authenticity of the message. The charismatic leader may use emotions to solicit money or other forms of wealth from its followers in order to expand its business propose or position within a culture or society. This manipulation is practiced by many religions throughout the world. Oftentimes within a cult the purpose has agenda only known by the leader and may result in catastrophic harm. 5. Excuse for their actions “I did it in the name of god” “God spoke to me and I obeyed” “It is in the writings therefore I must follow what the scripture says” Even a drug addict on the street will make excuses for their actions. The scripture is used more often to defend irrational thought, reason and actions than it is used for anything other purpose. Thus defense of one’s addiction has become commonplace among religions worldwide. What is never understood in these groups is that the very actions which are being defended were placed in the writings originally in order to manipulate the masses into performing that very deed. This is in effect a downward spiraling effect of ignorance on not only their actions yet in the denying of their own individuality as well. 6. Rituals Rituals are a tool used in controlling masses of people with a minimal effort. The better trained the followers are in acting out a ritual the easier it will be to train their thought processes in any direction the religion wishes them to be proceed. This technique of conditioned response and reaction has been used throughout all religions as well as many other disciplines. Animal training extensively uses this conditioned response to develop highly trained pets. 7. Social and esoteric insight Each religion holds its own belief system which up front may seem similar to others yet when dissected contains the fabric which binds those addicted followers to the family. It has been said “birds of a feather flock together” this could not be closer to the truth with religious addicts in particular. Is there a cure for this addiction? There is a cure for religious addiction. There is choice in understanding the addiction and its possible side affects. In many cases the side affects and addiction outweigh the prospect of not being addicted to religion at all. It is only when the addiction adversely affects the mental well being of the follower or the well being of society that the addiction must be confronted and altered behaviorally. Why do people choose to harm themselves or others for the sake of their religion? We must look at a much larger picture if we are to understand the actions of the religious fanatic. 1. Corrupted Individualism Religion is a form of self expression. Alone one can find chemical solace in many avenues of which are perfectly harmless to the addict and those exposed to the disposition and behavior of the addict at that given time. It is typically, when coupled with the actions of a group, that this individual behavior becomes distorted and skewed into a “pack” mentality. This will often shape and guide the individual mentality to the point lost individuality. The individual will maintain the group mentality even while alone and perform rituals which would be acceptable by the group in order to rationalize and justify the very actions they are now swept into. The human factor is at this point completely set aside and group think takes over. The more a ritual is performed the more ingrained the belief becomes and the stronger the belief becomes the more susceptible the individual becomes toward performing radical deeds in the name of their religion. Once the human element has been removed, so has the very essence of life. Peace no longer means peace and death no longer means death. Good no longer means good and evil no longer means evil. It is only in this esoteric “pack” that the rules of life apply the way they deem them. If the pack believes that it is good to kill then the group mentality will find a means to justify the deed. If the pack believes it is ok to harm others then the same applies. Once a person hands over loyalty to the pack, they have then lost their individuality and have become a behavioral slave not only to their own addiction yet to the addictions and mentality of the group. 2. Fear Perceived challenge of a belief system will often lead to a path of harm. This harm can be as simple as a heated debate or as complex as murder justified in the name of religion. While it seems to those of us not caught up in religious addiction to be somewhat counterproductive to even attempt a debate between two religions, it is not seen that way to the addict. To even entertain the thought that a story created and reinterpreted over time can hold spiritual truth or even validity is absurd to say the least. It becomes even more absurd when comparing two different stories (religions) and debating which one has more truth. It would be like two junkies on the street arguing which drug is better heroin or cocaine. To each of the junkies there is a belief system which allows them to justify their very use of the drug. Now to couple this justification with debate we can conclude that neither is better and that for each they have found their addictive needs to be filled by their drug of choice. When a religion or belief is threatened, a pack mentality will form which will leash out in an attempt to justify even further the sanctity and foundational truths which are in question. Thus to the body of believers being challenged it creates a sense of unity and bond which further solidifies the addiction and places the follower deeper into the downward spiral of an altered state of mind and skewed sense of reality. 3. Fundamentalism Fundamentalists are typically addicts which stand behind any writing which will support their cause. Many have mindlessly given over their will to these writings as a tool to end debate. “If it is written it is so”, end of story. This form of behavioral slavery allows the addict to concentrate more on their addiction alleviating the need to answer for their actions. Fundamentalism combined with pack mentality can become a melting pot of disaster not only for the addict yet also for the social community in which the addict resides. In these cases people outside of the influence of that particular form of behavioral slavery (religion) are directly affected e.g. hate, hate crimes, intolerance, discrimination and even murder in the name of peace. All of these are justified by a means of the interpretation of written words which support the addiction (religion) of their choice. 