Spirit Walk Ministry

 

"a grimoire for magickal thinkers"

 

 

 

Spirit Walk Ministry
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
United States

contact@spiritwalkministry.com

  • The Spirit Walk
  • AwakeningClick to open the Awakening menu
    • Awakening
    • The Black Swan
    • Spiritual Snobbery
  • Psychic ProtectionClick to open the Psychic Protection menu
    • Psychic Protection
    • Psychic Attacks
  • PropagandaClick to open the Propaganda menu
    • Propaganda
    • Confusion as Propaganda
    • History as Propaganda
    • Religion as Propaganda
    • Art as Propaganda
    • Social Media as Propaganda
    • Memes as Propaganda
  • The Journey
  • Tao
  • Qi (Chi)Click to open the Qi (Chi) menu
    • Qi (Chi)
    • Qi Gong & Tai Chi
    • Mesmerism
  • PaganismClick to open the Paganism menu
    • Paganism
    • The Goddess Movement
    • Pagan Festivals
    • Neo-Paganism
    • Neo-Pagan (New Age) Movements
  • Nature SpiritsClick to open the Nature Spirits menu
    • Nature Spirits
    • Tree Spirits
  • Spirit GuidesClick to open the Spirit Guides menu
    • Spirit Guides
    • The Trickster
    • Animal Spirit Guides
    • Land Animal Spirits
    • Bird Animal Spirits
    • Water Animal Spirits
    • Insect Animal Spirits
    • Reptile Animal Spirits
    • Extinct Animal Spirits
    • Mythical Animal Spirits
    • Angel Spirit Guides
  • Traditional MagickClick to open the Traditional Magick menu
    • Traditional Magick
    • The Tradition of Magick
    • The Principles of Magick
    • The Science of Magick
  • Traditional WitchcraftClick to open the Traditional Witchcraft menu
    • Traditional Witchcraft
    • Traditional Witchcraft FAQ's
    • The History of Witchcraft
    • Witchcraft and Paganism
    • Witchcraft Festivals
    • Types of Witchcraft
    • American Witchcraft
    • The Tools of Witchcraft
  • Traditional Shamanism
  • Native American Spirituality
  • The ParanormalClick to open the The Paranormal menu
    • The Paranormal
    • Hauntings
    • Gremlins
    • Mediumship
  • Ghosts in the Machine
  • CosmologyClick to open the Cosmology menu
    • Cosmology
    • Physical Cosmology
    • Metaphysical Cosmology
  • The Simulation Hypothesis
  • Physics and MetaphysicsClick to open the Physics and Metaphysics menu
    • Physics and Metaphysics
    • Quantum Mysticism
    • Tesla and Metaphysics
  • Alchemy
  • Astrology
  • Numerology
  • Crystals and StonesClick to open the Crystals and Stones menu
    • The Nature of Crystals and Stones
    • The Qualities of Crystals and Stones
  • Plants and HerbsClick to open the Plants and Herbs menu
    • Plants and Herbs
    • Incense
    • Essential Oils
  • DivinationClick to open the Divination menu
    • Divination
    • The I-Ching
    • The Runes
    • The Tarot
    • The Tea Leaf
  • All Creatures Great and Small
  • On FileClick to open the On File menu
    • On Baseball
    • On Bathing
    • On Civility
    • On Diet
    • On Duct Tape
    • On Fasting
    • On Religion
  • About the MinistryClick to open the About the Ministry menu
    • About the Ministry
    • Webmaster
  • Donations
  • Contact

Religion as Propaganda


 Concentration of power in a political machine is bad;
and an Established Church is only a political machine;
it was invented for that; it is nursed, cradled, preserved for that;
it is an enemy to human liberty,
and does no good which it could not better do
in a split-up and scattered condition.

Mark Twain - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

 

Religion is man's oldest form of propaganda. Every religion claims that every other religion is of a misleading nature, so we can conclude that all of religion is propaganda from one point of view or another. Whether it be Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Scientology, Mormonism, etc. etc., it is all propaganda in one form or another. All are biased information used to push a particular point of view. The point of view being pushed, regardless of which ideology it belongs to, is the existence of a particular god and set of codes and rituals.

Religious propaganda has its roots in the early philosophers, who were the first to theorize about it. Aristotle believed that emotions were central and vital to influence the opinions of a group of people. His mentor Plato believed the voicing of opinions should only be allowed by people who are wise, which is reflected in the Athenian system of democracy. He believed that emotions play a significant role in influencing public opinion and that people who are not as wise are more easily influenced by emotions. Plato was also the first to define the difference between good persuasion and bad persuasion, what he called propaganda. He said that if there was logic and reasoning behind the person’s opinion, then it was good. If it was based on emotions, then it was bad and viewed it as manipulation.

 ,

 

Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal.
He is the only animal that has the True Religion - several of them.
He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself
and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight.
He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best
to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven.

Mark Twain "The Lowest Animal"

 

Religion was central to early political control of society. By assuming the authority of higher beings, priests and princes were able to suppress dissent without constant recourse to military terrorism. The more successful leaders realized that internal legal harmonization bought significant advantages, and most judicial systems are religiously inspired. Both English Common law and Roman Codex systems exeunt across Europe used to presume that 'all law is known to God' and the law courts were merely a forum in which we lesser beings might 'discover the mind of God'.

Since 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has guided most western judiciaries. But, the British monarch is still enthroned "By the grace of God, Defender of the Faith" and British coins bear the legend "Dei Gratia Regina" around the royal image as a constant reminder to British subjects of the sovereign's rule by divine providence.



 

In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions
are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination,
from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue
but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners,
whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.
Autobiography of Mark Twain

 

Basically propaganda's etymological roots point toward a word pertaining to the spreading of a particular faith, in the case of this etymological branch: Catholic faith. We all know that Catholicism is the forerunner to all of Christianity and the doctrines it espouses, particularly Jesus' sacrifice for sins. So when you are spreading the "good news", be aware that you are spreading propaganda. This goes for any religion, not just Christianity.

Religious propaganda was not used in a formal way until the Roman Catholic Church, dating back to 1622 and Pope Gregory XV. He began distributing and creating propaganda in support of the Catholic Church after the Counter Reformation . This was one of the first, documented instances where persuasion was used to promote one person’s self-interest . The Pope realized that the other non-Catholic religions were utilizing techniques that appealed to the individual, rather than their own fearmongering techniques. Protestant religions often focus on the individual on a personal level and gives them more control in their own religion. The Catholic Church had to fight the power of the bandwagon effect on the people who were leaving the Church for the new and exciting religion. Though this concept was unknown, it can be identified, and the Church did its best to fight it by reframing their message to the people.





 

 Propaganda Links

Propaganda
Confusion as Propaganda
History as Propaganda
Religion as Propaganda
Art as Propaganda
Social Media as Propaganda
Memes as Propaganda

Spirit Walk Ministry

"a grimoire for magickal thinkers"

 

 © 2007-2021

Last Updated: January 20, 2021

Spirit Walk Ministry
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
United States

contact@spiritwalkministry.com