- Religion.
It comes in many, many different forms
and just as many different names and rules.
But the vast number of religions
and sheer number of faithful that are out there
have led to some very wrong assumptions.
This is Myths You Still Believe,
the series all about explaining the truth
behind the most commonly believed myths.
Today we're going to be exploring
some of the most common assumptions and beliefs
that you've heard of
oh so many times
that just aren't true.
So get ready, because this is
7 Myths You Still Believe About Religion.
The Amish don't use technology.
There are many movies and TV shows
that show off the Amish faith
as a group of truly old-fashioned settlers
with long neckbeards who have completely turned their back
on modern technology.
You know, those old-fashioned people that build
huge barns with only a hammer,
blood, sweat, and tears and some nails?
Well, the truth is,
the Amish have nothing against electricity
or modern communication.
They simply strive to promote modesty,
necessity, productivity,
and above all, community.
As a matter of fact,
they're pretty cool with most modern gadgetry
and will even use it as long as it doesn't have
a negative impact on their community.
Believe it or not, it's not rare to find Amish villages
with generators, solar power,
or even battery-powered electricity.
Religious freedom increases atheism.
The United States Constitution protects freedom of religion,
which has led to many claiming that that right
has caused more citizens to turn away
from organized religion.
The notion has become that,
when people are free to choose,
they will turn to atheism most of the time.
However, according to a poll conducted by ABC,
only 13% of the U.S. population identified themselves
as having no religion or as atheist,
while 15% of the entire population of the world
identified as the same.
This comparison puts to bed the idea
that religious tolerance alone
affects the number of atheists in the world.
Honestly, at the end of the day,
believe whatever you want to believe,
as long as it doesn't affect other people,
and live and let live.
There's no Heaven or Hell in Buddhism.
Non-Buddhists have usually only read a brief summary
of what the faith actually represents and requires.
Many believe that since there's
a cycle of rebirth in Buddhism,
there exists no Heaven or Hell within that belief system.
Well, as it turns out, there are actually multiple Hells.
When it comes to the end of your life,
Buddhists believe that you're awarded a Karmic rank
which determines which of the six realms of existence
you will be sent to.
You can come back as a human on this plane,
or go to the heavenly realm of Deva,
which represents 30,000 years of pleasure.
Or, of course, you could also be banished to Naraka,
which is the hell realms,
which you'll receive a horrendous amount of punishment
over and over again for eternity.
So, yes, reincarnation occurs,
but if you come back as a man
who continuously burns to death over and over for eternity,
that's on you.
Being agnostic is the same as being atheist.
This myth can be traced back to multiple religions
grouping all "nonbelievers" into a single group
named atheists.
The problem with that, though,
is that there most definitely is a difference
between being agnostic and being atheist.
While both do question the existence of a higher power,
the difference is is that atheists
completely reject the idea.
Agnostics, however, are simply unsure of what to believe,
and do not take a stance on whether a higher power
exists or not.
Jehovah's Witnesses deny any medical treatment.
Just like every other faith,
being a Jehovah's Witness comes with a list of things
that are allowed, and things that, of course, are not.
There is a myth that says that one of their rules
is that they cannot seek medical treatment when needed.
The truth is, Jehovah's Witnesses
obviously don't want to die,
and are, in fact, permitted by their faith
to seek medical treatment when needed.
There is a restriction, however,
which is that blood transfusions are disallowed.
In fact, quite a few Jehovah's Witnesses have died
refusing to allow another person's blood
to be put into their body.
How this one restriction became misconstrued
as a denial of all medical treatment is
anyone's guess.
Satanists worship evil.
While many Christians will claim that
Satan worshippers are embracing evil,
Satanists, however, will challenge that myth
and bust it fairly quickly.
Things that Christians consider evil
may not be considered evil by non-Christians.
Take Lucifer himself, for example.
While he's seen as the embodiment of evil in many faiths,
to Satanists he's seen as someone who simply
encourages individuality,
free thinking,
and standing up to what you believe in.
In fact, they claim that his main goal
is simply to lead people away
from the "lies" of Christianity.
Believe it or not, Satanism promotes turning bad things
into good things,
rather than eliminating bad things altogether.
And many of its followers
claim that the idea of an all good God
versus an all evil Devil
is simply propaganda.
The Catholic Church actively opposes science.
With debates involving Creationists
and TV show scientists being broadcast for ratings
and many religious factions denying scientific discoveries,
it's pretty easy to see how this myth was formed.
However, the truth is, many amazing scientific breakthroughs
have occurred due to Catholic scholarship and education.
In fact, it was a Belgian priest named
Monseigneur George Lemaître
who proposed the Big Bang theory,
an idea that theoretical physicist Albert Einstein
actually rejected.
Soon after, Einstein received a letter
from the Catholic father,
which said "Your math is correct,
"but your physics are abominable."
At the end of the day, my friends,
try to keep an open mind,
be accepting of others' points of view,
and just spread the love.
Hey guys, thanks again for watching
this new episode of Myths You Still Believe.
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and I'll see you next video.
Peace. (groaning)