"Durante séculos, e em particular na Idade Média, a Igreja assustou permanentemente os cristãos com os castigos do Inferno. Ela agia assim, pretensamente, para a salvação da alma deles, mas, na realidade, este método também provocou muitos estragos. Pode-se mesmo dizer que as almas quase se tornaram abrigos para o Diabo, pois as pessoas pensavam tanto nele que esqueceram Deus. Fizeram-se tantas representações do Diabo! Ele foi desenhado, esculpido, pintado, e nos sermões, orais ou escritos, os pregadores referiram-se exageradamente a ele. Usaram-no do mesmo modo que se ameaça as crianças com o polícia, o lobo ou o papão, para elas estarem sossegadas.
Mas não há ainda na nossa época pessoas que utilizam a religião desta maneira? Isso é muito mau do ponto de vista pedagógico. Contrariamente àquilo que afirmam, os que agem assim não estão muito preocupados com o bem das almas, procuram sobretudo exercer o seu poder sobre elas. E, no caso de estarem a ser sinceros, isso não é melhor: significa que eles estão doentes."
"For centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, the Church was forever striking fear into Christians about the punishments of hell. They claimed they were doing so in order to save souls, but in reality this approach also resulted in a great deal of damage. You might even say that souls almost became shelters for the devil, for people thought so much about him they forgot about God. Think of all the pictures they painted of the devil! He was drawn, sculpted and painted, and preachers made excessive use of him in their sermons or their writings. He was used in the same way children are threatened with the policeman, the wolf or the bogeyman to keep them quiet.
But, even in our day and age, there are still people who use religion in this way, aren’t there? It is very bad from an educational point of view. Contrary to what they claim, those who act in this way are not so concerned about the good of souls; they are mostly seeking to exercise power over them. And if they are sincere, it is not much better – it means they are ill."
Mas não há ainda na nossa época pessoas que utilizam a religião desta maneira? Isso é muito mau do ponto de vista pedagógico. Contrariamente àquilo que afirmam, os que agem assim não estão muito preocupados com o bem das almas, procuram sobretudo exercer o seu poder sobre elas. E, no caso de estarem a ser sinceros, isso não é melhor: significa que eles estão doentes."
"For centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, the Church was forever striking fear into Christians about the punishments of hell. They claimed they were doing so in order to save souls, but in reality this approach also resulted in a great deal of damage. You might even say that souls almost became shelters for the devil, for people thought so much about him they forgot about God. Think of all the pictures they painted of the devil! He was drawn, sculpted and painted, and preachers made excessive use of him in their sermons or their writings. He was used in the same way children are threatened with the policeman, the wolf or the bogeyman to keep them quiet.
But, even in our day and age, there are still people who use religion in this way, aren’t there? It is very bad from an educational point of view. Contrary to what they claim, those who act in this way are not so concerned about the good of souls; they are mostly seeking to exercise power over them. And if they are sincere, it is not much better – it means they are ill."
Omraam Mikaël Aïvanhov
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