Expert: Joe McSorley - 3/7/2006

Question
Dear Joe,
You know religious people said that the purpose of life on earth here is to serve. Nothing else. If that's true, doesn't that mean our life is meaningless? Even though there will be rewards from the amount of our deeds and sacrifices done, it's just like those American and British soldiers calling out those Palestinian guys "Hey you, come over here! Now there's a deal for you all. We're gonna beat you all up real hard for a very long time and expect you to be totally submissive throughout the beating. And you must accept the abuse willingly. At the end, you will be rewarded with golds and gemstones worth 10 times more than the injuries you all received." Religious people said almost the same thing "You must serve and sacrifice all you've got while on Earth so that when you die, you will be reborn in Heaven, enjoying all the pleasures you can get." Personally for me, it's not that I demanded such a reward in the very first place. Neither will I be grateful to receive such reward after going through all the hardships that I never ask for. Why should I be happy with God and feel grateful with the rewards since I'm not asking for all these? If there's any circumstances where I'll not just be both happy and grateful but exceedingly happy and grateful, it's when I realize that I am able to control my own destiny, create my own outcome, and reap the fruits from my own labor. And this labor is never something that's forced onto me. But then, I never choose to be born in the very first place, but why am I here? And since I am here at God's will, and have to go through all the life hardship for a place in Heaven, life just feels like a game and a BIG JOKE to me. And life like this is just totally meaningless. And all these stuff about God, good deeds and all make me real sick.

Answer
Dear Chow,
     These religious ideas you talk about are prominent in the Judeo/Muslim/Christian religions but not in Eastern religion.  There is a desire to control the masses here, limit personal inquiry and inhibit any intellectual curiosity.   Every conquering people say this to the conquered.  If I ask you to name a group of people that were overcome by another group, had their language, culture, all rights and land taken from them by this ‘better, more enlightened' conquering force, who would you pick; The American Indian, Africans, India, or the Irish?  It's happened to all of them and many other groups throughout history.  It is what people do to people to control them either by government or religion, in the name of God , Allah, the flag or any other deity/idealism you wish to mention.   The Native Americans were seen as ‘pagan savages' and so were the Irish when taken over by the British.  It's a way to dehumanize and devalue a people.
   Religion has its own way of conquering.  It is not about being alive here and now but about ‘serving a greater good' for the future that you will never see.  If I were to present to you a real goal in the present you would be able to prove or disprove its existence.  If I make it some nebulous ideal in the future, or better yet, make it after death, then you can never really disprove it. In this way you will always work for a goal you can neither attain or control. You can't get someone to serve your needs if they put their needs ahead of yours.  This is why the military does not want its soldiers questioning anything because then they might not do your bidding.  There is a code of ethics among the samurai called “Hagakure” which praises the virtue of serving.  It's what every master wants his slave to believe.  If I want you to serve my religion I need your complete and unquestioning devotion.  Of course if you do not do so there is punishment in it for you as there is in the military or any other group.
 The question here is; why do you still cling to these religions and ‘religious' people?
You've obviously seen how problematic their teaching is so why not let go of it?  I, too, was raised under this religious and intellectual oppression so I understand what you are talking about.  There is a vast cloud of fear spread by these religions and it is very hard to break it.  You can break it by educating yourself in the history of religions to see what their agenda is. They all have some ‘truth' they are pushing to fulfill their agenda.  It's no different than politics with each side proclaiming they are right. This is the same for all human social movements; to push an agenda that fulfills your own worldview.  It is happening today in politics by defining who a ‘true American' is as some jingoistic nonsense.  It happens in all societies to all groups, it is how humans control and manipulate each other.  You need to learn to break its grip on you.  
  You are right to want to be self-responsible and accountable because ultimately it does come back on you.  Only you can live your life.  No one is better than the other, ‘holier' in God's eyes or contains the truth that no one else has.  Reliance on guru's, priests, saviors on anyone else is a waste of time and your life.  You must seek to educate yourself to free yourself from these ideas and find life on your own terms.  It is not easy but it is necessary. “The truth will set you free” is a great statement, follow it.
I hope this has helped you.  Take care,
             Joe