BBC Science research has proven something extraordinary. Babies under the age of 1 are not afraid of snakes at all. Yes, that’s right. They see snakes not as a threat, but as innocently as they would see a cute doll. Scientists observed the expressions of these babies, and the results were surprising. None of them screamed, none of them panicked, and none of them even uttered a prayer for protection. In short, snakes are simply seen as random objects, not deadly monsters. Why is that?
Because it turns out that fear is not something we are born with. It only appears after our parents, with love and a little terror, install the fear software. “Be careful, kid, snakes can bite, they can be poisonous, they can kill you.” Does that sound familiar? Yes, very true. Just like how parents and, of course, religious institutions install the software of doctrine from an early age. “Watch out, that’s a sin! You could go to hell. If you obey, you’ll go to heaven. If you disobey, be prepared to burn in eternal fire.”
In other words, babies are born like new smartphones out of the box. There are no sin apps, no hell alarms. Everything is still clean. “Fitrah,” the Arabs call it. Until then, parents scramble to install their own versions of apps. There is “prayer.exe,” there is “sin.malware,” and of course “hell.v2.0,” now with unlimited torture features. And the result is that we all grow up believing that fear is natural. But in reality, it’s just pirated software installed before we could even read. Remember: no baby is born afraid of snakes. And of course, no baby is born afraid of hell.
Imagine your brain as a computer, but not just any computer. It has a super-advanced processor that is born blank, like a white sheet of paper without a single mark (“fitrah”). There are no files. There are no programs, not even an antivirus.
Then, as soon as you are born, your parents take control and start installing all their applications on you. Religion, family rules, traditions—all downloaded into your brain without asking whether you agree or not. And just like pirated software full of malware, it may seem useful and beneficial on the outside, but inside it’s filled with dangerous viruses that slowly damage your system.
The problem is, because you’ve been used to living with that slow smartphone since you were little, you think everything is normal. Until one day, you realize, “It turns out that my smartphone has been slow all this time because of all the outdated programs my parents installed in me?” And that’s where the big question arises. If our brains are just computers with inherited programs, is it possible to perform a reset? And how can we delete all that dogma software to live as truly free individuals? To answer this question, we must first go back to the beginning, when the human brain was first formed. And why is it so easy to program from an early age?
From birth to age 7, the human brain is in a phase that scientists call the golden age. During this period, children’s brain waves are predominantly in the theta frequency, a condition similar to natural hypnosis. This means that young children absorb information not with logic, but with absolute belief.
Imagine a new smartphone or computer when it is first turned on. The system is still blank. There are no complicated built-in applications yet. Once you install something, the application will stick and become part of the system. That is how children’s brains work. Whatever they hear, whatever they see, is immediately stored in their memory hard drive.
Parents say, “God is like this.” Teachers add, “If you don’t obey, you sin.” And in places of worship, it is repeated over and over again that if we disobey, eternal hell awaits us. If we obey, heaven will be our reward. Without a firewall, without a filter, all of that is written into the brain as if it were a default setting that cannot be deleted. The problem is, once that doctrine is embedded, it becomes the operating system.
An operating system of the mind that controls our entire lives. The way we think, feel, and decide things all run on inherited software. And this is where something even more interesting emerges. It’s not just about how children’s brains receive the program, but also the content of the program that is instilled. Because it turns out that there is one software that is most dominant and most dangerous. Propaganda about eternal hell and the promise of heaven is used as a tool of control.
Let’s break it down a little. Why are people so obedient to religion? Even when the rules don’t make sense? The answer is simple: because people are frightened by the torment of hell and promised the rewards of heaven. It’s like a large company running a business with a stick and carrot system. The stick is the threat of hell. The carrot is the promise of heaven. It’s the perfect combination to make people submit without asking too many questions. And if you think about it, since childhood we have been fed horror stories about hell. Eternal fire, endless torment, burning heat.
Then we are given sales brochures about heaven. Golden palaces, rivers of milk, virgin angels waiting for us. Everything is packaged beautifully like a multi-level marketing advertisement: join now, obey the rules, don’t leave, and you will receive a great reward in the afterlife. The problem is that no one can verify it. No one has ever actually returned from hell to write a review saying, “Bro, hell is really hot. Don’t even try it.” But even without proof, this propaganda is effective. Because once you believe it, that fear and hope become software that binds your entire life.
Imagine living with an operating system that displays warning pop-ups every day. If you click the wrong thing, you’ll be burned forever. Of course people become obedient. Of course people become afraid to think. And this is the secret of why the doctrine of hell and the promise of heaven have been maintained for thousands of years. Not because of its truth, but because of its effectiveness in controlling the mind. But if we are truly honest, there is something else that is far more terrifying. It is not only the people who are locked in by this propaganda, but also how deeply it is ingrained, closing off our access to our own inner voice. And that is where the most dangerous effect begins to emerge.
