Facebook Faith #29 - The Common Thread of Religion

I spend a lot of time lately listening to various people's religious journeys. Once you step outside your own religious circle, where you believed in only one true path, you meet people with tales of different paths, each with its own nuance. I have my own to tell, but regardless of which one is told it becomes apparent that they are all simply different flavors of the same human mechanism.

I was part of a conversation on Facebook recently where a number of Christians were in a debate over a particular theological point and practice. One of the conversants became concerned about the disagreement occurring within the conversation and moved the entirety of the group to a private chat, stating -

"I simply can't imagine the damage that may have been done if any non-believer read those posts."

I have heard her concern expressed in varied ways about different circumstances over the years. Regardless of the topic at hand, the underlying motivation is the same. Religion is about control. The need to control the conversation, control the message, control the delivery. Religion treats everyone as children who must be corralled. Be it Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, Catholics, Muslims, or Evangelicals; the same thread is there. To quote Joss Whedon's character, River -

"We tell them what to do, what to think - don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome."