Just imagine, without any research, study, reflection, debate, dissection, reading, or writing, all the basic info and rules are laid out before you.
Everything you need to know, how you are to know it, and what you are to do in response to that knowing is given to your before you are able to read and write. This it Bliss, bliss beyond my wildest imagination.
Just imagine how much time and brain energy that is freed up for Sport Statistics, Pop Song Lyrics, Twerking Videos, etc, Wow!
It has taken my entire life to figure out my stances on Homosexuality, Sex, Animals, Diet, Proper Dress, History, Ethics, Politics, Economic, the Origins of Life, etc.
I’ve have to review my views, validate them, revisit them, and even adjust them when I was presented with new data or insight. I’m still learning, I’m still searching for answers, and I have no confidence that I will ever be done, that I wall ever have the total and complete answer to anything.
But religion gives you the answers before you even know the questions.
The religious can tell you every thing from how the Universe was Created to the name of the First man and women on earth, they will tell you that shit with full confidence, in great detail, with more confidence and detail than I can tell you about my sons’ birth dates; even though I was there (we had home births with midwives, of course), I cut the umbilical cords!
Imagine being able to speak with more confidence about the birth of the Universe than an man can speak about the details of the birth of his children, only faith, belief, and religion can grant you that.
When you have a nation where the average reading level for an adult is between a 4th and 6th grade level, where the average citizen is all but completely lacking in any analytical or critical thinking ability, faith goes along way in shoring up egos, and excusing ignorance and anti-intellectualism.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some believers who are brilliant, who don’t simply rest on religious text to provide answers and security in life, I know some personally, they can even tolerate and appreciate a Hell-bound Skeptic like me. But they are in the minority, and none of them that I know are in the leadership of any religions that I’ve encountered.
So I’ve seen the light, or more accurately, I see why so many others have seen the light.
