So our human need to belong is exploited. This is not news. Where is the coersion to remain?
The coercion is within the system of exploitation that you seem to admit exists on a fundamental level in society. Just because it's difficult to understand exactly how one is being coerced doesn't mean that it's not happening it just means that the process is complex. Just because something has been going on for a long time doesn't make right or automatically condonable. We should be in a bitter conflict against the exploiters of natural human instincts. It's an old fight, but we have to win it.
How are the masses controlled, like you and me?
Do you really expect me to completely crack the code for you here and now? I can provide lines of reasoning, but unfortunately the data still requires uncovering. If you want a clear cut answer you are living on the wrong planet. Information about how this world works has to become 100% transparent that's why Anonymous and Wikileaks exist. Without transparency control is more easy to apply (the "don't look behind the curtain" principle). For example how much do people know about the Witnesses? Whatever the Watchtower wants the public to know. How do they accomplish that? The reason why they are able to control their image so comprehensively is because that's how their system is designed to work. Seamlessly. They use people as drones to serve as an image to the public. The Watchtower is nothing but a recession proof economic bunker for the world's elite.
So, how are "they" controlling people like you and I? Simple answer is they aren't completely, not anymore anyway. Only systems that affect society at large, which are few and far between, will affect people like us who intelligently walk the line the best we can. What "they", whoever that is, really want is for us to be slave to an organization, preferably one of the big ones that siphon your wallet so that the money can be distributed however they want.
I note in the graph above that Catholics attain the average education. So education suppression is not their game.
Au contraire. The graph clearly indicates that one's religion is tied to quality of life through economic security and education. Religion is tied to the motivation of the adherent in regards to secular pursuits and in turn wealth and prosperity. The Reform Jews set the bar very highly and show that the Catholics, along with all the other "national averages", are not interested in progressing their population, but keeping them in a middle ground. This is because they have a specific type of mind control that requires not too much intelligence.
When you really think about it the more educated the better off a religious person is. Because education will provide a better means of defending one's faith not only to other people, but yourself as well. Education will help you not believe in something you normally wouldn't given the facts. It strengthens critical thinking. Science progresses at a finite rate and continued to provide new fact after new fact to the world. Instead of shooting to upper echelon of society most religions were content with staying relatively ignorant or at the very least ambiguous to new information.
Take the Mormon church for instance as slightly above average in the graph. The church has NO official stance on evolution and it's likely to stay that way. Whereas the Watchtower (low on the graph) has a stance against evolution and Reform Judaism (high on the graph) advocates theistic evolution. So this really does, imo, uncover the true intentions of religions. They are supposed to believe in themselves so why would they hide from information at all? Because they are using MIND CONTROL and they can't have their members get a hold of too much information and knowledge.
-Sab