The Religion of Humanism (worship of man) THE "LET THEM SAY" PRINCIPLES IN THE "RELIGION" OF WORSHIPPING PEOPLE

The basic rules of this "religion" are founded on two principles:

"Let them say," and "Don't let them say." At these principles' root is the error of seeking to please others and feeling one has to assume the identity and lead the kind of life that others expect. In other words, a person who adopts such a goal has ceased to use his mind and his freedom of thought. He will have to change himself constantly in relation to other people's expressions of praise, affection, interest, intimacy and friendship. Such concerns as, "I want people to say this about me", and "I don't want anyone to say that about me" prevent him from using his mind and cause him to make every effort towards the impossible goal of trying to please everyone. He is forced to live not in accordance with what he sees as very true and of which he does not have the slightest doubt, but in accordance with what society demands. However, the Scriptures says that a life not founded on seeking to please God will certainly lead to Hell the one who lives it.

"And thou my son Solomon, know the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the thoughts of minds. If thou seek him, thou shalt find him: but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." 1 Paralipomenon 28:9

Despite the clear truth revealed in this verse, the importance of winning God's favor has been almost totally lost in today's society.

People have come to see themselves as attached to others rather than to God. At the root of this is human beings' endless desire to show off and receive praise.

People's Passion for Showing Of and Earning Praise

The human ego wants to show off and receive praise from others. People, still unaware that God has created them as His servants and that they survive by what He gives them, want to receive praise and are eager to obtain a selfish superiority by doing all they can to show off to others. They believe that they possess their talents by their own power and that they can obtain everything they want with their own hands. The Scriptures gives us an example of this wrong state of mind:

"The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he humbleth and he exalteth." 1 Kings 2:7

"But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God." Luke 12:21

From these verses in the Scriptures, we can see that a life based on ostentation and praise is the selfish passion of faithless people. They think that the purpose of life is to receive praise from others, show off their wealth and become richer; and when they are able to do so, they believe they have gained something. Elsewhere in the Scriptures, God tells us about people who have this distorted way of
thinking:

"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that doctrine which is according to godliness, He is proud, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and strifes of words; from which arise envies, contentions, blasphemies, evil suspicions, Conflicts of men corrupted in mind, and who are destitute of the truth, supposing gain to be godliness.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world: and certainly we can carry nothing out. But having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content. For they that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition. For the desire of money is the root of all evils; which some coveting have erred from the faith, and have entangled themselves in many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:3-10

The reality is not as it appears, however, to those who think it a virtue to be in the majority. God did not create the world so that individuals could contend with one another and gain superiority in selfish pursuits; He created it to test who would do the best things in their service to Him. It says in the Scriptures:

"But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him." Hebrews 11:6

For this reason, the most pleasurable, happy and joyful things are those that are done to win God's favor, because a human being can be basically satisfied by the joy that faith brings. All else brings a short-lived sense of satisfaction that will be of no benefit in the Afterlife.

Yet some individuals reject true religion and prefer to worship people they idolize other beings apart from God and as a result, base everything they do on this foundation. They are always ostentatious, showing off to others the things they have been given. But ostentation puts great material and spiritual burdens on an individual. It wearies his mind and body and distances him from his very nature, turning him into someone who acts inhumanely towards others, treating them harshly, with anger, grudging insincerity and hypocrisy. This person may even start performing acts of worship that require sincerity of heart so that others will say that he is a devout Catholic. In the Scriptures, God tells us of people who practice religion as lip service to others:

"Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness. So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." Matthew 23:27-28

Combining the desire to please others with faith in God is a breach of religious sincerity. In His sight, it makes an individual insincere. By paying too much attention to what people think of him, he sullies his faith with ostentation and hardens his heart with the selfish desire for praise. As a result, he lives for worldly gain and profit and loses his fear of God. Totally unaware of the punishment He will give, he will employ the fine moral qualities he should use to earn God's favor as currency for worldly gain and to bring opportunities his way. Everyone who "worships" people adjusts his life to these principles.

I will give some examples of his distorted mentality as it appears in daily life.

THE "LET THEM SAY" PRINCIPLE

In an ignorant society, people feel continually obliged to live with regard for what others say, will say, or have said. As a result, they do not think about God and are far from acting according to sound moral principles. Their thoughts are divorced from religious morality, and they know nothing about the well-being that religion can give, having fallen into a chaotic, contentious environment where right and wrong are confused.

According to this distorted mentality, only human beings have the right to make laws and establish rules. All the things that God has commanded or prohibited are removed from human life, one by one. For this reason, an individual who practices the precepts of true religion and disregards any argument that detracts from the importance of winning God's favor, will immediately attract notice of ignorant people and who will treat him badly. But a person who is sincere in his religion will take no notice of this adverse behavior because his only goal in this world is to win God's favor.

But concerns for what others will say or think may influence those whose faith is weak. This is why they cannot fully practice the moral virtues of the Faith and in their thoughts and actions, why they resemble idolaters more than real Catholics. These individuals live their whole lives greatly deceived by a perverse understanding of the "facts of life" that prevents them from embracing the real spirit of religion.

You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils. 1 Corinthians 10:21

"No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24

God tells us the fate of these people:

"But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth." Apocalypse 3:16

This false religion affects people like an infectious disease, preventing the many of weak will or personality from remembering God or seeking His favor. Under the influence of the majority, they regard their erroneous thinking as so normal that they don't even feel the need to distance themselves from it.

Describing the fundamental rationale of this false religion , which holds sway over its members and people of weak faith, would help people discover the distorted thinking they had fallen into. And by the Will of God, the sincere could save themselves from this false religion. The following passages give some stock examples of the "Let them say" mentality characteristic of the "peopleworshippers."

