How And When The Idea of "Putting God First" Causes Real Harm

 There are ... very serious problems 

caused by "putting God first" and "putting the kingdom first";

-whenever
"God" (allegedly) wants something 
which (factually) causes harm. 

For example:

It causes really serious problems for innocent humans (intense prolonged suffering, mental illness, and suicides) 

when someone's religious narrative tell them that they better warn LGBT people to repent of either:

being LGBT 

or 

living/loving as LGBT. 

 That's especially problematic when the targeted person thinks "uh oh. Maybe that's true. Maybe GOD really does feel that way about me".

But it's also a problem for people (especially youth) who do NOT believe it BUT are being othered/alienated/condemned by parents, siblings, friends, kids at school, etc.. 

It's not ok to 'feed the societal consciousness' (nor even our own family) with bullying and canceling sentiments against LGBT, free thinking, doubts, skepticism, or anything else that we only have a "God says" reason to speak against.

Abrahamic religions attempt to
exert coercive force;
along with other forms of emotional manipulation.

To what end?
 

 They want to alter what seems real to you.

They want to maneuver you/everyone into a subservient posture 
relative to them. 

The most effective way to to do 
is to alter your sense of identity. 

The most effective way to do THAT 
is to seek out vulnerabilities;
especially in regards to your sense of worth. 

Why?
As a means to leverage for control over others,
 as a means to "please (a) God".  

For example, when a Christian says something like "I am nothing without God",
they mean:
*their specific conceptualization of God,
*their conditional/approved relationship with that God, 
*"nothing" as a statement of worth,
and
* you too. You too are nothing without that.  

They spread this idea to their kids,
to other people's kids (as circumstances permit), 
and to you; if they can. 

They TRY to make people feel obligated to a "God" ...

to only think, speak, behave, and identify 

within the limits they demand. 

It's a blatant attempt to hijack the headspace and journey of other humans (even entire societies); 

"for their own good".

Many even try to EVADE this damning fact 
by playing word-games about the meaning of "religion";
entirely evading the point they don't want to own up to. 

 And yet,

the would-be hijackers have no rational reason to think their narrative is "true" or "necessary".

They don't *realize* their reasoning is fallacious, because their own mind has been hijacked via the same process. 

Once someone becomes loyal to a narrative ABOUT God, 
they will mistakenly equate that with being loyal TO God. 

That's when they lose the ability to question the narrative they've been given. 

This is how persons of "divine authority" solidify your loyal subservience;
to them and to the larger sociopolitical/religious camp which empowers them.  
---

This next point should be obvious to everyone. But it's not; so someone has to point it out. 

  

The more informed, logical, ethical, and compassionate a society is, the better the health, safety, and function statistics of that society.

This is why health statistics for societies increase as religious fundamentalism decreases. 

And health statistics scale downwards as fundamentalism increases.

Abrahamic religiosity
has real-world and extreme consequences.

And the more literal the interpretations, 
and the more "all about it" the person is, 
the worse the consequences;

- but not just to themselves.

Everyone they share this world with pays a high price for it. 

It's really not anyone's "right" (not even a "God-given right") to cause such problems in other people's lives. 

That's why it matters.

If you want to BE in a religion, 
then I say "GREAT!".
But you could pick one 
that isn't hurting others. 

You could stop pretending that your system of "faith"
isn't hurting others.

And, by the way,
I feel fine saying that. 

Why?

Because we humans cannot afford the luxury of a "live and let live" policy when it comes to dealing with people who REFUSE to "live and let live".

Someone in such a religion (or "faith" or "relationship with God") 

might imagine:

they are not doing the judging. Only God can judge. They're just letting people know about the standards we will all be judged by.

 But that's a self-deceptive copout. 

They are the ones demonizing people for normal and healthy/fine ways of feeling, thinking, living, loving, and being.

They are the ones trying to hijack other people's journey "in the name of God";
 by attempting to excerpt coercive (and other forms of emotionally manipulative) influence.

 
They can deny coercion.
But that's what the threat of "eternal consequences" is.

If they do not WANT anyone to respond under duress, then they ONLY way to avoid causing that duress ... is to never introduce that threat. 

"Do as our God says. Or else he may have to commit extreme violence against you".  

Basically, they've pimped themselves out to real-life mafia bosses (priests, pastors, imams, etc),

who claim to represent an ultimate BOSS; 

as his thugs.

"That's a nice soul you have there.

It would be a shame if something bad happened to it.

 You better submit to our boss's authority over every meaningful facet of your life.

How?

By submitting to us.

  We can wait until later to talk about the money he needs. 

 First, let's talk about what other sacrifices you can make for us 

... err uhm ... 

we mean "Him"".  

So then parents use that as a way to garner more obligated-respect, obligated patience, and obligated-obedience;
 in an imbalanced/non-equal-footing (special privileged) relationship with their kids;
and vs everyone they speak to about what their "God" wants.  

So then "If you doubt me, you're doubting your God".

"If you refuse to listen to me, you're refusing to listen to your God".

"If you're not interested in what I'm saying, then you're not interested in your God".

"If you're critical of what I'm saying, then you're being critical of your God".

 -"because I am speaking as his mouthpiece.".

 Clergy use it for those same selfish benefits.  

 Govts do the same.

And, of course, in Islam, the religion doubles as a govt. 

Everyone "in charge" wants a piece of that pie. 

Everyone in those cultures want people answering to them  and supporting them ... as agents of "God". 

  

So they go around saying "God says this". And "God demands that". 

 And if you so much as DOUBT them, 

 they say there is something wrong with your moral character;

same exact way all clinical narcissists feel, speak, and relate.

 
They are not all clinical narcissists.
But their religion is teaching everyone in those religious cultures to *emulate* that destructive disorder; 

without "the faithful" even realizing it. 

Meanwhile,

WHAT they claim "God says" ... are:
 words-and-actions which do real harm.

So then:

 actual virtue 
(and simply being the adult in the room) 

demands that people who *know better* 

speak better; 

- whenever and wherever it matters.

It's what Karl Popper referred to as "The Tolerance Paradox". 

If we passively tolerate the intolerant,

that will quickly lead to the disappearance of tolerance.

Now, as a Rational Skeptic and ethical critic of those religions,
I am NOT saying "you should all become atheists".

Such a thought never even enters my mind.

I'm saying "you can do better" than the narrative you're plugged into.

You CAN raise your own standards
for research, logic, and ethics.

We should all be *seeking to grow*
in that direction; at least a little every day.

Those religions put a harsh limit on the amount of that growth anyone can attain. 

If someone WANTS to be caged that way,
then:
they just do.

But if they do NOT want to be so limited, 
then I'm one of countless many fellow humans
~willing and qualified~ to help them RECOGNIZE their shackles, 
and thus free themselves. 

They do not need to spend the rest of their lives
weaponized against everyone (even against themselves) "in the name of love".