Plog Number 98
And the Church said…
Hello Ploggers, how are you. I have been wrestling with a topic that I can no longer 😣 ignore. The subject is the Church and its influence on our lives. The reason I have been hesitant to Plog about this is my upbringing in the church. I am a religious ✝️ and spiritual person. I have faith in a higher being and I don’t want to tick him or her off. Religion is so very personal. People use it in different ways and to support their ideas. Religion has become politicized and weaponized. Religion has such strong and devout ties it has become a way to manipulate the masses.
Years ago my nephew Bobby said that he thought the ⛪️church was invented as a way to control men and their sex drives. I think that he was right. Think back to cowboys and Indians days in this country. Men went from town to town and had sex with whomever they wanted. They had families all over the prairie. I know that the child support model was developed because men were migratory and did not stay around to support their children. When I started as a prosecutor, I spent time in the child support division. I learned the history of the purpose of the court and it was to bring support and civility to the family because of male wandering tendencies. So based on the historical need to force child support, I can easily see religion being called on to tame men down. Allowing men to be slaves to their sex drive was feared.
I grew up in the Jesus Only Pentecostal Church. And yes it was always referred to just like that. The church was Fundamentalist and Holy Ghost filled. I remember that Pastor having a lot of control over the parishioner. They told them what to wear, how to sit, not to vote and who to marry. Some families were torn apart. The leader of the church had immense power over the congregation.
Later I moved to The Word Church. It was very popular and I felt good inside there because the dress standards were very relaxed. But one day I heard the pastor making suggestions for how we should vote. My head popped up and I knew we were going to have problems agreeing on anything from that point on. The Pastor had whipped everyone up and then he announced that he had a petition 📝 he wanted us to ✏️ sign. I remember it was something conservative and a totally Republican issue. Since the church was full of young African Americans with plenty of 👶 kids, I doubted that they were looking forward to conservative ideologies.
Now the churches I hear the most about are the Evangelicals. These kind of churches surpass race in being politically influential. They come right out and say things like “All Democrats are demons” or “Donald Trump was sent her by God to save the world”. They have openly come out on the side of 45. WTF? That is a total deal breaker right there. Churches wield a lot of power, guilt and eternal 😈 damnation. Those are strong forces for people to combat in their minds. Don’t forget it was the Christians in Nazi Germany who set the standards for the propaganda that Hitler spewed forth. Super Ministers such as Jerry Falwell, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyers were lightning fast to support 45. I was shocked at that in 2016, especially when I learned of his very non-christian past 💩 behaviors. But I am no longer shocked because I see that it is all about power and 💵 money, not love of God.
Many churches have cultish devotion. Cults are led by people like Jim Jones, Charles Mansion, Marshall Applewhite, David Koresh and more. These leaders all lead their followers to their ⚰️ deaths. I think any cultish devotion is dangerous. Food for thought when you are deciding your religious ties. RECLAIM!!