"Let Them Say I Am Good-natured"

The Bible has many statements about the importance of being morally virtuous. But the basis of this good nature must lie in their desire to win God's favor.

However, ignorant people live in a system that works in just the opposite way. An individual who practices People-ism has memorized the rules of his religion and thinks that by telling people what they want to hear, he is doing the right thing. Even if he is good natured, at the basis of this behavior is the desire to exert a positive influence on others, get them to like him, and gain from them something of material value.

He will do everything he can to achieve this goal; he will be perfectly good-natured. For example, if need be, he will help his neighborhood poor to display of his compassion; and will tell everyone how important honesty is for human beings. He will let himself seem to be modest. He will speak about the great harm evil brings upon humanity, appearing all the while to be happy, loving and patient.

People trust him for the appearance he presents; they like him and befriend him. They will tell all their friends how good-natured he is, give many examples of how he has helped others, shown compassion to a poor child or respect for some elderly person he met on the road. They describe to others how he took to the police station a wallet he found on the street, gave his seat on the bus to a pregnant woman even though his own feet were sore, turned up on time for work in the morning without seeming tired even though he stayed late at work the night before. This individual performs all these acts of self-sacrifice merely so that people will say he is good-natured , hardworking, compassionate and honest.

Another person will go to a rehabilitation center and bring little gifts to the people that live there. He will bring homeless children various things to make their rooms homey. Then, so that other people will know what he has done, he advertises his kindness to his close associates in an appropriate way. Or he may make a considerable donation for the renovation of a particular department of a hospital.

All these acts are laudable, of course, but it must be re m e mbered that they are "good" only if performed to earn God's favor. If done to bring an individual praise or appreciation, to make him appear good, generous and just, they will bring him no benefit beyond a small worldly gain. If conditions grow bad for him, or if acting good-natured turns to his disadvantage, he can immediately give up being "good." But things done to gain God's approval are permanent and enduring, because they are done unconditionally.

Moreover, it is very easy for anyone to turn from his error and change his intentions. An individual who realizes that "people worship" brings him nothing but harm must simply repent and intend to seek God's favor. This decision takes only a moment and from that moment, all the good things a person does with good intent hardly count for nothing, but are written in God's book to be rewarded.

The important thing is, that person fears God and strives to do His will. It's very important to recognize the power of God and to fear Him as one should, because when a person does not fear God, it is not clear how he will act or what kind of decisions he will make. If he requires rewards for doing good, he becomes instantly ill-natured.

It does not occur to him that his behavior will receive punishment from God. He may exhibit one character one week and a wholly different one the next. According to the laws of people-worship, he may return evil for evil and injustice for injustice. He also begins to apply the merciless laws of the religion he believes in. And because, as we said before, the deities this religion worships are only human beings, his human conscience functions accordingly. For this reason, he gives no importance to the kind of moral behavior expected by God. However, Christians also treat pitiless, cruel and unjust individuals who behave badly towards them as their moral virtue dictates and under no conditions do they compromise the virtuous behavior that pleases God.

Therefore, never do believers diverge or withdraw from their path of moral virtue. Always humane, they never lose their religious convictions, because their life aim is based on their desire to be servants
of God. In the Bible, God describes this kind of moral virtue:

Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.

But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. Matthew 6:1-6

Let Them Say that I Am Rich, Generous and Like to Spend Money

In "people-worshipping religion"; much importance is placed on wealth. In this false religion, wealth means power. A person with power in society has a few highly valued privileges; the richest person is the most popular, most deferred to, and enjoys the most friends. Such a person thinks that wealth will open wide all the proverbial doors for him. For this reason, some individuals expend lots of effort putting this aspect of themselves in the foreground.

They have a number of ways to get people to notice how rich they are and how they like to spend money. They never miss the opportunity to strengthen the impression of how wealthy they are, they are lavish, sometimes extravagant, in spending money on clothes, cars and houses. They decorate their homes in a way that society, other wealthy people, would appreciate. If society chose to decorate with the color green for a particular year, these individuals choose green too, even if they don't like it; and if red is in vogue, they use red. Wanting everything to be just right becomes a matter of pride for them. Influenced by the "let them say" and "let them think" mentality, they spend their whole lives doing things to display their wealth. They spend their summers in the most popular vacation spots and go skiing in the most stylish winter resorts. They send their children to school abroad and buy their clothes from other countries. In their circle of acquaintances they let it be known that "they have money too" and so buy an expensive yacht. Even if they do not sail it themselves, they moor it in a harbor to show it off. If there are people they want to impress, they take them sailing, treating their guests to the best food and drink to emphasize that they do not lack for anything.

If a person has money, of course there is nothing wrong with acting in this way if one wants to; in fact, if he takes real pleasure in doing these things, they are blessings. But most of the people we have been talking about think in this distorted way. They want only one thing: For people to observe that they are wealthy, generous and like to spend. This gives them a sense of selfish satisfaction, boosts their morale and increases their motivation. If they do not hear what they want to, they become upset, discouraged, depressed and take no pleasure in anything. But were they asked to show the same eagerness in teaching others religious morality and increasing the number of believers in God, probably they would decline the invitation.

This is because they are more interested in winning others' approval than earning the favor or God. In this, they would find nothing in terms of material gain or earning others' praise.