4. Proliferation (fragile minds) Indoctrination at a young age is another factor in the propagation of behavioral slavery. Children not yet able to discern the full ramifications of right and wrong within a religion will generally become followers of the movement out of their own ignorance as well as persuasion from parents and organizational leadership. This indoctrinated mental disorder (inability to reason outside of their altered perception of reality) is then passed on to their children and their children’s children. The human mind in and of itself is very mentally fragile. Both conscious and sub-conscious needs are geared toward safety and health (personal functional needs), belonging and being wanted/needed/loved (personal social needs), assimilation (the need to be a part of something greater than themselves). These three basic needs fuel the fire which drives religion. You can take nearly any person and subject them to an environment that potentially threatens one or all of these basic needs and that person will ultimately alter their mental and physical state in order to protect that which has been threatened. Stockholm syndrome is a fine example of this change. Now take a child which is still forming an opinion of life and its mysteries and a parent or group of people which have already engaged and embraced the acceptance and lifestyle of the mental disorder surrounding religion and you have a perpetuation of this disorder forced upon this child and this child’s children and so on and so on. 5. Charismatic leadership The overwhelming majority of people in the world are naturally wired to follow, while a small minority is wired to lead. This in and of itself is not bad. The line is crossed when we see a charismatic leader with an agenda not openly recognized as harmful by followers. In most cases this religious following is developed over time and eventually expands into what is deemed a religious “cult” (a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader). These leaders appear to believe so strongly, emotionally and are so convincing that others are drawn into their addictive mental disorder simply to become a part of something which fills a void in their lives. Highly susceptible people include teens in search of an identity, runaways, recovering addicts, the hopeless, illiterate, oppressed and of course those propagated into the cult/religion by family members through means of indoctrinated behavioral slavery. While all cults do not pose a direct threat to society, they all possess the ability to become harmful to them or others simply given the charismatic abilities of their leader combined with the potential mentally unstable population they attract. 6. Obsession When leadership and/or followers become obsessed or fixated upon a narrow band of interest within the entirety of the scope of their religious fundamentals the result can become harmful to both those inside and outside of the religion. This obsession should be a red flag that something is very wrong. The mission becomes skewed and the focus on the whole is then lost. Rules are developed and thought processes are transformed so as to unify followers into a single mindset. This mindset builds solidarity among followers. Self justification and religious zeal cloud both the original intent and mission which once identified the foundation upon which the belief was built. Obsessive behavior is generally the result of leadership with psychological, traumatic or physical conditions which either have manifested themselves or were pre-existing to the onset of the leadership role. 7. Blind Faith Blind faith causes the follower of a cult to dismiss logic and reason allowing them to blindly follow a charismatic leader regardless of the consequences of their actions? 8. Accountability of actions (pack mentality) A typical cult follower is no longer required to think for themselves, deeming the follower no longer individually accountable for their actions (someone else thinks for them and tells them what to do and say). These people are able to run free just as a pack of wild dogs. As long as they do not break the rules of the pack and follow the direction of the pack leader, they are taken care of as a whole, and will feed off of the same carcass they have all slain together. 9. Allegiance The charismatic leader obtains a powerful hold on the allegiance of the followers. The leader is seen in many cases as a final authority on all subjects while in extreme cases the leader is even seen as or deems themselves to be a prophet or even a spiritual entity of god. 10. Protection The cult stands strong as a unit. Members often become isolated from society and learn to depend on one another for needs and protection even though that protection may include physical harm, abuse, r**e of younger or older members or even murder. This fulfilled need is similar to the needs of the woman which stays with a man that beats her regularly. The woman becomes isolated from the norm of society and soon loses a grip on the actual reality of her surroundings thus becoming a behavioral slave to the perpetrator of the beatings. Justification of a wrong through mental instability and indoctrinated slavery becomes a recipe for long term abuse. 11. Right and wrong Withdrawn from the influence of society, the followers of a cult will, through self justification, develop their own sociological order and rules by which this new society is governed. Right and Wrong become skewed and challenged by this new society and in some cases become one in the same. Whatever it takes to shape and mold the direction the obsessed leader is striving to obtain will soon be accepted as righteous and holy in the eyes of the followers. Thus right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right e.g. In the case of Fred Phelps it is wrong to join the military and right to kill 3000+ people because it was the will of god. It is this dangerous mindset displayed by this spiritual leader that could explode into catastrophic harm should a vision from god lead his cult to physically harm other human beings.