3 May

Israel Folau's words here show exactly how I think religion was hijacked by idealists. Idealists are people who think there's another world, an eternal world of spirit and objective truths above and/or beyond our sinner's world here on Earth. Once you set up that opposition, it's game over, the world we actually live in can be nothing more than a 'materialist' filth that needs to be condemned. You can see how the idealist belief system reinforces itself too. Right now Israel is feelingly righteously put upon. But to him that's the 'persecution' of the 'world', and only strengthens his conviction. "The God of this world, Satan, has deceived many. But the one that lives inside us is all powerful. He can deliver us from anything...I encourage us all to store our treasures up in heaven, where it all counts...We're going to be hated by the world, persecuted by the world."