The Dangers Of Divine Prophecies

so this morning my husband and i were talking

The conversation started with the situation going on between Isis and Jordan, and Obama saying something about how Islam is in actuality a very peaceful religion. That's not true. The two most popular religions in the world - Christianity and Islam - who are built on love, have evolved into the most violent. 

How, can a religion that is based on unconditional love and sacrifice transform into something so dangerous and violent? Enter: the Divine Prophecy.

There is nothing more unstoppable and UNCONTROLLABLE than a human being who believes their morals, actions, and consequences are outlined and completely supported by a divine prophecy. 

I mean really how can you argue with that logic? 
I believe, undoubtedly, in my God. My God says this, this, and this is truth. My God says I should do X,Y,and Z - and even promises me victory and blessings in carrying out these duties. Furthermore, according to my God, when I have accomplished -fill in the blank- I need not be worried with issues of morality or right and wrong...Because what my God commands is moral, what my God says is right. 
There is nothing further you can do to persuade that person in any other direction. The popular attitude of modern religion is blind faith. And that is faith in what you believe to be true, despite everything else. Things like logic, reason, free thinking, and any kind of doubt is seen to be a sin, or dangerous to the believer. So by definition, nothing you say can persuade the thinking and logic of a person operating through blind faith. 
And I'd like to point out, I do not think Christianity and Islam are the only religions whose followers can succumb to this kind of thinking. Contrarily, I believe every religion (or any kind of group / gathering) can have extremest. It's just these are the two religions we see these people originating in the most, because they contain the largest amount of followers.
The fallacy lies in the perception. A person, armed with the authority of the faith they have in their God, and driven by the perceived commandments of a Divine prophecy - can cause irrevocable, devastating destruction. 

Sikh Temple Shooting - 9/11 - The murder of Dr.George Tiller - Bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut

And I believe this gives way to a psychological condition afflicting the larger part of the religious community, that I refer to as the Persecution Complex. If a religion (Christianity) prophesies of its followers suffering persecution, and gaining grace through the suffering - then this creates a need to feel persecuted. (Christianity has the most followers in the US, by a lot, but claim to be the most persecuted in the US). If a religion (Islam) promises great rewards in the after life for selflessly being a martyr for God in this life - this creates a need to feel martyred. When you are practicing a religion with blind faith, there is no other option than for a Divine prophecy to be true in every aspect, so obviously you would do everything in your power to make it true. 

And the final ingredient is the creation of community through suffering. Nothing brings a group of people more together than the presence of shared suffering. (Jews experiencing the Holocaust, African Americans experiencing slavery, Americans experiencing 9/11). The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Having a shared negative experience does not only unite people, it creates a sense of purpose, power, and authority, to band together and overcome their persecution. Combine all these things together and you have an extremist. 

why christians are more likely to suffer from the persecution complex

The persecution complex that we have adopted - as humans, but more specifaclly as a spiritual community - is self destructive, alienating, and ultimately confusing our primary goals. 

--H.L. Mencken[1]A persecution complex is a term given to an array of psychologically-complex behaviours, that specifically deals with the perception of being persecuted, for various possible reasons, imagined or real.

People or groups who hold to marginal (non-mainstream) beliefs or theories often display some features of this malady, as a way of explaining why their views are not more widespread. It is also commonly displayed by people or groups whose beliefs actually are comparatively widespread, such as fundamentalist Christians.

- rationalwiki.org

People everywhere are making false claims of persecution. What's worse is that people are fully convinced that the persecution they are imagining to take place is actually happening. They believe themselves to be experiencing persecution, when in fact they either simply are not, or not to the extent at which they're claiming / believing. 
but why?

Jeremiah 20:11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.
Matthew 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
John 15:18 If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
1 Corinthians 4:12 And labor, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
1 Thessalonians 3:4 For truly, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and you know.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

The Bible makes it pretty clear about how the followers of Jesus will suffer persecution throughout history. And if we look at the history of the persecution of Christians, and even Christian persecution going on today, it is a very real thing. That being said, not all Christians (those who live in America, for example) are suffering persecution. But it has become such a generalized assumption that without the presence of persecution, one cannot be believed to be living to the full extent of faith in Christ. 
And the exaggerated and even completely false accounts of persecution of American Christians, I feel, are lessening the magnitude and legitimacy of the persecution that other Christians around the world are suffering.

I know everyone has seen pictures like this popping up on their facebook newsfeed, and may even be hitting the like or share buttons on some.. 

These memes, and other similar ones, are incredulous, inaccurate, and just plain silly. When has America welcomed a group of Islamic followers to touch their foreheads to the ground in prayer to Allah, and thought "yea, thats ok!"? Even more, the only thing it seems Tim Tebow suffered from taking a knee in the in zone is loads of publicity. He, and other players who do this same thing, have actually been overlooked many times when payers who spiritually celebrate in other ways (like Muslim player Husain Abdullah) was flagged. When the official rule is no player is allowed to go to ground and celebrate in the in-zone, the players celebrating using a religion that is most accepted and practiced in America is generally over looked.
Prayer and reading of the Bible, on a personal level, is NOT prohibited in our schools. What?? Are you surprised? I invite you to look it up. According to our first amendment it is illegal for a government funded institution, like your child's school, to require, encourage, or openly support the use of prayer or the Bible. But neither of these things have ever been banned. 
Don't even get me started on this invisible war against Christmas. Don't nobody give a fuck whether you say 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Holidays', nobody is trying to change the name of Christmas just because Christians have adopted a Pagan holiday and chosen to celebrate it as their Lord's birthday. 

So if these claims have no backing of truth, why are they so wide-spread, and being accepted as real threats against Christianity? Followers of Christianity make up 78% of religious followers in our country, according to a 2008 American Religious Identification Survey. If the majority of our country identifies with Christianity, where are all these threats of banning little kids from praying and changing names of holidays coming from? Christianity however isn't the only religion to do this, far from it actually. Many religions use a common enemy to unite their followers - as do: political parties, races, genders. We even see this being done on a national level. 
 

the presence of persecution is not necessary to define a correct and meaningful relationship with god. I believe the message on persecution from the bible is that a follower should understand and celebrate the DIVINE will of god, whether in suffering or not. the message isn't to seek out persecution, but yet to honor god DESPITE of.