Brother Of Jerry Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't see how this aids my recovery. > > Perhaps by a better understanding how religion merges with politics we can better understand how we have been the recipiants of emotional abuse at the hands of the people who have taken power in the oraganization. If we better understand this we may be able to disassociate ourselves from the cult more easily and further our recovery by our increased understanding. So this is how I percieve it aids in all our recoveries. My opinion and not celestial revelation!
What I see is the similarities between how people think religiously and how they see their politics. People who are extreme fundamentalists in both politics and religion don't have a sense of how to reason. They use the approach to both of having a conclusion - the answer they want, and then go about finding "facts" to support their conclusion. Reasoning and especially scientific reasoning, on the other hand, takes people from finding facts to coming up with a conclusion BASED on the facts.
My father thought he was a scientist because he had a master's degree in physics. However, all he ever did with it was teach in a community college that didn't require him to ever do any research. He was also as fundamentalist Mormon as you can get. He knew everything about Mormonism was right and found every "fact" he could to back up his desired conclusion. He was the same way about science. Yes, there are about 2% of scientists who try to back up their tightly held belief that climate change is a hoax with some kind of research loosely culling facts. My father wasn't one who did any of the research, but read all their conclusions. Their conclusions backed up his religious and political beliefs, so that's what he went with. He had no interest in the work of the other 98% who came to their conclusions AFTER doing the research.
So you can say politics is religion and vice versa. I don't think they are the same. I know many progressive religious people. But the fundamentalism of both religion and politics are closely tied because they attract people who defy reason.
They are probably some of the most intelligent in the U.S. They developed such things as the propellant that took the space shuttle into space. Amazingly brilliant people. Some of them are mormon. Some of them are not. The Ph.D. mathematician I worked with converted and then left the church. My favorite people I have ever worked with and truly the most brilliant as mormon. If I were to pattern my life after theirs, I would still be mormon, but my life didn't go as their lives have. They are all not at all pleased with what happened to me.
They are all pleased that I am with that nonmormon chemist who worked with us all those years ago as they thought I should marry him. The chemist I have been with for 16 years does work in the chemistry field. He has 13 patents. The whole time I've been back with him, he has voted strictly Republican. I was Democrat the whole time I was growing up. My parents were Democrats and mormons. I have voted Republican once.
Not one of the scientists, chemists, or mathematicians I worked with thought I was stupid. In fact, they thought I was brilliant. They had never had a little old secretary who could do the work I did and understand it so well.
So you can't put everyone who is one thing or another in one category. I have no doubt other than my father my favorite men I've ever met voted Republican and, I'll say it again, most intelligent people I have ever met. I'd love to see any one of you debate them.
I think sometimes religion is used as a tool by politics.
You know... promise them riches and favoritism in an afterlife while the rich leaders collect in this life.
Also, if you can get views preached from a pulpit, religion is good at mobilizing to favor a politician who promises the religions what they want.
Politics and religion benefit from each other to maintain power and manipulate the masses more easily. Priests and Kings have always known how to work together to maintain power.