But on the Day of Judgment, they will leave behind all their possessions and enter our Lord's presence alone. They will leave behind all those individuals they tried to please and ingratiate themselves with, to the point of deifying them none of whom will be of the slightest assistance. They will defend themselves before God, Who tells us what awaits these adherents of false religion on the
Day of Judgment:


Let Them Say I Am Their Friend

People who practice this false religion befriend with the most attractive, wealthy, and famous people in their social circle. They give no importance to their moral character. To be known as the friend of a beautiful woman, for example, they endure all her caprices. To shine in her social circle, they'll do everything they can to be known as of that particular person's best friend and try to be seen with her.

Anyone with this mentality does the same thing when he makes friends with someone wealthy. He feels pride to talk and laugh with him sitting at the same table; she loves it when that person is familiar enough to call him by his first name, joke with him, call him or visit his home. He likes to be seen getting into his friend's car. He counts it a great success when people say about him, "That rich man's friend is very nice. How lucky he is!" He thinks he is important for having that man as a friend and just to be called "his friend," is prepared to take part in all his whims, even if they are sometimes cruel and selfish.

However, human beings must found their friendships on God's will, because they can gain honor and power only by being His servants. In the Bible, God tells us that all the honors and positions that people seek belong to Him:

"Thine, O Lord, is magnificence, and power, and glory, and victory: and to thee is praise: for all that is in heaven, and in earth, is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art above all princes. Thine are riches, and thine is glory, thou hast dominion over all, in thy hand is power and might: in thy hand greatness, and the empire of all things." 1 Paralipomenon 29:11-12

A person can be harmed and humiliated merely by forming worldly friendships based on the pursuit of these goals. Friendships established only to attract attention and stir up envy will never meet one's true expectations. So long as an individual does not live according to the moral teachings of the Bible, he will never know real friendship, faithfulness, or loyalty. Even if he appears to have gained a few worldly advantages, friends who do not practice the morality of the Bible will cause him great loss in the Hereafter. In the Bible, God reveals this truth:

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: That grace may be added to thy head, and a chain of gold to thy neck. My son, if sinners shall entice thee, consent not to them... The turning away of little ones shall kill them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But he that shall hear me, shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy abundance, without fear of evils. Proverbs 1:8-10,32-33

Let Them Say, "He Always Knows What's Best"

For someone to be called an economic expert, that person must give correct answers to every question he is asked on this subject. To do so, he must read and follow current events day and night. A person supposed to know about history must know every detail about some important event and whom it affected.

Again, this would require years of effort. Someone who claims to excel at sports must train for hours every day, win every competition and, if necessary, shunt his friends, family and social life to the
background.

But it must be remembered, these are worldly pursuits. Of course it's a good thing to work hard and be successful in the world. But if, in the pursuit of these things, the will of God is forgotten a person has a lot to lose. If he gains a certain amount of success in this world but has not lived to win God's favor, he will unless God wills otherwise forever lose his place in the Afterlife.

Our Lord has the highest knowledge; it is absolute. Therefore, a successful person supposed to know everything about everything in his chosen field must make an effort to win God's favor by being His servant and living a moral life. Real salvation is possible only in this way.

Let Them Say, "He Adapts Himself to Every Environment"

As we have been saying from the beginning, a person in an ignorant society feels obliged to follow its rules and lifestyle. He tries to do what his circle of acquaintances want him to and be the model of the sort of individual they want him to be. Often he won't hesitate to do something against the Churches moral teachings or act in a way that will bring him harm. He does not want to go contrary to one of the mantras of the religion of people worship, and wants others to say of him that "he adapts to every environment."

For example, a polite young man may have rebellious and disrespectful friends; although he may not be that way himself, he will try to conform to their lifestyle. He compromises his character because he does not want to be thrown out of the group and accused of being "not with it" or a "mommy's boy."

Even though he knows that cigarettes are bad for his health, he will start smoking because his friends do. Some may even believe in God but, because their social circle is not religious, may present themselves quite differently to his group. They will stop saying their prayers in order so as not to be expelled from the circle, all to win and keep the favor of others and keep them on his side. Those who behave in this way must consider the harm they are doing to themselves in this world and the world to come; they must fear that day when they will give their accounts to God.

To close one's eyes to immorality and turn away from what is right, with the excuse of fitting in with one's social group is very dangerous even from the point of view of the community. This distorted thinking lies especially at the root of the moral degeneration of young people. Suppose you met some who used drugs, were undergoing treatment for alcoholism or earned their living by prostitution.

Ask why they live the way they do, and one major reason they gave would be that they "had to fit in" with their friends. In the sight of God, however, no human being has any such duty towards another. God holds people responsible only for earning His favor and obeying His moral edicts.

Everything else done apart from this purpose will simply put people on the wrong path and induce them to do things against creation. And their lives will be consumed by pangs of conscience and
anxiety.

So far we have considered a few basic examples of the "let them say" principle of people-worship. But this false religion is not limited to these non-believers. Nearly every step taken by people who practice this "religion" is to get others to think well of them and win their approval. Their thoughts are obsessed with this goal, and they spend every moment in this pursuit.

But even though they live in the same community, individuals with sincere faith are different from those in the society of ignorance. They may appear to do the same things, yet their intention is not directed towards other people, but towards God. They realize that no human being has any power, and that all power belongs to Him.

They may do things to please others also, but their purpose is to win God's favor. As God has commanded, they act with moral propriety towards others and by so doing, they win God's approval and also make others happy.

Grenade explodes at Philippine cathedral

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=442

A grenade has exploded at the cathedral of the Vicariate Apostolic of Jolo in the southern Philippines. No one was injured in the blast, and no one has claimed responsibility, though the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf is suspected.

