Religion is nothing more than the various aspects of the relationship between man and God. But one thing is clear: in this relationship, God is always the initiator. God is the creator of man, with whom only he enters into a special conscious relationship called religion. It is God who calls man to this type of relationship. It is the dynamic of God’s call and man’s response that establishes religion. It is not man who seeks God, or who initiates the search for God. That is to say that God is the founder of religion. This article considers the authenticity of many statements by men in religious matters today and establishes the fact that zeal for true religion has been lost.

It is very easy today and also dangerous for the common and mortal man to initiate religion, just as it is also contradictory to think that religion stems from the nature of man and tends towards God. Such a religion cannot overcome the human limitations of mortality and blasphemy (John 3:6). It is intrinsically insufficient and deficient because man cannot save himself. In his divine wisdom, God saw it necessary for his Son, who is God, to come and wash away the sins of man with his blood when man was helpless. A religion that originates in man, that is, a relationship of man to God, cannot change man or save him. If man knew what he would do to save himself, he should not have called on God. Such a relationship of man to God is like one of those human inventions which, like all human kingdoms and powers, are doomed to failure in the course of time.

Religion is an area that God has reserved for himself. Consider the relationship between God and the Israelites; the Jewish religion that was preparatory to the Christian religion. Contrary to the worship of the numerous gods of the day, God intervened with the call of Abram (Gen. 12:1-3).

Before creation, biblical literature indicated that the earth was a “formless void” (Gen. 1:2). It is true that God gave the earth a form at creation, but we can rightly say that it is with the beginnings of religion, that is, with the call of Abraham through which all nations will be called into a relationship with God that the earth recognized his vision and direction. From then on, through Abraham to Isaac, Jacob to Moses and the Israelites, God dictated the details of this new relationship. God initiated and explains the order and details of this relationship with the Old Testament people. In the fullness of time, God sent his Son to establish the new Covenant to which the old Covenant simply looked.

In various ways, Christ also continued this old relationship but in a new way. He summarized the ten ancient laws in one: that of love. He elaborated on the details of this New Law in the beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-11), lived it out with his passion and death on the cross, and vindicated his claims with his resurrection. You still see that God is the initiator and regulator of religion. That is why in matters of religion, that is, in God’s relationship with man, anarchy has no place. But what do we see today? There are as many founders of religious groups and ‘Churches’ as there are diversifications of human interest. There is no order or system. Each person is his own religious entity, with his own mode of worship, theology, and doctrine.

Religion, used according to God’s intention, is the best thing that has happened to the world and the best gift that God gave to man. This is because religion itself is life: the life of God in man. Think about the social, spiritual, and psychological effects of religion. Without religion, man would be a wolf to man. The world is a battlefield for the survival of the fittest, a scene of mutual confrontations even with all the inhibitions and the call for peace from religion. What would it have been like without him? That is why some thinkers said that even if God did not exist, it is necessary to invent the idea of ​​Him. In moments of depression and hopelessness, it is only one’s own religious convictions that can help make life worth living. It is only religion that explains why many people have not committed suicide when life tastes bitter. The obvious relevance of religion is truly enumerable.

However, religion is one of the best things to ever happen to the human race, but when mishandled, it can be the ultimate tool for many negative achievements, especially that of exploitation. Of the various senses that exploitation can be used, the sense adopted here is the act of using another person to achieve one’s own selfish needs without considering the effect on others. There are various forms of exploitation: economic, political, etc. There is also religious exploitation. This may sound surprising and even contradictory. But nonetheless it is true. Religious exploitation is going under the banner of religion and/or taking advantage of people’s religious backgrounds or sentiments, and turning people into mere means to one’s hidden selfish ends. Religious exploitation is subtle and more dangerous because it operates under the guise of the sacred.

The exploit is as dangerous as “angel one doesn’t know”. Veiled under religious innocence, the exploit devastates the exploited or the victim who remains unaware and insensitive even when there are clear signs of exploitation. The force of religious exploitation can be better understood when considering the many religious crusades, campaigns, and even wars in history.

Religion deals with the spirit which is the seat of conviction. Ideas rule the world and also rule people. Religious feelings are stronger than philosophical or ideological convictions. The first, always appealing to the occult, the fundamental depth of the human person and the goal of the human person, carries with it a fierce and impermeable rock of conviction that can resist all efforts to subdue it. In addition, always going under a divine banner, mandate and mission, he can perfectly keep an eye on whatever else he is interested in.

Religion goes with the experience that is deeply rooted and not merely physical. Thus one can understand the willingness of the early Christians and the apostles to die rather than disobey God. The strength and conviction of the martyrs are attributable to religious sentiments, just as the strength of jihad can be.

In considering the many shades of exploitation veiled by religion, I want to state here first that inhumanity towards man can be found everywhere and can also be practiced anywhere. There are a thousand and one ways that people have been and are being exploited today in the name of religion. We are aware of the subtle and deceptive machinations with which some ancient traditional pagan society used to settle disputes in the name of consulting an oracle. The oracle, believed to be the highest court of appeal, is also believed to be impartial, fair and just, however it was used by the powers that be to impose guilt and punishment such as ostracism on those with whom they planned to treat. The oracle thus became a principle/symbol of oppression while apparently retaining its image as the voice of God.

Otherwise, brainwashing and hypnotism play an important role in religious exploitation. It was Karl Marx who analyzed religion and wrongly concluded that it is the “opium of the masses”; a device or dose administered to the hopeless and defenseless, promising them a bright future and thus making them succumb to the suffering and pains of today. Religion, in Marx’s understanding, promises people a “mountain of sweet sugar” to use George O’well’s phrase in his classic satirical novel “The Animal Farm.” Karl Marx was wrong to underestimate the whole edifice of religion; and even criticizing the hope that religion offers in this world that is a vale of tears. But today various religious bodies are making Marx look credible; offering religion as opium in the sense that Marx used it. What is the effect when people are brainwashed with doctrines and teachings that are socially self-defeating and forced down adherents?

In many cases, for example, people have been taught to totally ignore medicine and just have ‘faith’ in God; disassociate themselves from any organization and social grouping, and even from work. People have been taught the irrelevance of engaging in any serious academic activity or tedious apprenticeship because it will not lead to salvation. Some have been brainwashed to view their religious leader/minister as a superhuman. Hypnosis is used incessantly, either directly or indirectly, and people are now manipulated like machines with a remote control.

People are also religiously exploited when religion, instead of being a source of comfort and relief, is used to promote fear, insecurity, and alienation. Today, the gospel of doom and satan is trying to eclipse the gospel of love, mercy, and salvation, as visions and prophecies are constantly hammered out that instill fear and submission in people. These systems of doctrines are forms of religious exploitation when you consider their natural and social implications, especially on people who are already tortured by many problems ranging from political instability, tribal and ethnic conflicts and civil wars, growing economic insecurity, unemployment, poverty, lack of social assistance. comforts, etc. Since the end is in sight, as they are supposed to believe, these already oppressed people fold their hands in fateful resignation and await the day of salvation, in most cases risking their lives in the name of fighting for their gods. Since for them God inevitably orders these disasters, it generates passivity and abandonment.

God is not the author of confusion. We must do our best to always follow the truth and do what is right. Let’s be quick to know when we are being exploited in the name of religion. It will save us a lot of pain!