Free The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture by Darrel Ray Page B

do was let him know that all he told me sounded quite normal, that the human male sex drive is extremely powerful and that it is not natural to suppress it in this manner.
    Through many tough therapy sessions, we worked on the huge conflict between his training and his natural drives. I am not sure he resolved the issue but about six months later, another priest called for counseling, having been referred by Father Joseph. A similar scenario unfolded.
    Both of these very dedicated and caring men were distraught over something that is perfectly normal. Their conflicts, guilt and anxiety led them to depression – and worse. The religious virus had so taken over their minds and programmed them sexually that both of these men could see no way out. I don’t know what happened to either of them once our sessions were finished. Despite a life of dedication, they could never be good enough. Acting on normal drives was enough to condemn them in their own eyes as well as the eyes of their god.

You Are Never Good Enough
    Guilt has become one of the greatest tools of western religions. Of course, guilt existed long before Judaism, Christianity or Islam, but these religions have developed highly effective, guilt-inducing techniques. Individual guilt development harnesses energy for the god virus. That is, the more guilt you feel, the more you look to your religion to salve the guilt. When the priest or minister helps you through some of your guilt, the relief is huge. It binds you even closer to the religion, ready for the next time you feel guilt.
    Guilt is a never-ending, circular road that maintains viral control and prevents you from expending energy in positive ways. The only way to truly eliminate religious guilt is to surrender to the virus. After you have surrendered, if you still feel guilty, that is proof that you have not truly surrendered. It is a self-reinforcing and imprisoning viral method. You are never good enough. Father Joseph was as dedicated as or more than most people in any religion, yet he still was not good enough.
    “Guilt: Punishing yourself before God doesn’t.”
    -Alan Cohen
     
    From the time I was 11 years old through early adulthood, I prayed fervently for god to take away my urge to masturbate. Parents, church, Sunday School teachers, even gym teachers, implied that masturbation was sinful and that you would go to hell for doing it. As much as I prayed, I did it even more. Even at church camp! God surely would send me to hell, if not kill me outright for masturbating at church camp! What is more, I was masturbating to the thought of the sexy preacher’s daughter at the camp. That had to be a deadly sin.
    Not until I came across Masters and Johnson’s Human Sexual Response (1966) and later Alex Comfort’s The Joy of Sex (1972) did I realize that my religion was totally wrong about masturbation. As I quickly lost my guilt, I soon began asking, “What else could be wrong in my religion?”
    You may have had similar experiences with religious guilt if you were raised in a religious environment. Religious guilt is generally negative and something to be closely examined in your journey to break free of the god virus. The problem is that programming can be so deep you don’t realize you are functioning out of religious guilt.

Double Messages in Religion
    One of the challenges of adulthood is dealing constructively with past viral programming. Religious indoctrination is extremely confusing, with hundreds of mixed messages received throughout a lifetime. Many people carry the remnants of childhood programming in their day-to-day adult lives. Here are some of the beliefs people are exposed to in their early training.
• God loves you, but he will send you to hell if you don't do exactly as he says.
• God loves you and gave you an intelligent brain to see and understand his creation, but you will be condemned for asking prohibited questions.
• God loves you and gave you incredibly pleasurable sex,