Kimball: Chapter Summary And Analysis

Obedience is the process by which individuals comply with the instructions given by an authoritative figure. In terms of religion that “authoritative figure” would be a priest, pope, or any person in which they recite to you the teachings of God, Jesus, Allah, or the Divine. In reason to this everyone definition of what religion means to them is based off of the interpretations of the Holy Scriptures and Scared Texts that are usually taught to them by their religious leaders. In most societies that is how everything set up, but it leaves room for individuals to take whatever daily word that was taught and apply it to their daily lives. When other authoritative figures such as influential political leaders arise, they will twist the words of

Kimball starts off the chapter about an attack in Tokyo train stations where the highly devoted followers of Asahara Shoko released a deadly nerve gas leaving twelve people dead and thousands injured. Shoko started out as a religious individual who gained his knowledge of the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. However, in a few years he came to demand and enforce an “apocalyptic vision” and his devotees “embraced the evolving teachings with blind obedience” (Kimball 81). Kimball states that this is the turning point because Asahara followers had become convinced that they no longer needed to think with a mind of their own. "Master Asahara 's views were all that mattered. This is a pivotal point at which religion becomes evil” (Kimball

Kimball address. While reading, I found it mind boggling that I was being obedient but not blind because I didn’t truly believe in and followed behind certain aspects of what I was told how certain things supposed to go. Looking inwardly on my own perceptions of religion I was conforming and believing in only a portion of the teachings of my Preacher. This is what Kimball mentioned in the chapter as the what will diminish the opportunity of religion of becoming evil. When observing and witnessing the events in todays society majority of the people fall in this same category and there are religious leaders that are giving guidance to the people while also allowing them still have their own mindset of their outlook on