I’m going to Hell, who’s coming with me?

What would you say if I told you that there is someone in the sky, watching you, while you sit and read this post? Well, if you were an extremely logical person, you’d probably laugh in my face and call me crazy. However, that wouldn’t be acceptable. You see, believing that there is someone in the sky watching you at all times is an absolute social norm. Now, what would you say if I told you that there is a green fairy floating next to you while you read this post? Well, if you were an extremely logical person, you’d probably laugh in my face and call me crazy, and you’d be absolutely “right.” That’s just weird and stupid, right? Before I start, I should make it clear that I’ve never committed too many hours to studying religion. Only the two and a half hours a day I was forced to learn it, during my last three years of high school. Whether that’s a lot, or a little, you can be the judge. Religion and God are two topics that can be discussed for hours and studied for a lifetime, without ever knowing the truth. So, let’s add a few minutes to that discussion. Growing up Jewish, I never doubted God, Moses or any other mystical man or woman I had been told of. As a child, you don’t, often, question such fundamental teachings, I also didn’t. As my mind developed and I started concerning myself with things other than computer games and playing cards, my mind started to wonder about, and doubt, all the stories I’d been told. I became an extremely logical person and could no longer convince myself to believe in God or religion. After school, I became a manager at a call centre, a life changing experience and a strange thing to compare to religion, but, here goes: There was the CEO of the company (God), a man that everybody “knew” existed, although, most had never seen him. I was campaign manager (the prophet who represented my lord), I had four team leaders that I managed (my disciples) and, together, they would manage around 60 sales representatives (my people). Every day I would run three motivational meetings for my people. I would stand in front of them all, while they sat quietly, and I preached direction, motivation and rules that we should all follow. Sometimes, I would set difficult goals that would cause frustration and outrage. So, what would I do to ensure control of my people, without having to take the blame and losing their trust? I would tell them that the CEO made these orders and we had no choice but to follow them, otherwise we would all get punished, naturally. It always worked. Conveniently, the CEO’s office was two floors above the call centre, so I would even have to point skywards to reference him, perfect! So there we have it, I was once a religious leader. It wasn’t a big religion, wasn’t well known to the world, but it did help thousands of call centre staff develop good habits, a strict routine, great discipline and excellent new life skills. Want to join my religion? It’s interesting to be able to take the theory of religion and compare it to a modern day, practical environment, such as a call centre. But, what have we learned? Well, when I try and think about how religion entered the world, I’m confident it was created by man. A very intelligent individual had decided that they needed to find a way to keep order in their family or community, and they came up with a set of laws that needed to be followed. Of course, nobody is just going to comply with a random member of their town, so this person created a greater figure. God. He convinced the locals that he received the laws from a man in the sky (remember, they couldn’t just Google it back then), and began to rule people by fear, which still happens in many environments today (in business, families, etc. Not just religion). Eventually, these rules became standard teachings within homes. Time went on and so did the growth of religion. Today, religion is completely acceptable in society, talk about the man in the sky, you get no strange stares, no reaction, nothing. It’s a belief that is so engrained in the world, that billions of people wholeheartedly follow it. From what you’ve read so far, you have probably decided that I’m trying to convince you to question your beliefs, forget your religion and commit blasphemy. That’s not the case. I believe that religion helps many people get through their lives, with less stress, than if they didn’t have it. Just like the call centre, it provides routine, direction and lessons that would perhaps go unlearned if not for such a strong belief in something. Further to that, it provides a great excuse to get together with family and eat a big meal, everybody loves that! Whether you’re a believer, a cynic or something in between, there is no doubting that religion is a topic you’ve participated in, talked about or, at least, thought about. Me, I struggle to justify the entire concept on a logical level. I am, however, open minded enough to hear the opinions of other’s and see if they can sway me. I think, when I have my own family, I will create my own religion, again. We will have a routine dinner at the end of every week and we will get together on the odd occasion for a catch up. Will we thank God (notice, I still put the capital letter in front of the word, just in case I face a tribunal at the end of my life) for giving us the food on our table? Maybe if God gives me a sign.