Religion

I get one television channel where I live so I see whatever is on. Normally I'm at the training hall on Sunday mornings for Sniffer Club (scent detection dog practice) but due to the pandemic stay at home lock down, I've been home on Sunday morning for the past few months, and I've discovered Joel Osteen. At first I'd see the show come on and I'd think, “ugh .. bible thumper spewing propaganda”, and I'd turn it off. Then one morning I was so tired that I didn't have the energy to get up and turn it off. I was raised with religion but it never sat well with me. I don't know what the Roman Catholic church teaches today. I only know what it taught me. We were taught that we were born with Original Sin. Born with sin. You haven't even been alive long enough to have done anything wrong, yet you're born with sin. And you spend your entire life trying to atone for that sin. The church used punishment and threats of hell/damnation to control people. We were taught that we were unworthy and had to beg and strive for Gods approval. Life was about seeking Gods favour and fearing his wrath. The road to heaven was controlled by the church. Those in the clergy were thought to be above reproach. They responded to a “calling” and were therefore “chosen” by God, and our path to God was through them. The church used indoctrination and fear to control its followers. Pedophiles hid behind the 'collar' and the church protected them from prosecution. Criminals were protected by the sanctity of the confessional. Why were these sins so easily forgiven? The Pope is considered infallible. Infallible? Really? Isn't that a bit of a lofty status to assign to someone? Kind of reeks of cult culture doesn't it …. where the 'leader' decides what is what. It follows a path of human history where certain people are awarded favour and status, and use that position to keep other people subservient.

The Bible. The greatest story ever told. Is it true or is it just a compilation of stories designed to explain the inexplicable. The parting of the Red Sea ….. could this have been an earthquake? I don't know. Perhaps the stories are a combination of truth and and attempt to explain the world. What I do know is that the stories in the bible can be twisted and distorted. You can find scripture to support the most abominable of human agendas.

I'm not a great supporter of organized religions. I've always viewed them as being less about spirituality and more about intimidation and control. About forcing ones beliefs upon another. Judgment. Coercion. Terrible atrocities have been committed in the name of religion. Just look at how many wars have been motivated by, and continue to rage because of religion.

Through the lens of a child I learned to mistrust and be wary of priests; and I thought that nuns were for the most part, not very nice. These “chosen” people of God didn't instill a sense of safety. Everything we learned about religion focused on how we were unworthy sinners who had to earn Gods love and acceptance. Consider how the combination of this teaching, paired with my mothers constantly reminding me of all my faults, influenced my core beliefs about myself!! Despite that, the guilt religion placed on my mother when my sister was sick and subsequently died ….. the suggestion that her faith wasn't adequate ….well that was it for me!! Good-bye religion.

So imagine my surprise that Sunday morning when I first heard Joel Osteen speak. No yelling. No bible thumping. No fire and brimstone. No condemning people as sinners unworthy of Gods approval. No. None of that. I saw a man speaking quietly, yet passionately, and promoting no particular religion. He spoke of how we are born with Gods favour and how we are worthy in Gods eyes. How we should eliminate negative self speak and how accepting that we are worthy and embracing positive self speak can propel us toward our dreams. He spoke of how God has good things in store for us and we need only to claim those gifts. He was like an inspirational speaker with a religious slant. (as he did quote scripture). Very different from the religion that I grew up with. And you don't have to be religious to benefit from his sermons. If you take out all the religious reference, the messages are much the same as a therapist or life coach would give. I'm still on the fence with regard to religion. It's a trauma trigger for me. But I've continued to watch/listen to Joel Osteen on Sunday mornings. His messages are about positivity and believing in yourself and believing that you are worthy. That you are enough.