Hierarchies Masquerading as Religion

It will be a great day for our country's spiritual health when so many of our religions are no longer used to promote outdated hierarchies. Unfortunately, this technique has been successful for decades, as when hierarchy conservators meld their religions with support for hierarchies, it is easier for them to hide behind their "noble causes."

On this website, we describe how this works, under the tab "Your Life" and the webpage "Religion." In hierarchies, "Man" is not made in the image of God, but God is made in the image of a man on top of a hierarchy.

Three examples around the United States this week illustrate the point very well.

As we see the erosion of hierarchies in every corner of the globe, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said that there is a "war on Christianity, not just from liberal elites here at home, but worldwide." GOP leadership is saying 'a war on Christianity' is funded by taxpayers. Prominent religious conservatives this week are continuing to push the party to embrace limits on women's right to control their bodies and gay and lesbian rights.

Three weeks after the Boy Scouts of America voted to allow gay youth to join, Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said, "There will be a mass exodus over time. Churches are finally going to have to come to realize – there is a point when you say, ‘sorry, no more.'"

A "North Carolina Defense of Religion Act" proposed this spring would allow a state religion, presumably Christianity. As part of ongoing "Moral Monday" protests, 83 opponents were arrested this week for opposing the conservative agenda of North Carolina's Republican-run state government. "Forward together — not one step back" — a theme of the more than 380 protesters arrested in the six weekly protests held so far. The rally, organized by the NAACP, was dominated by clergy members whose religions do not support the hierarchical laws proposed by the Republican-run state government that they say will harm minorities and the poor.

We think that Mr. Page has a great train of thought. It has come time to say "sorry, no more," to hierarchies masquerading as religion.

http://www.kval.com/news/national/GOP-leaders-court-social-conservatives-211436111.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/12/southern-baptists-expected-to-address-boy-scouts-homosexuality-decision-at/

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-moral-monday-20130612,0,1372924.story