Is Human Happiness a Product of Churches?
Churches of men such as the Worldwide Church of God and its splinter groups have always led gullible people to believe that they are the source of happiness, light, truth and the path to God. The world has also been led to believe that men went to the moon in a rocket ship. Many believe mankind did go to the moon and many believe it was a hoax of mass propaganda. Either way, are human beings any happier because of it? What church ever prevented human problems such as divorce, auto accidents, sickness, disease, war or a myriad of other human conditions that are always a part of our world? Like it or not, churches are merely a means to control and free money for its founders and rulers.
Would humans actually be much more happy if they did not go to church? To believe that going to church is an automatic ticket to happiness is a false premise. Of course friendships with other people can be found in going to church, but sitting in pews being indoctrinated with mush, is not particularly beneficial. Those who sit in pews are treated as school children who must be told what to think and what to believe. Those standing in pulpits pretend that they are "masters" of all the knowledge that God wants human beings to be aware of. Other non-Christian religions are likewise believers that their belief system is what "truth" and "happiness" is all about. Every pastor and church wants more followers and the reason is more than obvious, because it grows their bank account.
Do churches guarantee happiness, truth and eternal life if people live by their rules? They may say that they can guarantee happiness, truth and eternal life, but in reality they cannot. What pastor of any church group has the power to prevent sickness, disease or accidents that rob humans of happiness? For that matter what human government has such power? Not even tithing, observing the Saturday Sabbath or keeping annual "Holy" days has the power to prevent sickness, disease, divorce, adultery, accidents, wars or to guarantee wealth and material blessings. Church or no church, religion or no religion, all humans are subject to time and chance and the problems of life that are common to all human beings. Not even the rich and wealthy are immune from such problems. The conquering of other nations by bully nations, does not guarantee happiness or solve the problems of humans on earth, but rather they promote more problems.
The bottom line is that no pastor, no church, no government, no organization of humans has the key to happiness, truth or life. Finding your own way in life is a personal quest and learning never stops as long as we live. Listening to public speakers as if public speakers (preachers or politicians or?), will lead anyone into a human utopia is a false hope. In the end, it is your personal responsibility to find your own purpose in human life and preachers are not the answer, nor is anyone responsible to preachers. All preachers will do is take you captive to their thinking and for life if allowed to do so, all the while robbing you financially so they can build monuments to their own private vanity.
Happiness, truth and life are NOT products of churches, even if and when they tell you they are.
Van Robison
10 comments:
You are a sad, sad individual.
In related news, marriage cannot guarantee happiness, so you had better avoid marriage. Employment cannot guarantee happiness, so you had better avoid employment. And pursuing happiness cannot guarantee happiness, so you had better stop pursuing happiness.
"Finding your own way in life is a personal quest and learning never stops as long as we live."
The problem with the above is that life is too short in order to learn everything from first principles. Even at age twelve, Christ was taught by others. Luke 2:46 "And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions."
Acquiring knowledge is a gradual process, so situations occur where the required knowhow is not yet present. Again, one is required to lean on others. So pastors, teachers, philosophers are required in order to speed up knowledge accumulation.
I think a lot more people were happier back in the day.
Don't get me wrong, I am in no way a communist, but Carl Marx said and I agree that religion is the opiate of the masses. It seems to me from my own experience that people tend to go to church to get their "religious fix". Yes part of church attendance is the feeling that you are not fulfilling the requirement to attend church on a regular basis, but I think most of the motivation to attend church is to get some benefit that will make your life happier. My belief is that real happiness starts by feeling good about being human and not being ashamed about being human. Religion tends to tell us that we should be ashamed of our humanity. I am reminded of the hymn, "amazing grace" that saves a wretch like me. We are not wretches. How can we have a positive self image if we think of ourselves as wretches!
Who goes to Church to obtain happiness ? This post is a strawman's argument. This debate neither applies to Sabbath Christians nor Sunday Christians.
This bizarre 'happiness' debate, is in my opinion reflective of the old ministry elite attitude of "the members are less than us, so therefore not happy".
The blessings of worshipping God and the desire to know about God and to try your best to follow God in all it's aspects of prayer, meditation ect is a blessing beyond words describe.
No, he's just got a perception problem. It's the biased way in which he has interpreted the data. Van has been kind enough to share his autobiography with us!š„¹
Hope the couple in the Ai cartoon are married to each other !!!
History of COG men, especially ministry elite was so corrupt, many openly humiliated their wives with extra martial affairs.
Talking of corruption, there were rumors of wife swapping among a elite minister circle during Herb's day. I recall an article in one of the church monthly publications condemning wife swapping, which implies this sin existed in the church.
6:38
Garner Ted once remarked, making a awful situation even more dire: "I know there are Ministers with worse sins than me".
Sadly nobody contradicted him on that one.
Unfortunately 1970's WCG Pasedena wasn't called 'Satan's Lair' for nothing.
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