There is a kind of man who loves religion but does not believe.
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There is a kind of man who loves religion but does not believe. He recognizes that his mind has been spoiled by knowledge and modernity. The irrationality of zealots fills him with loninging, a kind of paternalistic envy. “I can never inhabit your little world where Christ is King, Where the devil nips at your heels. But, I can protect you, your precious innocence, your precious ignorance.” he often thinks of his followers.
1/3 -
There is a kind of man who loves religion but does not believe. He recognizes that his mind has been spoiled by knowledge and modernity. The irrationality of zealots fills him with loninging, a kind of paternalistic envy. “I can never inhabit your little world where Christ is King, Where the devil nips at your heels. But, I can protect you, your precious innocence, your precious ignorance.” he often thinks of his followers.
1/3“…None of my oh-so-rational peers really understands the beauty of the primitive and pure experience you live every day.” He thinks. “But, that is why it is my duty, my great burden to keep you from knowing the things that have made such joy impossible for me.”
2/3
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“…None of my oh-so-rational peers really understands the beauty of the primitive and pure experience you live every day.” He thinks. “But, that is why it is my duty, my great burden to keep you from knowing the things that have made such joy impossible for me.”
2/3
This kind of man really feels Christ like in doing this. In making this “sacrifice” in “bearing the burden of knowing” that none of what they believe is as true as they claim, and he creates conditions where it’s nearly impossible for those within his influence to put this together for themselves. Out of love. For their own good.
He feels owed a debt of gratitude for this “service.”
3/3
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This kind of man really feels Christ like in doing this. In making this “sacrifice” in “bearing the burden of knowing” that none of what they believe is as true as they claim, and he creates conditions where it’s nearly impossible for those within his influence to put this together for themselves. Out of love. For their own good.
He feels owed a debt of gratitude for this “service.”
3/3
He is, of course, monstrous. And totally wrong.
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This kind of man really feels Christ like in doing this. In making this “sacrifice” in “bearing the burden of knowing” that none of what they believe is as true as they claim, and he creates conditions where it’s nearly impossible for those within his influence to put this together for themselves. Out of love. For their own good.
He feels owed a debt of gratitude for this “service.”
3/3
@futurebird That's pretty dark, but I don't doubt you have knowledge and experience behind it.
I grew up in a church with a strong patriarchal/authoritarian thing going on. The leaders of the church for decades kept the church's records about controversial stuff secret from all but a few at the top (this more or less fell apart with the internet). We were occasionally told they were protecting us from "dangerous knowledge", when they weren't saying "nothing to see here."
One of the church leaders once said, "there are some truths that are not useful" as a defense of anti-transparency.
So I guess it's not that different from the situation you describe.
[Edit: I started writing that comment thinking, "I haven't had any experience with that kind of thing, just something with a vague bit of similarity" and ended up thinking something else at the end.]
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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@futurebird That's pretty dark, but I don't doubt you have knowledge and experience behind it.
I grew up in a church with a strong patriarchal/authoritarian thing going on. The leaders of the church for decades kept the church's records about controversial stuff secret from all but a few at the top (this more or less fell apart with the internet). We were occasionally told they were protecting us from "dangerous knowledge", when they weren't saying "nothing to see here."
One of the church leaders once said, "there are some truths that are not useful" as a defense of anti-transparency.
So I guess it's not that different from the situation you describe.
[Edit: I started writing that comment thinking, "I haven't had any experience with that kind of thing, just something with a vague bit of similarity" and ended up thinking something else at the end.]
I think this is incredibly common. But, probably such people aren’t ever as pointedly aware as in this example.
They can’t imagine a way to know, for example, that evolution describes everything about the natural world or that the Bible was written by human beings or that sex and gender are complex AND still find the world beautiful. The truth is ugly to them and they think it’s somehow a kindnesses to build pockets of ignorance.
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He is, of course, monstrous. And totally wrong.
@futurebird having been raised in a zealotinous religion, one which was (in)famous for its "milk before meat" practices of layering its lessons so the more objectional material required going much deeper into the religion, I feel I ought to have something important to say here. But I don't.