While 81% of the nation’s 87 million people are Catholic, the Jolo area is heavily Muslim: fewer than 3% of the area’s 1 million residents are Catholic. Jolo's previous ordinary, Bishop Benjamin D. de Jesus, was slain in front of the cathedral in 1997.

The Religion of Humanism (worship of man) DISTORTED REASONINGS THAT LEAD PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THIS RELIGION

Some people show no interest in following the commandments of God or in leading their lives according to His commands and prohibitions. But when it comes to living within a system that deifies other human beings, they are all too willing. This contradiction immediately begs the question of the deceptive promises made by the "religion" of idealizing. Considering this question, we find that those who reverence other people have very little concept of God's power.

Those who do not understand the limitless power of God and the purpose of the universe's creation try to live their lives according to rules of their own making, and based on an ignorant way of thinking apart from the Church. This is the foundation of the cult of worshipping people and also supplies the excuses why anyone should follow it. In the Scriptures, however, God tells us about those who propose false facts and reasoning to justify their rejection of true religion:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

By their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:15-16

In this section, we will look at the falsehoods put forward by those who practice the superstitious "worship" of people instead of living according to the religion that God has revealed. Some of these distorted ideas include:

The "Facts of Life" Idea

God wants people to order every moment of their lives according to the Churches edicts, commands and prohibitions. The Church is a guide that lets human beings distinguish between right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, and those acts that please God and those that don't. For these reasons, God commands people in the Scriptures, to obey His Church:

And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican. Matthew 18:17

That the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places through the church, According to the eternal purpose, which he made, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:10-11

But the majority does not organize its lives according to the edicts of the Church or its moral precepts.
They do not understand how important religious morality and the Church are, for their entire lives. They think that religion can offer occasional guidance in some limited areas of life. Apart from times of worry and distress, moments of great danger, serious pain, discomfort and insurmountable fear and at the hour of deaththey see no need to turn to God. They fail to grasp that everyone must live a life according to the dictates of religious morality. For this reason, they prefer to lead their whole lives as far away from religion as possible, not even discussing it among themselves. They even avoid mentioning the name of God.

For a person to live his life, however, he definitely needs the commands of God and the moral qualities taught by the Church.

It is good and easy for us to live according to the moral teachings in the book of our Lord and Creator. Without this morality, a healthy society is unthinkable; because laws decreed with no regard for human nature (that is, the character that human beings were created with), will have a detrimental effect on both individuals and on society and bring about social degradation. Relations between humans will deteriorate, and society will be plunged into chaos. As a result, war, confusion and oppression will be unavoidable throughout the world. Individuals divorced from religion, trying to follow the dictates of their own ignorant systems, will be overwhelmed by spiritual and physical distress.

Today, despite all this rampant negativity, some individuals not including sincere believers continue to insist that along with religion, there are also the "facts of life." This philosophy is based on rejecting the absolute necessity of religious morality in human life.

According to such distorted thinking, to follow the rules of religious morality is practically impossible. These people fear that were religion allowed into daily life, they would be deprived of all kinds of worldly blessings and lead a life of monotony. They think that living a life of religious morality will prevent them from enjoying life. Of course, this idea has nothing to do with reality. Religious morality creates the most comfortable social life in which the individual human spirit will be the most content and the most productive.

Those who adopt this high morality and escape the "facts of life" deception possess the soundest mood in their society. They will take pleasure in the beauties of life and play a major role in bringing about a society of peace, tolerance, and self-sacrifice.

But those divorced from religious morality think of practising virtue as a sign of weakness and naivete. For example, they believe that, no matter how much a person sacrifices himself for another, he will always get selfishness and unfairness in return and therefore, it would be silly to act in such a way. They regard any self-sacrificial act as well-intentioned but ignorant, a person doing a good deed for someone else free of charge and getting no acknowledgement for what he has done. In real life, as far as they are concerned, one should return selfishness for selfishness, grudge for grudge, hostility for hostility and enmity for enmity.

Ignorant society regards it as silly to be kind and make amends with anyone who constantly does you wrong, and to forgive that person for the bad things he has done. In response to such moral virtue, people in that society would belittle the good person, asking, "How gullible can you be? If that were me, he'd soon get what's coming to him!" According to the "facts of life" espoused by those who ignore the moral teachings of the Church, it is right to exchange evil for evil.

This way of thinking is commended in ignorant religions, which assert that no enemy can ever be a friend; no matter how much good one person does for another, underlying enmity still remains. The only one who loses is whoever does the favour.

Society holds the well-intentioned to be a weak person who doesn't realize when he is being abused. People with this distorted way of thinking believe that they have to embrace "the facts of life" even more tightly to keep themselves from falling into traps. They fear that they have to pay close attention to what people are thinking and to how they react. These individuals lay great importance on what others say; assuming that the more they get others to like them, the better will be their place in society. They think that once society likes them, they should absolutely resort to every sort of unseemly behaviour on the way to attaining their worldly ambitions.

In the Scriptures, however, God says that He wants human beings to be sincere in seeking His pleasure only and not to consider what other people might say. Our Lord commands His servants' moral character to be the opposite to that of the ignorant people we have been describing. In the sight of God, a good person is one who returns good for a wrong committed against him. Moreover, this kind of behaviour is an important step on the way to creating friendship out of enmity. In the Scriptures, God tells us of this happy result:

To no man rendering evil for evil. Providing good things, not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as is in you, have peace with all men. Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.

Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good. Romans 12:17-21

Practising the Churches moral teachings is the only way to salvation; this is true in forgiving others for the wrongs they have committed and in everything else we do. The real purpose of life is to be a servant who wins God's favour; who does good without hope for reward, sacrifices himself for others and gives of himself freely. He is just, patient, determined to urge goodness and dissuade from evil, and totally and unconditionally given to winning the favour of God.

But ignorant people who do not espouse the Churches moral teachings spend their whole lives in conflict, strife and unhappiness, and they think that such are the facts of life. They cannot imagine living a quiet life of moral virtue, free from falsehood, opportunism, insincerity and hypocrisy. They believe that the world is a place where only the strong survive. They ignore the reality of the eternal world to come; they live their lives only in relation to the short life in this world. They reject religious morality, saying, "Whatever I do in this world is for profit." Caught in this false world of man-made rules, they actually regard some human beings as deities and feel enslaved to them. As a result, they are bound to suffer for not obeying God's commands; they will live a life of degradation in this world, and their pains will be much more severe in the world to come.

The Scriptures tells us about their state:

And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished. And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.

And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished. Mark 9:41-49

The Misconception that the Majority Is Right

As I have said from the beginning, one reason that prevents people from practising religious morality is the "religion" of worshipping people" that makes them fear what other people will say and think about them. This misapprehension draws its strength from the idea that "the majority is always right," and a huge segment of society has adopted a lifestyle that goes with idolizing people an undisputed tradition passed down from father to son. Declaring themselves to be part of the majority, they misguide others into believing that the unjust ways of the "majority" and the rules they invent are correct.

However, the Scripture gives this command to all Christians:

For many seducers are gone out into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh: this is a seducer and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that you lose not the things which you have wrought: but that you may receive a full reward. Whosoever revolteth, and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that continueth in the doctrine, the same hath both the Father and the Son. If any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house nor say to him, God speed you. 2 John 1:7-10

From this verse, we see that God commands people not to follow the unjust majority or obey the fanciful rules they make up. He tells them that their only way to salvation is by accepting and keeping the Faith He has revealed.

But the great majority of people feels obliged to conform to the majority's lifestyle, even if it does not fit with their conscience. As members of society, they feel this is their duty; that since they live in a particular society, they are bound to follow its laws and the way of life it prescribes as if it were a secular religion.

These people, who fail to appreciate religion's real meaning, believe that apart from the commands of God, there are rules that everyone must obey because man is a social creature. They agree that their most important duty is to please others. For this reason, they cannot escape the fruitless circular reasoning of "What do others say? What do they think? I hope they speak well of me and see me as intelligent, rich and generous. I don't want anyone to say or think ill of me."

However, the way most people live, the artificial rules they have invented and structures they've set up do not lead to truth. On the contrary, God tells us in the Scriptures that conforming to the majority
is a danger that threatens to divert one from the right path:

Now I beseech you, brethren, to mark them who make dissensions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For they that are such, serve not Christ our Lord, but their own belly; and by pleasing speeches and good words, seduce the hearts of the innocent. Romans 16:17-18

As a result, the majority chooses a way of life at odds with the Churches moral teachings: They are sarcastic and cruel to others, apt to betray their families and even their country. Without thinking, they commit acts that God has forbidden. But this should not be allowed to influence others. The fact that this sort of people make up the majority of a society should not justify everyone's behaving the same. For example, even if a society worships the god of fire, the sun or the stars, no one else is obliged to believe the same things. Or say that a society is silent about prostitution, fraud, injustice, thievery and other such amoral acts. No individual has to do the same things just because everyone else is. Or if the rich in a society are respected and the poor possessing nothing besides their good names are oppressed, there is no reason to spark the same mentality in others.

On the contrary, condoning injustice out of fear of society's criticism is itself a great injustice. It's unreasonable for a person to refrain from behaving as his conscience demands, just because he fears being criticized, rejected and despised by society. In the Scriptues God tells us that one of the greatest qualities of Christians is that they do not fear criticism:

Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets. Luke 6:22-23

And in another place:

If the world hate you, know ye, that it hath hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember my word that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my word, they will keep yours also. John 15:18-20

But most people cannot muster the determination needed to bear such hatred til the end. Because their hearts are far from God, they do not act according to their consciences. They cannot resist the ignorant mentality that says, "Everyone does it, so it must be right." And in pure heedlessness from God, they live out their lives in error, preferring to please other human beings and to fear their censure. Thoughts like, "What will people say?" and "If my friend says one more word, they'll find me out," and "Everyone does it, so I'll do it too," may turn a person into someone who worships people and not God, who is devoted to the pursuit of the world and totally removed from the moral teachings of the Church. As a result, some see no wrong in showing no sense of compassion, mercy or love, and enjoy oppressing others. Those interested only in money and social position see nothing wrong with a mentality that leaves no room for moral virtue. If most of his social class is unjust, fraudulent, with no moral virtues, knowing that he will be thrown out if he acts any differently, he behaves like the others.

He will think positively about even an immoral person, if his boss thinks well of him. Conversely, if his
director does not have a good opinion of this individual, our example may say negative things about him, without even having looked into the person's real character. These people have completely disregarded God and religious morality, and as a natural result, most continue to live according to the axiom that "the majority is right."

They demonstrate no independence of character. They become members of a circle similar to those social groups mentioned above, for they think that everyone lives, acts and thinks in a certain way. Wherever they turn, they find people like themselves conforming to the majority; and they cannot detect the error of their mental state because they mix with people whose main aim is pleasing others. As these brief examples show, if people adopt a lifestyle with no concern for winning God's favour, they will gain nothing. A society of intellectually and morally corrupt individuals will plunge the world into chaos. Thoughts and feelings that have no place in society will become rampant, fights over profit-taking, enmity, anger, hatred and jealousy.

