People love a religion which offers to control their every action. People are worn down, worn out, shell- shocked, and they are willing to trade freedom for security. People love a religion which tells them exactly what clothes to wear, and how to cut their hair, and who to vote for, and who to be friends with and who to hate. Churches which offer to control people's lives are packed this morning. And churches which expect people to prayerfully study the scriptures and think for themselves well, those churches have been declining for thirty years.
People prefer prison.
People prefer circumcision. Psychologists sometimes do cruel experiments on animals. And right or wrong, sometimes they learn amazing things. Scientists put rhesus monkeys in metal cages, and they hooked wires up to the cages and once in a while they would send an electric shock through the entire cage. They could not escape those cruel electric shocks.