Prayer For Sale

I looked at the suffering of some martyrs, believers and other ordinary people of faith-on whom God enjoys playing his little mischief once in a while... and wondered if they really understood what he was doing with them?! They refer to Him as "the good shepherd", a good shepherd who rescues the sheep when attacked by wolves, tigers, bears, lions and animals of that sort-dangerous and vicious. Then I realize that the sheep thus rescued, is not often rescued to be sent to a beauty parlour or a spa... it is fed, bathed, garlanded, and paraded to be slain, for a festival, as a sacrifice or may be just for the meat, for a celebration or just for the table.

Now, how better is the good shepherd than the animal he saves the sheep from?! Atleast the sheep knows that the dangerous and vicious animals are bad and might instinctly stay clear off them; but how good is the "good" shepherd who betrays their trust?! As usual, the priests and their scribes try to represent themselves hiding behind a proposed imagery; they know well and very well too how gullible we are. The religious institutions try to lead us into paths they feel is profitable (mutually ofcourse!) and to do that, they need our sanctioning or even better, our complete surrender sans any dissent or objection-not even the slightest-unless ofcourse we want the wrath of God fall upon us... now who would want that?! So we are scared now. First they try to pin us down with guilt and if that does not work, they grease it down by adding fear-this is almost like how the medical business houses try to sell their vaccines or how the government taxes us to death.

How would a God so great who can lay down his life for his sheep, be so cruel to those he loves?! Religion does not like those who think; it thrives like a parasite on people with unquestioning obedience (those who are "teachable" not those who would like to learn.) Without thinking how can we buy in? Without the buy in, how could we sell it? If God is love, then how could he also be so heavily armed with anger, aggression and violence? How could the shepherd turn into a butcher? 

Ironically, it is these wrongful representations of someone beyond our imagination who we try to contain, when attempted to contain, that leads many people follow unmindfully in one hand and makes the other (lesser, few mortals) think at the same time too?

Unquestioning followers are the need of religious institutions just like any mental institution that houses the weird kind. The good One above loves everyone all the same. The thinker, the doer, the tinker and the sailor-all the same. He does not tolerate violence and that in any form (in thought, action or inaction,) is injustice to him... thats all, so simple to understand. This is the moral cage we need to build around us; not a cage someone lures us into with the sink hole of 'betrayal' cleverly, carefully and clearly imposed.

The business that people play with God is marvelous and last time I heard of what happened to those who rip, wrap and attempt to trap God entering into his territory where others of faith walk in was interesting... those who tried, got the ends of a whip that his hands wielded strip them apart as he chased them outside the temple gates. May I pray for the sheep that flock with faith that they be protected from those preying hyenas and that the predators meet the protector's whip... Amen. 

Pic: http://missionservants.org/about/we-believe/jesus-good-shepherd-follows-sheep/