Atheism, theism, and the eternal fires of hell — how atheists help distribute elite propaganda — and what they can do to stop
Singer, songwriter, producer Richard Marx recently tweeted the following
As an atheist, I believe at the moment of death it’s just lights out. Done. Because, I dunno, brain waves..science. But if I’m wrong, I have ZERO doubt that the folks who claim to be “Christian” but live their lives in opposition of Christ’s teachings are gonna be first to burn.
It’s a weird juxtaposition of beliefs. On the one hand, the guy believes in an empty universe that consists of inert matter. On the other hand, he vigorously affirms an ancient trope of elite spirituality which is that bad people get hurt for doing bad things. You know, you’re gonna burn in hell or have bad karma if you act like a bad person.
Marx’s comments are a great example of just how thoroughly we have all been indoctrinated with elite “spiritual” archetypes. Mr. Marx rejects religion but inadvertently reproduces one of its most basic ideological tenants. [Insert name of a bad person here] has done some bad things. [Insert name of a rich world leader here] has killed a lot of people. But that’s OK. Don’t worry about it. Karma is a bitch. God’s got your back, dude. They’ll get their comeuppance in the end.
Marx’s comments are also a great example of the illogical and emotionally biased way many atheists think about human spirituality, which is that they identify spirituality with Catholicism and then, with nary an additional thought, toss the basket out altogether.
To be honest, personally, I’m with the atheists on chucking out Catholicism. As I talk about in this academic article, Catholicism was created by the most powerful man on the planet at the time (Emperor Constantine). As such, whatever authentic spirituality you may find within is filtered through an ideological and conceptual framework designed to preserve elite power and privileged. It is not a total write-off to be sure, but finding something real there without getting distracted and led astray is quite difficult, and most people, with their busy lives and filled up schedules, don’t manage it at all.
At the same time, I also don’t make the mistake of thinking Catholicism and its doctrines, concepts, and practices represent the warp and woof of human spirituality. As somebody who has been looking into this for a couple decades now I can tell you there is a lot more to spirituality than what the the elite European Church and its white European agents have to say about it. And when I say a lot more I mean a lot more.
When I say that I mean if your idea of human spirituality is that it comes from European Catholicism and its derivatives, you have accepted an elite caricature as truth.
When I say that I mean if you look to the Catholic Bible and the Church and, based on that nonsense, reject the possibility that there is more to reality than just what you see, you are thoroughly and completely misinformed.
When I say that I mean if you inadvertently ape elite spiritual tropes about justice, judgment, and damnation , then you are an unwitting agent of their ideological institutions and their ideological systems of control.
Which is fine, I suppose.
I mean, being misinformed about human spirituality and helping the accumulating class control our thinking isn’t going to get you a sentence in hell. Neither are you going to be assigned a karmic task or given a lower birth just because your decision was a little clouded. On the other hand, you’re really, really, really not helping the planet or its people by helping the elites spread their BS.
Really!
You’re really not helping at all.
More reading
If you want to learn more about elite spirituality and archetypes, read my academic work
2014. “A Sociology of Tarot.” Canadian Journal of Sociology 39 (3). https://www.academia.edu/25055505/.
2018. “Star Wars Is a Religion That Primes Us for War and Violence.” The Conversation, 2018. https://theconversation.com/star-wars-is-a-religion-that-primes-us-for-war-and-violence-89443.
2020. “Rethinking the Origins and Purpose of Religion: Jesus, Constantine, and the Containment of Global Revolution.” Athens Journal of Social Sciences 9 (1): 69–88. https://www.academia.edu/34970150/Rethinking_the_Origins_and_Purpose_of_Religion_Jesus_Constantine_and_the_Containment_of_Global_Revolution.
2020. “A Short Sociology of Archetypes.” 2020. https://www.academia.edu/44254363
Under Review. “From Zoroaster to Star Wars, Jesus to Marx: The Art, Science, and Technology of Mass Human Manipulation.” https://www.academia.edu/34504691