Such a world, a place dominated by misery and chaos will become hard to live in. This is the reward in this world that God will give to those who ascribe equals to Him. In the Afterlife a more tragic end awaits them.

The Attitude of "No One Else Sees the Truth Except You!"

Another way this system encourages not believing in God and idolising others is in refusing to see the truth, or rejecting it completely. Along with conforming to the majority evident in ignorant societies, comes a refusal to listen to people with faith. While Catholics invite such people to believe in God and obey His commands, they affirm their belief in their ancestors and laws they have passed down. They aver that they will never compromise the laws and way of life their society has taught them.

In ignorant societies, people determined to live according to their ancestors' teachings directly oppose those others who want to stop this pervasive pseudo-religion, favoured by the ignorant, which has gained dominance over their lives. They don't want these people of faith, who have brought them the truth, to destroy the favourable relationships they've forged with others or to break their religion's superstitious rules. They want to invalidate the truth that sincere people of faith have patiently explained to them, by asking such ignorant things as, "Is it only you who understand these things?" or "Are so many people wrong?" or "Until now, no one has been aware of these things, but you are!"

They think that such a response will intimidate their opponent and make him lose self-confidence. (This may be effective in their own system of superstition, but no real Christian would be daunted by such a simple tactic.) As a result, the truth would remain hidden. But when they are overwhelmed by concerns such as, "What do people think about me? What can I do to please them? How can I make them like me and take me in?" the person who knows the truth will remind them and that they have no power to do anything apart from the fate that God has determined for them. This reminder means the collapse of their superstitions and the invalidation of their laws.

But no matter how hard the "people worshippers" work, God will never allow the truth to remain hidden. In the face of truth, superstition will be defeated and rendered ineffective. God will vindicate those who stand up for Him, no matter how few their numbers may seem. In the face of all the pressures they are subjected to, He will give them determination and resilience.

The Scriptures speak of the warnings that some prophets gave to prevent the societies in which they lived from living perverse, immoderate lives. Members of these societies disregarded the prophets, undertook to undermine their power and vigour, and finally expelled or kiled them. But on devout Catholics of course, this kind of opposition has never had an adverse effect.

Never forget, sometimes people cannot see facts that are very plain. Because they've been conditioned by the laws of their societies and have lived according to these laws for a very long time they do not want to upset their accustomed order. As a result, even though they see the great dangers to which their unseemly moral character exposes them, still they continually prefer what is false to what is true.

They cannot imagine that any model of living could afford them comfort and well-being, so, they are not prepared to abandon their ignorant religion, thinking it is the best of the worst. For them to experience real happiness and salvation in life, however, there is one very easy way. In order to find it while there is still time, they should listen to believers who warn them and show them the distortion of the system they live in. Until that day, they must listen to the voice of their conscience and consider that up until then, no one might have told the truth. They should remove the focus of their attention from human beings and direct it only towards God.

This will allow them to open their minds and understanding so that they may grasp life's real purpose; and as a result, they will seek to please God rather than their fellow humans.

In the Scriptures, God announced that only those who fear and obey Him will find happiness and salvation.

The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, filling up peace and the fruit of salvation: Ecclesiasticus 1:22

The Religion of Humanism (worship of man) What Happens When A Society Turns To Idolatry?

A few signs let us better understand the "religion" of worshipping people pervading a society. Of these, the most basic is the heedless behaviour exhibited by those who forget the existence of God and that He is with them at every moment.

Instead of seeking God's favour, a person who adopts such a pattern of behaviour blindly does what others ask of him, even if it is contrary to religious morality and will be prepared to suffer every humiliation and degradation.

For example, some behave in a way contrary to the teaching of the Church because they want certain others to accept them and be taken into their group. Though they know their behaviour is wrong, still they are willing to do every sort of disgraceful thing to get others to like them. As a result, they experience pangs of conscience in this life and will be repaid for their insincerity in the life to come.

Such people think they are ingratiated themselves with others, but God knows their real intentions. They forget God, but He sees them every moment and knows what they conceal in their hearts. And though other people may hold positive views about them, God knows their insincerity.

For example, a person may see that his boss's moral character is corrupt, that he treats the poor and needy unjustly and has made the kind of profit forbidden by God. Yet for the sake of a promotion, this employee pretends not to notice his boss's behaviour. He tries his best to make his boss think he is a loyal, hard worker and so he turns a blind eye to actions that God has forbidden. But God sees him, and knows everything he thinks and everything he says. He does nothing to win God's favour, but all the things he does to curry the approval of others is written down in the presence of God.

In fact, those who think this way and seek to influence others in their own favour become like puppets. Others control their strings, and they carry out to the letter what is wanted of them, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, lawful or forbidden. In order to satisfy only a few worldly desires and selfish passions, they agree to become a part of a system that ignores God and cares nothing for earning His favour. They are ready to behave in ways that humiliate themselves and degrade their humanity; they live under others' control, without the human dignity that faith affords.

As a result, they comprise a frightening group of people who are insincere, disrespectful and hypocritical towards others. They do not know what love really is and live only for their own gain. They lock themselves into a system where real friendship is absent and every relationship is based on profit. Within this system, they have created with their own hands, they are lonely and helpless, far from the mercy and assistance of God.

