I think that to
a certain point religious leaders should have to back up their information with
a source. I don’t think it matters where the source come from as long as they
state it. I do believe that any religion is based on pure belief and faith; you
choose to believe what you want. Growing up in a religious household I was
taught to never question and just agree, thankfully my leader was never one to
say harmful things. As I’ve gotten older I ask, ask, ask. If I ever am confused
about something I make sure to always ask and do research myself. Unfortunately,
that is not the case with others; I have heard some horrendous things come out
of the mouths of men who swear they live by the Lord’s way. I think that when
such radical proclamations are made the audience and followers should be given
more detailed information. The followers need to know the source so they can
decide if it is reliable or not.
I think that the bigger problem with all of
this is that when religious leaders preach the followers are taught to just
accept it. Just accepting it and never questioning is what leads people into
thinking radically. People have this negative connotation about asking and
questioning because it makes it seem like they are questioning God. I personally don’t believe that; I feel like
the Bible (the main source of most religious leaders—or any religious book) is left
to interpretation, and as much as it can be very direct there are topics that
are written about very vaguely. It is like reading any other book; it can be
left to interpretation. If the followers of any religion could just wander
beyond what it told I think the minds of many wouldn’t be so closed-off. For
me, I believe that asking questions keeps me closer to God, I want to know that
I am doing the right thing the right way; sometimes I might not necessarily
agree with the answer I receive and research myself and come to my own
conclusion. I think that is what faith is based on, you coming to terms with
what you believe in.
A blind
following is a problem with many religions. I’m really interested in different
cults and cult leaders, and trying to see what goes on in their minds. I
recently watched two documentaries on Netflix called, “Holy Hell” and “Childrenof God” and both of the documentaries show a wave of blind following. These
documentaries are perfect examples of how people just listen and follow. The
followers of these cults did things that would seem wrong to most people but
that is what they were taught to do. Listen, follow, and never ask. For
example, the Children of God cult was based off Christianity but was perversely
skewed to have a different motive. They believed that the only thing women were
good for was sex. Women and girls (yes children) were used as a way of pleasure
of men. They would send out women to prostitute themselves and call it “flirty
fishing” to gain followers. The women complied because they were TOLD that it
was the will of God. The only form of information they had was the person they
were following. Stating resources, especially outside resources, are important
to make sure that people do not get persuaded so quickly. If religious leaders
truly believe what they are preaching they would find a way to make sure their
followers aren’t misguided and cite their sources.
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