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The Concept of Religion



In my fourth essay I will be analyzing the concept of religion, not any particular one, just the general concept. It is widely believed that there is some form of superior being, the “creator of life” in most religions. Some refer to them as gods, and each specific god has a specialty, such as in the Greek and Egyptian Religions, where there is a god for everything: sun, water, earth, nature, war, etc, or other religions who believe in a singular god, like most American religions, and the Muslim religion.

I believe that the concept of religion is simply to give hope to the hopeless, to make the weak individual feel stronger in a group, and to give those who need it something to believe in. I also believe that those who feel that they need religion in their lives are those who, somewhere along the line, felt betrayed by humanity or felt that they needed a deeper justice, one that could not be settled in this life. They needed to feel that, if they lived their lives the best they could in the eyes of their “god,” they would somehow be rewarded in an afterlife. As cruel as it may sound, I believe that religion is a crutch for those too weak to be able to deal with life on their own.

I have taken a few days and seriously thought about religion, and I have began to wonder what created religion in the first place and how the concept of a “god” was first originated. Who was it that determined what was more religious or more to be believed than anyone else? The only answer that comes back to me is that it had to be fabricated. I do not say this to upset anyone or to challenge anyone’s personal beliefs, but just follow me on this thought for a moment. Who was the first believer? What was the first religion? I believe that perhaps a small group of traveling people sat down somewhere and told a great story. I believe that through story telling, the story was spread, and each time it was told, the teller added further. Throughout time, the story became greater and greater, and eventually the lines between fact and fiction were blurred, eventually becoming what we now call religion.

Right or Wrong?



I have chosen to observe the lifestyles and the culture of people involved in the black metal music scene. These people are often looked upon as outcasts and feared because they live differently from the “traditional” ways of life. They are often thought of as devil worshippers, or Satanists, and most of them are. Norway is the backdrop for my story, and the history of Norway is very important to keep in mind when reading my story.

I will write about a man named Varg Vikernes. Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian man and a Satanist. He first came on the black metal scene in the early 1990’s as a member of one of the first true black metal bands; Mayhem.Varg was provoked into a fight with one of his band mates, Euronymous, and killed him. A few years later (1993, I believe) he was caught burning down Christian churches in Norway and arrested.



When asked why he had burned the churches, he said that it was a religious belief. In the Nordic tradition, Religion has no place. The Christians invaded Norway and established churches and religion there. When this happened, most Norwegians felt that their lives were invaded. Some came to accept Christianity, but others remained true to the Nordic and Viking ways, accepting no religion. In the end, most of the Norwegian people fought against the Christian invaders and killed as many as they could. The objective was to reclaim their homeland.

Many people in the United States and a few in Norway believe that Varg was wrong for what he did, but many more, especially in Norway, support his actions. There was even a series of copycat burnings after Varg was jailed. The point is that different people live life in ways that may seem wrong to others. However, to most of the other Norwegian people, what Varg did was justified. Since the Norwegian people originally had no religious background, the people who wished to remain true to the original ways and accept no religion support him. The ones who came to accept religion seem to believe that what he did was wrong. Whatever people’s personal opinions may be, the burnings caused a huge religious fight, and some might even say a war.

The Norwegians that do not support religion have started their own personal war against Christianity. Many of them are the members of current black and death metal bands; and their listeners. Of all religions, Christianity is the most hated by the Norwegians who remain true to the old ways.





Mood:Hell Fucking Yes

Music:Dimmu Borgir - Lepers Among Us