Somewhere on here, someone wrote a post basically claiming that the only thing Christianity and the Bible are is an attempt of a few people to control the masses.
At first when I read it, I didn't think anything of it. However, I have been pondering it ever since.
The question I have to whomever wrote that, what do you mean? How does the Bible in it's very basic sense a form of mass population control to do what a few people want them to do?
Well, movements hold sway over people. Whenever you talk about a doctrine, or a calling, or a teaching, you're talking about influencing people to behave in a certain way.
The very nature of a religion such as this is to try to instill a deep and permanent hold on as large a population as possible. The benefits are clear; common ethics, unity, as well as survival against outside foes with a foreign set of beliefs.
The basic teachings you name are indeed very simple.
To follow his example. What was his example? To serve others especially the less fortunate ones. To not judge because we as humans are not the ultimate judge. To love and care for one another and live peacefully.
They are also not very extraordinary, nor unique or innovative. That's perfectly fine by me. But then it gets innovative.
He is the sinless son of God, and the primary teaching is to follow. Actually, did he even teach that people should be Christians? Or did that spring up around him as a human social instrument? (Speaking of this sort of, Life of Brian. So good.)
Follow good examples. Don't follow bad examples. Have some basic, core values (such as compassion, empathy, or the principle of reciprocity). This is not to be Christian or to be religious so much as it is to be human, and I think every functioning society in our history has imposed these expectations one way or another.
Religion though, certainly is one way. But it comes with some extra stuff (my chief beef being the evident result of groups of people who see themselves as so distinct and foreign to one another). If it is a human creation, it's subject to the flaws of its human creators -- yet asks its followers to reject that possibility amidst their leap of faith.
Now, if you were going to sit down right now and write a book and the sole purpose of this book is to control the masses to get them to do what you want them to do....wouldn't the story line be very very different?
I think human history is filled with people trying to move other people to do certain things. Plenty of other things have been written (and to great effect). Few to date have been as compelling or have had as much staying power. But that does not make it divine, nor the best possible tool we could develop for ourselves.
