Food for Thought
“Yet, as we know, no evil has been more violent or disruptive or cruel than religion down through history.”
Reverend Thomas William Harpur
Why would a well-respected Anglican priest make such a harsh statement? It was only, in his more senior years, when Reverend Thomas William Harpur (Tom Harpur), moved away from the study of theology and began to study the history of religion did he understand how malevolent religions can be.
It was a hard pill for Tom Harpur to swallow when he realized that theology is not logical. It took several years for fellow professors at the University of Toronto to convince Tom Harpur that it is the study of history, algebra, trigonometry, music, psychology, science, and even Shakespeare that help to develop logic by providing analytical thinking. People without logic are no more than puppets, easily manipulated by anyone who manages to get hold of their strings.
In his textbook for business executives, politicians, and other leaders, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie stated, “Few people are logical. Most of us are prejudiced and biased. Most of us are blighted with preconceived notions, with jealousy, suspicion, fear, envy and pride.” Tom Harpur’s friend and colleague, Northrop Frye, agreed with Carnegie, comparing conventional people to sheep, “stupid, affectionate, gregarious, and easily stampeded”. Leaders often refer to their subjects as their flock, and themselves as shepherds. The word pastor actually means shepherd.
Tom Harpur, while researching ancient manuscripts, came across confirmations of what he had been told; the metaphor of the ruler as the shepherd of his people went back to Egypt, the mother of all subsequent civilisations, where, over five-thousand years ago, people worshiped Atum, (God the Father), Ra, (the Holy Spirit), and Horus, (God the Son), also known as Krst, the Light of the World. Horus was born of a virgin on December 25th. Three magi announced the birth of Horus, the bringer of peace and eternal life. Travelling with twelve male companions, and carrying a shepherd’s crook on his shoulder, Horus came to be known as the Good Shepherd.
Throughout history, Egypt was repeatedly invaded and Egyptian refugees fled to all parts of our World, taking their religions with them. These Egyptian religions morphed over time to become our modern religions which still show signs of Egyptian mythology. Because of science, changes have been made to some of the myths. For example, most modern religions no longer teach that our Sun is a god who revolves around our Earth.
Tom Harpur stated, that in all of his years of tending his flock as an Anglican priest as well as studying and teaching theology, he never once came upon any mention of these ancient Egyptian religions, despite evidence staring him right in the face. In his youth, dozens of books about Egyptian religions were readily available. Our Oriental Heritage, a book published in 1935, explains Egypt’s early religions and how they evolved into modern religions. This book was a Book-of-the-Month-Club bestseller and was reviewed by major publications world-wide. The author won a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. Somehow, Reverend Harpur overlooked this book. It was only when he began studying religion versus theology that he could see he had been habitually turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to anything which might contradict his beliefs. He came to realise he had been wrong; his blind faith had prevented him from looking at what was hidden in plain view. As he delved more and more into the history of religions, he could see the way religions have been used to manipulate people.
Being a very well-known and respected Canadian scholar who wrote books, newspaper columns, and had his own television show, he was confident he could make people understand that their beliefs are fairy tales. He wrote several books to inform the public about his revelations. His books were read by academics but ignored by the general public. He believed most people are the same as he had been, stubbornly holding on to illogical beliefs while refusing to look at any evidence that opposes them.
People, it seems, want fantasy, not reality. Perhaps this is why Harry Potter enjoys huge sales, while Tom Harpur’s books do not.
Wayne Weedon is an Indigenous Manitoba writer of novels and short stories. To sample his wonderful work go to Wattpad.com.