Scientifically, there is no valid evidence of the existence of heaven or hell. All narratives of eternal fire and endless torment are merely fiction in the scriptures. They are tools of control to scare people into obedience. Ironically, scientific studies have found something else that is even more interesting: the phenomenon of reincarnation. Many young children in various parts of the world can remember their previous lives. They remember people’s names, places, and even real events. And after verification, it turns out to be true. Is this definitive proof? Not yet. But clearly, when it comes to science, the narratives of heaven and hell are far less valid than research on reincarnation. And all of this is still being studied in greater depth.
If we live for years with dogmatic software that has been instilled in us since childhood, the effects are no joke. First, rigid beliefs emerge. In our minds, there is only black and white. If I do this, I will be saved. If I do that, I will sin. There is no room for nuance, no room for critical thinking. Second, there is a sense of irrational fear. Not a fear of snakes, not a fear of heights, but a fear of something more abstract. Fear of being punished, fear of being labeled a heretic. Fear of thinking for yourself.
It’s as if there is a cosmic CCTV that is always watching every second of your life. Ready to give you eternal punishment if you make a mistake. And third, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the voice of your heart and the voice of indoctrination. Sometimes you want to do something. But a small voice whispers, “Be careful, it’s a sin!” When in fact it’s not the voice of God. It’s just an echo of an old program replaying in your head. The end result is that millions of people live on autopilot. They eat, work, marry, even dream, all controlled by the default program implanted since childhood. And like a slow smartphone full of malware, they think it’s normal. Until one small bug causes the system to falter. And that bug usually appears when there is one question that can no longer be avoided.
Everyone has different moments. Some people, when they see tragedy, ask, “Why do good people suffer? Why do bad people live comfortably?” Others, when reading philosophy or science books, ask, “Why are the facts different from what we have been taught?” Others simply ask, “If God is all-loving, why does He need to threaten us with hell?”
These questions are bugs in the system. At first, they are small, like an error notification in the corner of the screen. But the more you ignore them, the more your curiosity grows. Until finally, the dogmatic system can no longer cover them up. And it is at this point that the real spiritual journey begins.
Because when you dare to ask questions, you are doing something that has always been considered a sin: thinking for yourself. Of course, the consequences are severe. Your community may distance themselves from you, your family may be disappointed, and you may even be haunted by guilt. Because the old software keeps popping up with warnings: “Be careful if you continue this, your ticket to hell is already in your hands!”
But behind all that, there is a small door that opens. A door to freedom. A door to a life lived not out of fear, but out of the realization of true truth. And this is where the next important question arises. If we have found the bug, how do we do a total reset of our system? If our brains are indeed like computers, the good news is that every computer CAN BE RESET!
The question is, how? First, we need to realize that old programs do exist. You cannot delete files that you are not even aware are running. That means you must first recognize the dogmatic software that controls your life. Is it the fear of hell? Inherited guilt? Or the rigid belief that there is only one absolute truth?
Second, do some reprogramming. Simple affirmations can be like new code that rewrites your consciousness: “I am free to think and seek the truth. I have the right to question everything I have been taught. The real truth is not afraid to be questioned.” Say this every morning and night. When the brain is relaxed in the theta wave phase. That is the moment when new files can be installed to replace the old viruses.
Third, use music, for example. Certain frequencies, such as 396 hertz, can release guilt. Or 432 hertz, known as natural harmony, can soften the system. Like an antivirus, this music deactivates the malware of fear that has been lodged in the mind for years.
Fourth, practice self-inquiry. Ask simple but fundamental questions. “Why do I believe this?” “Is this my belief or just someone else’s legacy?” “Do I love God out of fear or out of truth?”
And finally, open yourself up to new perspectives. This doesn’t mean you have to believe them right away. But by exposing your mind to other points of view, you train your skeptical brain, which has been weakened by doctrine.
Is this process easy? No! Resetting means you have to be willing to lose the false comfort of old software. But behind that discomfort lies something far more valuable: freedom as a truly living individual. Resetting does not mean erasing everything you have ever been taught. Resetting means taking control of your own system.
You were not born to be anyone’s programmed robot. You were not born to live under the threat of horror ads about hell or the lure of brochures about heaven sold as rewards. You were born a free soul. With a mind processor capable of seeking and finding the true truth. And remember, the real truth is never afraid to be questioned. Only lies tremble when touched by logic. So if today you feel anxious, questioning, or even afraid because you are beginning to lift the veil that has been tightly closed since childhood, relax. That is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that your old system is being restarted. You are no longer a slow smartphone crammed with outdated, virus-filled applications. You are a new device that has finally awakened. All software can be deleted, all doctrines can be reviewed.
And when you dare to do it, you’ll discover one thing that’s been hidden by dogma all along. That thinking isn’t a sin. Stopping thinking is what’s dangerous.