Religion & The Emperor's New Clothes

Hans Christian Andersen told a story a long time ago about an Emperor who ordered made the most fabulous suit of clothes ever to exist. In brief, some tailors came to him and measured him and told him that the magical cloth they produced was so fabulous that the stupid would not be able to appreciate its finery or even see it at all.

The Emperor was a vain man, and although he could see nothing he did not want to appear stupid, therefore he pretended to see the clothes. All the courtiers did the same, although they could also see nothing at all. And at a great parade, only a small boy had the courage to proclaim what everyone could clearly see - that the Emperor was completely naked.

Now, imagine that a bunch of people told you that something you couldn't see, couldn't touch, couldn't smell, couldn't taste and couldn't hear was watching you every second of every day. That this thing created you. That this thing created the whole world and demanded your love and devotion or else, when you died, terrible things would happen to you.

And not only that, but this thing could make the impossible happen. By asking nicely, you could (very rarely) get a complete suspension of the normal rules of the universe _just for your benefit_.

And everyone went along with this, until eventually the people who spread this story became rich and very, very powerful. So powerful, in fact, that they could force you to at least pay lip-service to their idea or die.

Or, have your baby whether it would hurt you and it or not just because that's one of their rules.

Or have you treated like a criminal because you love the wrong person or the wrong type of people.

You'd worry about that, wouldn't you? You'd think "this makes no sense. I have to obey their rules because they say that this thing exists and will punish me _after I'm dead_ if i don't? As if they - who are alive - knew what would happen after death?"

You might, if you were brave enough, tell them to go stuff their rules and find your own. And believe in real things rather than other people's crazed stories.