Randy's Rants

Hope, Dope and the Pope
By Randy Gage
Apr 11, 2005, 08:47

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God Save Us from the Crusaders!

Dear Colleague,

I thought the US was wrapped up in the funeral rituals for Pope John Paul II. But in Europe, the media fixation makes the coverage in the States look positively skimpy. French TV might as well be billed as “all Pope, all the time.” Here in Amsterdam, even the hashish coffee shops have the TVs tuned into the spectacle.

In his 26-year papacy, this Pope seemed to have touched the world like none before him. He introduced computers to the Vatican, traveled to 129 countries, and harnessed the power of television and technology to reach every corner of the globe.

He used his visits to shake up right wing dictatorships, give hope to the poor, and shone a spotlight on the afflicted. By all accounts, he was a well-meaning and deeply committed man.

None of that will change the legacy of lack, limitation, and despair he leaves behind. As history has demonstrated time and again, it is not the evil villains we need fear most, but rather, the well-meaning crusaders. And John Paul II was certainly a crusader.

He worked to overthrow communism, comfort the sick, and nurture the poor. Yet like most religious leaders, his actual actions did much to keep his followers sick, broke and stupid.

Now don’t get me wrong: I don’t think he did this because he was an evil man. He impressed me as a very spiritual and caring human being. A human being who was infected with so many common mind viruses of lack and limitation, he had no idea of the desolation he was creating.

He fought Communism in his native Poland and around the globe. But he was infected with the belief that it is spiritual to be poor, money is evil, and he scorned the effects of capitalism.

He came to the US seven times, and denounced American materialism each time, castigating Americans for not sharing more of their wealth with the world’s poor.

I rant often in this space about the lack and limiting beliefs that people get programmed with. And historically no one has done negative program better than organized religion. And of course the Vatican is usually near the top of the list.

I’ve talked about the negative subliminal programming of movies like Titanic, Spiderman and other blockbusters before. So when “The Passion of the Christ” took off at the box office, I couldn’t help, but assume it must be riddled with lack undertones. So I bought some popcorn and went to see for
myself. Halfway through it was enough to prove the case…

What a depressing movie! And what a perfect film to pander to Christians’ subconscious beliefs that they are sorry sinners, flawed beings needing redemption, and aren’t worthy of the Grace their beloved Savior offers them.

Give Mel Gibson credit. He sure knows how to target the perfect market demographic. And casting Jesus as a white guy – what a brilliant stroke of marketing savvy!

You know with every slash of the whip as Jesus’ flesh and blood was splattering – every Christian watching felt guiltier and guiltier. Every time he fell with that heavy cross and picked it up again, they knew they were more unworthy. And when the soldiers started driving the spikes through his hands and feet, they felt the anguish of knowing they could never meet the standard, no matter how many Hail Mary’s they chanted.

Of all the people I have coached for removing prosperity blocks, this unworthiness issue is one that affects the most of them. Because religion is such an emotional issue, and it is programmed at such an early age.

The spectacle around the death of the Pope and the coronation of the next one imbeds this message deeper and deeper. As you know, I don’t usually read anything in the newspaper other than the baseball news. But the front page, four-color spread on the Pope’s passing sucked me in.

Even in death, the mind viruses started by the Pope carry forward, continuing to program people for lack and limitation, and a fear-based existence. On the front page of The Miami Herald, the article states, “But when he died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment at age 84, it was his very public pain and suffering that marked the last decade of his papacy – his way of reminding his flock that redemption comes through suffering.”

A little later it adds, “Everything he did in his papacy – the third longest in history – stemmed from his unshakable belief that only faith, forged in the crucible of suffering, could fulfill God’s designs for human beings.”

Of course this is just the perpetuation of the “You’re a sorry sinner and flawed human needing redemption If you suffer and sacrifice enough, we might make an exception for you and let you ouch the good stuff in the afterlife.” dogma that organized religion has been brainwashing people with for centuries. And because Pope John Paul II appointed 95 percent of the Cardinals who will choose his successor, this rigid Orthodox theological vision will likely be imprinted on the church for many decades to come.

