scam: To defraud; swindle to obtain property or services unjustly. A fraudulent or deceptive act or operation.
Our great country was founded on one of the greatest scams of all. The Constitution guarantees certain unalienable rights and freedoms, but something actually took them away. Organized Religion. Religion is one of the richest businesses in the world, supposedly separate from government, and yet it enjoys tax exempt status, and has input in every government decision.
For whatever reason, man has always had a need to believe in something greater than himself. In the beginning, myth explained things that early man couldn't explain. Along the way, certain myths became doctrine perpetuated by powerful men. Doctrine became law. Freedoms were taken away, and despicable acts were employed to enforce the law, and ensure the powerful retained their power.
And then came the Bible. A collection of stories and myths that became belief and law. So strongly did the powerful enforce this belief, it now commands most of the world. No one knows who wrote the Bible (although they say they do), but how can they know unless they have a time machine? Aesop's Fables or Grimm's Fairy Tales could just as easily have been the basis for a religious text, having been written by numerous people of which we know little about. So who's to say the Bible wasn't just a collection of bedtime stories? Well, the all-powerful Church said this is Truth. Gullible and frightened people went along with it, and the Church became richer and more powerful.
Don't get me wrong. I think the Bible is a very good book of rules to live by. Do not kill, do not steal, etc. And maybe a fractured history, although riddled with myth. But hey, so is the Illiad. There's some evidence that the New Testament was written in response to the political times (the oppressive Roman empire) and has no relevance in modern times. If this is true, and it makes perfect sense, religion was based on politics.
We are currently in one of the worst economic situations in history, and taxpayers are paying the price for the fixes. However, one of the richest sources of tax revenue isn't required to help. Organized religion. The Church is tax exempt under the cover of charity work, but seems to have more money than even big business.
Businesses can write off their charity contributions, and gain some tax relief that way. Organized religion is big business. Why is it not required to operate in the same manner? Churches have employees to pay just like a business. They own land and buildings (expensive land and buildings!) just like a business. People pay to use their facilities and services which generates income just like a business. Business has political ties, and although religion is not supposed to interfere with government, it's a well-known fact that it does. Organized religion manages to use its wealth to sneak around the restrictions to get its agendas accepted. Religious agenda becomes the law of the land, and they don't have to pay.
Religious freedom? It doesn't exist. We are supposed be allowed to practice our faith as we please, and that includes not having faith. Organized religion has dictated what we can and cannot do, even if we don't believe in it. Non-believers are supporting the Church through taxes and government decisions. Perhaps more than the members of the Church.
So why are we, the people, allowing this to happen? Because most of us don't have the money or power to do anything about it. Our country is in big trouble as the very things it was founded on are being eroded away in favor of those in power. Yes, religion is the Ultimate Scam.
