Other People's Programming

Have you ever stopped to wonder how and why we have the values/ideas/mindet that we do ? Is it us or is it a by product of things we have been taught ? Is what we think and feel all at the teachings of others and not really our own ideals or thoughts ?

Have you ever thought about the difference between a cult and a religion? What is it that separates the two? I believe the only difference is the conditioning we received which leads us to our conclusions. The programming of others is what establishes the beliefs that we carry with us each day.

Cults have the reputation for brainwashing people. Many who lead these enterprises are manipulative people with a self-serving (and sometimes evil) agenda. They are often delusional individuals who prey upon the weak. Those who fit a particular profile are targeted. Many believe that it is the weak who fall prey to this type of manipulation.

However, couldn't we say the same thing about the world's religions? People get their belief system from the "church" which tells them what is going to happen. They are instructed of how they are to live, what to worship, and with whom to interact. All stages of life, and thereafter, are often spelled out. Yet millions of people show up to their places of worship every Sunday.