This week: When Religion Is Not Voluntarily Chosen Edited by: Annette  
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| James Baldwin, on God: "I conceive of God, in fact, as a means of liberation and not a means to control others." - Baldwin, James. Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son. 1961. |
When Religion Is Not Voluntarily Chosen
In many cultures all the around the world, there is an expectation that the residents of an area subscribe to the local dominant religion. This expectation can be a mere moral obligation. In other places, refusal to take part is a criminal offense. To prevent any kind of backlash, be it getting shunned, lectured to, or thrown in prison, there are many people who profess to believe in something to avoid the repercussions if they don't conform.
There are millions of pieces of writing from people about their personal experiences with religion, how they learned about it, how it made them feel, what it does for them, or why they enjoy it, or why they ended up leaving it behind.
"So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I’d better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved." excerpt of Salvation by Langston Hughes, 1940.
Whenever you create a religion for a fictional world, you should consider not only the positives of that religion, but also the steps undertaken by the leaders to grow their faith followers and whether those steps are ethical.
Questions to ask can be:
Can members of the religion keep pursuing all other aspects of their lives as before joining?
Does the religion rely on donations or what does it do to sustain itself?
Does is have a hierarchy?
Does the religion turn outsiders into enemies?
Does the religion convince people to do good things and help?
Is there a threat to those who don't want to join?
Is the religion used as a reason to inflict violence onto others?
So far, fictional religions I have read about appear to be more strict inwardly and present themselves as a places of peace, hope, and security to outsiders.
What kind of methods should be employed to convert people into a religion? |
| | | I Return (E)
Lucifer’s testament abandoning endless rebellion to walk towards New Jerusalem.
#2338260 by Polaran  |
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Replies to my last Spiritual newsletter "A Spiritual Experience" that asked: Have you ever written what it feels like in the bones to have a religious experience?
bob county  wrote: I am happy I woke up!
However, who wants to live forever?
Mary Ann MCPhedran  wrote: While I was visiting my daughter in Larnaka, Cyprus I was in Saint Lazereth's Church and there is a place in the grounds of the church i felt a sense of piece, come over me. Now I always go to it when I re visit the church. |
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Spiritual: May 21, 2025 Issue [#13102]
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