Starting Your Own Religion

Why, what's wrong with all the ones we have now?

It's easy to think that will all the religions we have to pick from there should be no need for yet another. However, it would seem that pretty much every religion has diverted somewhat, spawned off shoots, and gotten further and further away from "the truth". For those who follow the Bible, it has been rewritten and re-edited so many times it is hard to see the real story, and the same is true for most other books. Things deleted, things added, things distorted or mistranslated, there is really no value in following any of them to the core if they are not what they originally were intended to be.

It would seem the inherent problem with religion is its ability to control mass amounts of people through fear and brainwashing. I personally don't want to be manipulated and controlled. Now, I know you are probably thinking you never were brainwashed into following any religion, but in fact it does happen. From a very early age children are brought up with only one belief system, that imposed by their parents. Yes, the parents are the first ones to partake in the brainwashing, although to be fair they believe they are doing it for your own good. Parents push upon their children a certain set of rules and beliefs, they do so because they are fearful for their childrens' souls, having themselves been brainwashed by their religion. People are told through fear, to remain in that religious system, not to leave it, and not to question it.

Religions do not allow you to explore other options or investigate other beliefs, because they drill it into people that to do so is damnation. This is brainwashing, this is mind control. They teach you from the cradle to the grave that their way is the ONLY way. Thus very few people born into a religion challenge it or look beyond its walls and rules. They sometimes go so far as to bash other belief systems, calling others evil, or being fearful of them. Further extremes of this have resulted in murders and wars.

Religions use fear to manipulate people. Do this or face Hell, Don't do that or face Hell. Don't even question anything, because the answer is always "because it's in the Bible" or what ever book that religion has adopted as its own.

Then there is the money issue. Isn't money the root of all evil? Don't most religions have some basic ideology that money and greed are wrong? Yet all will ask you to fork over a portion of your hard earned dollars and none will kick you out if you are wealthy. That's right, most religions preach about greed being wrong, but none have turned down anyone with millions of dollars. All religions will take cash when offered.

Some religions have even changed their rules as time went on. For example the Catholic Church first offered up LUXURY as a sin, but in time that was dumbed down and is now the sin of LUST. Since then a whole new list of sins has been created and added.
Another problem with many religions is they resulted in people worshiping "the wrong guy", many have followers worship the prophets rather than "the creator", no matter if that creator is God, or mother Earth.

What should it be?

So what should your new religion look like? Well first of all, it is your religion, yours alone, it does not need a name or book to follow. Your religion should be at the heart of being good to yourself, others, and the planet.

Worship God, or Allah, or what ever name you decide. Do not worship the prophets. Make happiness a priority, hurt none, and do not make a case to take happiness away from others.

Doing the right things for the right reason is more meaningful than doing them only because you are told to, or because you want to avoid Hell.