Religious leaders Unite and Get Rich, the Religious Leaders Fear and Fight

I agree but what is even harder to "burn" is the people's willingness to seek guidance and direction from outside themselves with little regard to their innate connection to their higher power. For most, religion is taught and followed, not studied, analyzed and put into realistic practice. For millions their religions are their lives, their reason for being, their definition of life. Its complexities, ambiguities, logic or lack their of is not their concern. Each religion has a hierarchy whose job is to "worry" over such things.                                                                                        
                                                                                                           (Courtesy of buffalo-israel-link.org)

For the believer, you simply believe what your religious leaders say. As long as the ideological view remains that man cannot think for himself, that he/she must have a spiritual guide, leader, or congregation, self-discovery, insight, and individual perspectives are inherently oppressed. If a very few are given power due to their "holiness" corruption will rise. Absolute power, corrupts absolutely. Jesus did not want his disciples to bow to him, as he understood the power a "Holy Man" automatically holds. From the early Judeo-Christian perspective, particularly those of the Essenes (some would argue them the true authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and attribute them to the earliest Christian writings), warned of any Holy leaders claiming sacred knowledge and encouraged relying on an inner "spirit" for guidance.

I have a friend who argues that most spiritual leaders realize the power they hold over their followers and are actually united to maintain control of the masses. His argument asserts that religion is one of the best tools the elite have come up with to ensure control. "Why do you have to do something you feel may be wrong?"
"Because, God, Allah, The Creater, The One "said so".  Think about how many conflicts actually exist between the leaders of religious nations and how many conflicts exists among their respective followers. Every photo op we are shown displays various religious leaders shaking hands and making deals with their supposed "enemy" and the people of these very same countries killing each other.
(In response to Kevin H. Muhammad aka Kevin 6X .."Aside from the big-wig leaders of faith, what can we do to bring the peace? Perhaps you and I can agree to put religion on a cross and burn it! I think the term religion has been mistakenly applied to our devotion to the Supreme Being, because religion and politics seem to be identical, which seem to fall into the outline that satan came up with to deceive the people of Allah. Divide and Conquer!")

Nina Davis 


World Summit photos courtesy of  google images