The preachers, politicians, and other salesmen do not profit by making their congregations, constituents, and customers comfortable in their own skins.

In fact, the least suggestion that YOU can see, hear, think, and do anything without them threatens their very existence.

And so “the faithful” must be kept in a perpetual state of ignorance, diffidence, confusion, and anxiety…

They must be trained to distrust their own eyes, ears, thoughts, and feelings…

… trained to feel shame for any doubt of the scriptures, traditions, myths, prophets, and patriarchs.

… trained to esteem self-denial and acceptance of one’s lot in life.

… trained to embrace and parrot opinions that they have merely heard, not formed.

… trained to believe that they cannot possibly know right from wrong without the tutelage and sanction of “the authorities”.

… trained to fear, and even demonize non-believers.

… trained to believe that belief in unbelievable things makes them special, not stupid.

Such brainwashing instills a “faith” so deep that even the most unassailable logic, even the most definitive evidence, even all the love in the world cannot penetrate its armor.

Existentialism Humanism Religion agnosticism anti-theism atheism blasphemy Christianity existentialism gaslighting heresy humanism Islam love secularism