Quote from version77:
Religion IS psychology. The psychology of taking $$$ out of your wallet.
Psychology also takes $$$ out of your wallet. You get nothing in return.
Just like religion...
You are right, religion is a form of mind control. Of course many paradigms you currently subscribe are more forms of mind control. Paradigms like "people usually vote for the people they think are going to win" and stupid foolish "common sense" like that. This "son of a carpenter" a long time ago, also beleived this, and he taught the people to think freely in the face of the magistrates, the ruling class. The people however were not yet ready for such groundbreaking philosophies. They felt they were useless, powerless. He was not glorified by chance one day, because he was the son of some supreme being. He earned every bit over a very very very long time. All of you cannot think like this because you think in hundreds of years(another paradigm which is useless, see the doctrine of reincarnation) and this is earned over eons, in the millions of years. Many people in years have sought this thing we call transcendence from all that makes us mortal and human, and many have found it. It all depends on where you look, but more importantly than where, how you choose to look at it will be critical and dependent on whether or not you see it and recognize it.
"If a man cannot find God within the likes of his own home, he will never find him"-rwe
Remember that the church wants you to be confused, supercritical, hypocritical, full of sin, lust, and desire. This is how the church maintains its rule. You have been bred to think like this, just think about it. Its good for business, like drunk men in a casino.