Thou shall not steal, Thou shall not commit adultery, Thou shall have no other gods before Me. The bible is the cornerstone of Western society, the basis upon which millions of people live their lives by. An instrumental part of many people’s upbringing it has certainly influenced the development of world history and social order, but is religion held in the same regard as it was in today’s fast-paced, commercial society? Or is it just used as a tool to induce fear into the masses and capitalise on those people who know no better?
The history of the church is long and bloodied. Originally a source of support for the wearied and a home away from home, the church and its doctrines were the heart of the community. Though today’s world is very different, the ideals of the church are much the same. Brian Tamaki describes Destiny Church as a forward-thinking church for ‘the breakthrough generation’. A generation who are pressured to pay at least 10% of their income to the church (though this is called a ‘donation’), a generation that rather than subscribing to scriptures has to subscribe to a V.I.P club to receive the holy word (for a very small price of course, this is God’s word after all). It seems nothing these days, not even heaven itself is exempt from a cover charge.
American Pastor Creflo Dollar wants to change the world. He wants to do away with the immorality in today’s society and return to the spiritual roots we all share. A nice sentiment, but how to do this? Well, you could read his book Restoring Godly Families… fancy a change? Try Spiritual Makeover. Have a visual impairment? No problem, there’s an audio book. Who needs the Bible when you can read Creflo’s 8 Steps To Enlightenment. While you’re at it, make a donation. In 2006, Creflo’s ministries received nearly 70 million U.S dollars in donations. Enough to feed countless starving children in Africa… or enough for a swanky Malibu apartment, private Jet and college education for Pastor Creflo’s five charming children (all the epitome of grace and good breeding, I’m sure).
Belief in religion or a higher power often comes from fear of the unknown. ‘What if heaven exists?’, ‘What if there is a God?’, ‘What if I spend an eternity in hell because I stole a lollipop when I was 5 and didn’t repent?’. While living a moral and upstanding life is all well and good, living in constant fear of offending some higher power is not the way to live your life. Especially if you have more money than sense, and are willing to buy into the Jesus-hype.
Religion is not what it once was. It has changed from being an integral part of the community to being an excuse for people’s motives and judgements. It is not the charitable organisation it once was, it’s a commercialised, money-making scam that prays on the vulnerable, those who have nowhere else to go and those who have no-one to turn to. Religious leaders no longer care about guiding their congregation, all they care about is selling their merchandise and profiting on the misfortunes of the public. As a mass we need to question these self-proclaimed leaders and return to the original written word “for everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world”
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