Except you can up and leave a church any time you want. A church doesn't really have any power over you.
Tell that to the thousands who died in the spanish inquisition. Also, nobody expects the spanish inquisition.
Are you saying that nobody expects the potential abuse(s) of power that comes with a system designed to control and influence the masses?
No, just that nooooooobody expects the spanish inquisition! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADF8wC_AvKo&feature=related"]Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition - YouTube[/ame]
They controlled the bible for a large period of time. common folk didn't know how to read. today's bible is probably vastly different from the bible 800 years ago. thanks to the church. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance#Addition_of_.22under_God.22[/URL Also much political propaganda is aimed at inciting religious values and people even vote for people because of their religion (Obama is a muslim cos his middle name is Hussain!). God has nothing to do with how the country is run. Although: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/12/local/la-me-pledge12-2010mar12
You're both right, but I'm not really talking about the church of centuries ago that was essentially a government. If I don't like what my church has to say, I can leave whenever I want.
But if you do, your soul is bound to eternal damnation. There's also societal pressure to follow the religion that you may become subject to.
But the problem is that the indoctrination begins with small children. You are taught not to question the church and it's teachings. With such teaching be ingrained from an early age it is difficult for many to simply leave the church.
Usually in any teaching where you can't ask questions or greeted with an evasive answer e.g. because the bible says so. is a clear cut sign that the person doing the teaching doesn't understand what they are teaching. That's scary and its not a phenomena thats restricted within the church either. I'm still a Christian, though I follow a different theology now to which I did as a child and I am no longer a member of the church. If we should be banning anything as far as religion is concerned, its this (I almost threw up the first time watching this, so a note of caution) - [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2STDH14aJVk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2STDH14aJVk&feature=related[/ame]
