religion

[Eliseus]

Originally Posted by Feanol [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Religion is about insecurity.

Insecurity about death. Insecurity about social belonging. Insecurity about right vs. wrong. Insecurity about difficult concepts and a lack of concrete answers.

People will always try to assuage their anxieties about a brutal and tragic world filled with shocking violence, abject poverty, and unanswered questions. Religion fills this need very well, offering both higher order and uncompromising compassion.

I understand the comfort Religion affords people. When it comes down to it, we all tell ourselves little lies and false stories every day to get by. I see Religion as a very natural institution that evolves from a deep need for judgement and reassurance.

That being said, tens of thousands of Middle Eastern bodies lie mangled beneath the rubble of businesses and homes while millions more flee the carnage wrought by madmen that commit acts partially based upon Religious ideology. So there's that.

Never heard of Hitler? I'm not going to go give you more names because this one is pretty big.

Hitler was actually a genius when it came to committing mass killings. Though he hated Christianity, he used it to his advantage. Anyways, without getting much into it because its a blatantly obvious one how many things were done during his reign that were in the name of science etc. I'm sure they will come out though since seeing from your comments you are pretty retarded and you will probably argue to the ends of the earth to save face.

Anyways, this is a stupid argument for one to claim how terrible "religion is". Fact is, people of all sorts of beliefs, science, atheism, agnostic, whatever, commit crimes. Ignoring the fact that its apparent when using this as a validation to hate a so called "religion" that you have no clue on what said religion believes typically (for example Christianity seems to be the big one constantly brought up), but that you can use this as a validation that all "religion" among the world is fake and full of wrong doings is absurd.

The reason I keep putting "religion" in quotes, is again, the ignorance in this thread of what is and isn't a religion is astonishing. People try to claim that religion is only a belief in the "supernatural" when no, it's not. Science is in fact a religion, just as atheism is a "religion". To believe that it's not just displays a significant level of ignorance. People will blindly follow these groups just as people blindly follow "religion". I will once again give a link that what superseded scientific theory is so you guys can see how many things a mass amount of people have believed from the scientific field that have been proven wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superse...tific_theories

Let's not ignore that this same "religion" also claims that we will find extraterrestrial life within 10-20 years would also point at the possibility that "higher beings" could exist. This same "religion" also believes in evolution which in of itself is a sign that a more superior being could exist somewhere. This same religion claims that with advancement in technology that we could one days create life and planets, yet the idea of a God is absurd?

Anyways, now I'm just starting to rant and things aren't really correlating with previous thoughts in this post. I could honestly care less what people believe in or don't believe in. What science says or doesn't say. Gay or straight. Man or woman. At least make logical sense when you argue and don't be one sided.

[Feanol]

Originally Posted by Eliseus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Anyways, this is a stupid argument for one to claim how terrible "religion is". Fact is, people of all sorts of beliefs, science, atheism, agnostic, whatever, commit crimes.

I believe that Religion is an incredible source of good in this world. It provides a setting for kind people to assemble and pool their resources and compassion to help serve the communities in which they live.

I try my best to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, because regardless of his actual divinity or existence he set an example of what a human being is capable of. Unwavering compassion, even for one's enemies. Empathy so strong it damages one's own self. Considering the circumstances of others with every action, and most of all the ability to forgive.

That being said, I feel the same way about various other figures of philosophical and religious history. Belief in the supernatural is not required to honor and follow the teachings these characters represent in order to improve one's life and community.

Like most human subjects, things are not black and white. I do however believe people are capable of Metta without needing the baggage of an unassailable fairy tale.

[Eliseus]

Originally Posted by Feanol [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Like most human subjects, things are not black and white. I do however believe people are capable of Metta without needing the baggage of an unassailable fairy tale.

I completely agree. The issue though is the human race likes to conform. Though there is a significant amount of people that are capable of metta without an "unassailable fairy tale", it's understandable why such thing would exist in the first place.

[Ahldagor]

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[Feanol]

Originally Posted by Eliseus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

...it's understandable why such thing would exist in the first place...

And I agree with you as well. As I stated originally, it's no surprise to me that humans cling to these traditions over hundreds and thousands of years. It's only natural.

I'm glad to find such discourse in a Rants and Flames forum. I know that I'm an idealist. I realize that the conclusions I've come to through anthropological study will never materialize in the world we share. I know that men will always use Religion as an excuse to demean and destroy each other, because that's exactly what happens when you disregard rationality and base your life and death upon the creed of a cult.

I just lose myself in imagining a world where we base our treatment of other human beings on logic and self-preservation rather than the dogma of misinterpreted century old texts that the majority of our population believe as "God's" own word.