The Pope did much to perpetuate this belief that you must suffer now if you want to get the good stuff later. He told his biographer, “I have to lead Christ’s church into the third millennium by prayer. But I saw that this is not going to be enough. She must be led by suffering. By sacrifice.”

Geesh. Now I’m worried that I may be struck down by a lightning bolt for that Cinnabon I ate in the airport!

Even as you read this, another generation of kids in Sunday Schools and Catholic schools is getting infected with self- loathing, guilt, and worthiness issues, as the church marches on. More Gay teens will take their lives, believing they have been forsaken by their God. More women will receive the message that they are second class citizens; riding the bench, not good enough to make God’s starting lineup.

Of course the same thing is happening in many other temples, mosques and synagogues, as more and more kids receive the negative programming that will stunt, or short circuit their success later in life.

And what a crime that is.

Pope John Paul II reached out to Jews, Muslims, Protestants, and other faiths, while never missing a chance to let them know that the one door to salvation was going to be slammed in their face. He was forceful in his rejection of homosexuality, birth control, divorce, remarrying after divorce, and women and married men in the clergy.

Just as they lined up to see their savior whipped and crucified in the Gibson movie, millions have lined up in Rome, to assuage their guilt be feeling guiltier. The more unworthy they feel, the better chance they think they have for salvation.

In reality, all this does is accelerate their fear of success, limit their vision, and increase their self-sabotage behavior.

If you have ever attended my “Sacred Secrets of Prosperity” workshop, then you have heard me discuss the phenomenon of “the hero’s journey.” This is the timeless theme prevalent in classic literature, and modern day fables like “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and “Spiderman. It is built on the premise of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary challenge to become victorious.

As kids, we grow up being profoundly affected by these heroic journey influences we get, and fantasizing about one day becoming the hero ourselves. This could have been wanting to grow up and be tough like John Wayne, save the world like Buck Rogers and Luke Skywalker, or develop superhuman powers like Wonder Woman, Superman, and the Fantastic Four.

But of course most of us grew up in a world that didn’t have a lot of job openings for super heroes. And who knew where to buy the cape and tights? So we created the next best thing:

Our own hero’s journey…

By getting an addiction we would have to overcome. By getting in relationships with dysfunctional partners we must break free of. By creating business failures we must surmount. By manifesting illnesses that must be defeated. Or as in my case, all of the above.

You see, the more worthiness issues you have and the lower your self esteem is, the more heroic a journey you need to validate yourself! So you attract another abusive partner, switch to a new addiction, find another cheap boss, or manifest another illness.

Everyone that knows you realizes what a bad string of luck you have had. Everyone tells you that you’re an inspiration. You feel noble, for all the sacrifice you’re doing. There’s only one problem with all this.

Your life sucks.

But before you give up total hope, organized religion rides in to the rescue. They assure you that you are meant to suffer here, to demonstrate your worthiness for the afterlife, when the good stuff comes.

And depending on the religion: if you prostrate yourself enough, beg for forgiveness enough, say enough “Hail Mary’s,” ambush enough GI’s, rub enough rosary beads, pray to Mecca enough times each day, blow up enough abortion clinics, kill enough Jews, or send enough money to the televangelist – you will be saved!

Most of the world’s major organized religions are set up as cosmic frequent flier programs. If you collect enough points, you win the free trip to paradise. Whether we look at the Christian concept of original sin, the Buddhist 8-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish Covenant, or the Muslim Code of Law, they all are set up with the basic presupposition that you are a flawed being needing salvation.

And if that’s what you are taught beginning at four or five years old, is it any wonder that you would grow up with worthiness issues? Low self-esteem, fear-based consciousness and a tendency to self-sabotage?

I don’t worry about villains. It’s the crusaders who make me nervous!

-RG

P.S. The “Sacred Secrets” workshop here went amazing. We’ve added some new dates and locations. Check to see if we’re coming near you. www.SacredSecrets.com

© MMXI Randy Gage. All Rights Reserved.

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