You mean that religious belief is based on selfish motives, and is at odds with the teachings of the philosopher, Christ.


Ake:

Not at all what I said, and certainly not what I meant!!

Why was it okay for the Hashishims to take on assignments to commit murder or mayhem?Because they would wake up (if they succeeded in dying int he attempt) in Paradise surrounded by honeyed virgins or grapes or whatever.

Why was it okay for the Crusaders to sharpen their steel and go barging off to murder the Arabs from here to the Holy Land?

Because they would be elevated in the afterlife for having died gloriously, under the authority and sanction of a very anthropomorphical deity.

Why was it okay for Vikings to go berserk and slaughter and pillage?

Because if they died like a "warrior" they would go to Valhalla and get to sit around and drink and sing, a good fate in my book, too!!:)

The point is that many belief systems use the afterlife as a token for manipulating behavior in this lifetime. The moral of that observation , is be careful what beliefs you choose, so that you don't end up doing things you would otherwise abhor.

A