I will destroy your high places, and break your idols. You shall fall among the ruins of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. Leviticus 26:30

Why do they turn to the idolatry of worshipping people? Some of the basic reasons can be listed as follows:

They Forget God and Want to Earn the Favour of Others

People who set up other idols beside God ignore His existence and absolute control over the universe. As a result of their heedless attitude, they think themselves autonomous. They believe that they can do whatever they want, live the kind of lives they desire according to their own plans; think that they have all total free will and that no one can interfere with them. They are rebels who accept no authority. They disregard the facts that everything is under the eternal power of God and that they are servants. They don't understand that the whole universe has a fate that God has determined for it and that no creature can escape its pre-ordained fate. As a result, they live their lives trying to fulfil their desires and passions in this world and forget about earning the favour of God.

In feeling irresponsible, however, they are quite wrong. Even though they may disregard God's existence, He is always with them. He sees everything they do and knows their eagerness to please others instead of Him. For example, He sees their efforts to show affection towards others in order to win their affection in return; and He sees the pains they take to persuade others to like them.

Such people work very hard to get the object of their affection to think that they really love and value him. But were they asked to show the same eagerness and determination towards God, they would refuse. For example, if asked to pray seven times a day, they would most probably decline, making the excuse that they have little time to do this and cannot allot times for prayer in the course of a busy workday. They realize that if they did establish their prayers, none of their associates would appreciate them. In other words, according to his distorted view, fulfilling this act of worship would bring them no concrete benefits. Furthermore, they may be heedless only because they wouldn't want anyone to say that they have converted and turned to religion. As a result of such choices, they will earn the approbation and appreciation of a handful of people. On the other hand, they do not realize that by not fulfilling an act of worship that God has required of all His servants, they have lost His eternal love and mercy.

For this reason, God warns His servants in the Scriptures against the danger of neglecting to seek His pleasure and trying to please other people instead. The Scripture says that He has commanded human beings to purify themselves from all kinds of idolatry and to turn to Him in prayer:

They Fear People More Than They Do God

To be terrified of some power or event often gives a person the will to perform many things in the very best way. The intensity of this fear leads a person to make unexpectedly clear decisions even if he feels inadequate to face the threat. People with deep, intense fear in their hearts will do anything they have to. For example, a hungry person with no money will do everything he can to accept a job offer. He will not miss the opportunity, but beforehand, will try to learn about the rules of the company and the kind of people who work there. At his interview, he will take pains not to make any mistakes and to present himself well. He will be very respectful towards the interviewers to make sure that his personality and experience make a good impression; and will be careful not to say anything that conflicts with this. He will not lose his train of thought or act inappropriately. His urgent fears and anxieties for the future keep him alert. He will do everything to convince the company officials that he is just the person they need.

On the job, another individual will be very afraid of getting caught doing something that the owner of the company frowns on. He won't be late for work, make personal phone calls or do other such things not acceptable in the company. He also warns other workers to be careful about these rules and regulations. As a worker, he is afraid of being called undisciplined or lax, because such negative opinions may result in material loss and stand in the way of a good life in this world. Discipline in work and appropriate behaviour are of course important, but the error lies in acting appropriately only out of fear of others. Such good behaviour, determined only by a situation will not last. A person who doesn't fear God will easily do all matter of things contrary to His discipline, if he assumes his so doing will not raise any eyebrows.

For this reason, the individual who behaves appropriately should never forget the important fact that the only power to be feared is God. It is He Who has created and controls the people and events that he gets excited about, fears and whose importance he exaggerates. In God's sight, neither wealth nor power has any significance; all that is important is people's moral excellence and fear of Him.

Moreover, people encounter only those events that are written in their destiny. If the man in our example was fated to take that job, no power apart from God's could change the course of events. No matter how many errors or mistakes he might make, that person is accepted for that job if God has determined it. But if his fate has been determined otherwise, he won't land that job, no matter what efforts he puts forth, because he cannot avoid the fate that God has determined for him.

The Holy Scriptures teach that all events happen with God's knowledge:

To the Lord was his own work known from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:18

Always remember, this individual in our example may die before he can take that job. In that case, the worldly fears he has experienced all his life and the autonomy he has imputed to other people would have no further meaning. All his efforts will have been in vain. On the Day of Judgement, none of those whose opinions he valued so highly will be of any support to him. As a punishment for neglecting to win God's favour throughout his life and trying to please other people instead, he will spend not a thousand, not ten thousand, not a million or even a billion years, unless otherwise willed by God, but an eternity suffering the pangs of Hell.

If he doesn't repent and ask God's forgiveness in his lifetime, for his sins and evil deeds God will condemn him to live in Hell for all eternity.

The Scriptures explain the importance of fear of God and repentance over and over again.

And give place to the fear of the most High: for the fear of God is all wisdom, and therein is to fear God, and the disposition of the law is in all wisdom. Ecclesiasticus 19:18

And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying: The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel. Mark 1:14-15

So, when we think about these realities, we can more easily understand that the fear of God is much more important than all these other fears. The Scriptures speaks about this great reality in these
words:

Blessed are all they that fear the Lord: that walk in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife as a fruitful vine, on the sides of thy house. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. May the Lord bless thee out of Sion: and mayest thou see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

And mayest thou see thy children's children, peace upon Israel. Psalm 127

The Religion of Humanism (worship of man) Man was created to serve God

We are conscious beings who have the ability, created in us by God, to distinguish between right and wrong. As a result, we can understand His great power and the proofs for His existence, as well as the real purpose of this life and our life in the world to come.

But these abilities entail certain responsibilities.

Anyone who can conceive of all these things is aware that God is the only power Who must be served, and that there is no other deity besides Him.

Also, he is aware that our basic responsibility in this world is to have faith in God. In the Scriptures, God says this of Himself to His servants:

There is one most high Creator Almighty, and a powerful king, and greatly to be feared, who sitteth upon his throne, and is the God of dominion. The fear of the Lord is honour, and glory, and gladness, and a crown of joy. The fear of the Lord shall delight the heart, and shall give joy, and gladness, and length of days. Ecclesiasticus 1:8, 11-12

Plainly, the foundation of a happy and successful life lies upon a person's knowing his responsibility and serving only God.

This attitude also provides for balance in society as a whole. If it were otherwise, that is with an increased number of those who deny God's existence and do not fear the final punishment He will give, this balance would be ruined.

If people forget they are God's servants and turn to other creatures, there are serious consequences, such as the degeneration of morals in society and the degradation in human relationships. In such a situation, relationships are based on profit. The powerful oppress the weak; and mercilessness, cruelty, hypocrisy and hostility find an easy place to grow. As a result, family and social life, national well-being and even world peace are endangered.

In the Scriptures, God says that those who reject His commandments to follow their own desires will cause serious degeneration among humanity.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice: Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; his eternal power also, and divinity: so that they are inexcusable.

Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of four footed beasts, and of creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error. And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers, Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them. Romans 1:16-32

If the truth were to follow their whims and desires, the heavens and the Earth and everyone in them would have been brought to ruin. No indeed! We have given them their Reminder, but they have turned away from it.

Today, a large number of people do not realize that the causes of the degradation they live in and complain about constantly arise from their following their own passions and setting up partners beside God. For this reason, they look for remedies in various places. They believe that if only they made some economic, social and cultural changes, their nation's wealth would increase, and developing technology would solve all their problems. But these initiatives can have no effect unless people purify themselves entirely from putting other objects of worship beside God and come to a firm faith in Him alone. Even though new solutions are being developed all the time, they are of no avail since people keep acting in opposition to the high standards of morality enjoined by God.

There is only one way for people to escape the dark and frightening lifestyles they live and enter a content, secure environment .

This is to get free from the clutches of the "religion" of worshipping people that pervades society, to have faith only in God and to obey the commands and prohibitions He has given in the Scriptures and through His Church. This would result in happiness and salvation for all peoples, in as much as God, having created human beings, knows best what the human spirit needs. This fact is revealed in the Holy Scriptures:

For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou hadst surely dwelt in peace for ever. Baruch 3:13

The Religion of Humanism (worship of man) Introduction

Throughout history, the most important thing in some societies has not been what God expects from people, but what people expect from one another. With no awareness of God's commandments or of the way of life enjoined in the scriptures, people have strived to fulfil the expectations of the societies and social environments in which they live.

When we look at our present social environment, we can easily see that people are not fully aware of what the Lord has commanded and forbidden, and so do not practice these precepts in their lives. More importantly, none of them feels uncomfortable about such a situation. Almost no one considers the power of Almighty God, the importance of winning His favour, or the penalty they will receive from Him for not obeying His commandments.

Most people do not let these thoughts even cross their minds. Instead, they wonder what other people think about them and expect of them, and they are most interested in doing everything they can to ingratiate themselves with others. These individuals live in a system that directs more love and devotion toward their fellow men than toward God, and they cannot even imagine how this may be wrong.

This ingrained and very distorted way of thinking and living leads some individuals to squander their material and spiritual resources, even spending their lives in this pursuit. This worldly way of thinking develops into a kind of false religion with its own commandments and prohibitions, truths and falsehoods, obliging everyone to conform to them. Every individual is required to accept the ready-made program of what society expects of him. Only in this way can he live among others without being rejected and humiliated.

Any individual who does not conform to what is expected of him gets a clear sense from the way others speak to him and behave that they look down on him. In order not to get themselves into this situation, people hold in mind a few slogans that they are careful to repeat to themselves every day. For example, "They can call me smart (or intelligent, good-looking, happy, talkative or successful). But don't let them call me selfish (or naive or ignorant)" Those who believe in such "commandments" treat their fulfilment like an act of worship and apply their principles without fail. They put forth every effort into developing the sort of character that their associates will admire. As a result of these carefully studied schemes, they reach the point where they value other human beings more than God, accepting every proposal that will please those around them and focusing on them all their attention and devotion. From then on, they are caught up in a system of false beliefs in which one individual becomes the slave of others and become a devoted adherent of this secret religion.

This cult encourages you to abandon God and worship people instead of which false religion is the theme of this paper. This passionate attachment to other human beings we call "The Religion of Worshipping People" or "The Religion of Humanism."

In many places in the Holy Scriptures, God invites humanity to save themselves from this errant belief and serve only Him. In one of these verses, He says:

And the Lord spoke all these words: I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: And shewing mercy unto thousands to them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:1-6)

And again:

"For the worship of abominable idols is the cause, and the beginning and end of all evil. (Wisdom 14:27)

This paper will show how this satanic system puts people in great danger, both in this world and in terms of their eternal life to come. I will explain how it coerces them into rejecting God, Who created them, and deifies people in His place. In various examples from daily life, I will demonstrate how people fall under the control of this system. Using verses from the Scriptures, I will explain what people must do to save themselves from the spell of this false religion while they still have time.

No matter how great this distorted religion's influence on society, it must be remembered that a person with willpower and intelligence will find it very easy to renounce this superstitious system. The solution is simple: Have sincere faith in God and believe in no other gods besides Him. For His faithful servants, God opens the way and guides them along the right path. He has made the Catholic Church the means by which they can escape the darkness of their lives.

In many verses like this, God gives good tidings to those who believe in Him:

I am come a light into the world; that whosoever believeth in me, may not remain in darkness. John12:46