by smiddy3 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Can you imagine what the world of mankind would be like if their was never any concept of a GOD or religious beliefs ?
For the love of me I can`t ,maybe I don`t have an imaginative mind equipped well enough to do so .
how about you guys ? any takers ?
Acknowledging of course that in the real world today their are two sides to the coin of "Religion" it has it`s bad side and it also has it`s good side.
That`s beside the point for this discussion if it even eventuates ?
I think the sensibilities of the human species calls for answers and reasons for those things seen but not understood and those things unseen but felt.
Going way back to the Neanderthals there is burial evident of preparations made to help the departed deal with what's next.
In every civilization one sees a belief system in place both that can be primitive or complicated. Rational and not rational.
The rationally is that this life is but one level of our existence. So within every race or tribe you have a sense that there is a Next.
To explain this next stage there are rituals and holy men, witch doctors etc. who can develop the concept into something workable and by their rules and traditions.......understood.
Their is no Culture in all of history that didn't have some form of religion or a belief in their gods..
As we learn more about our humanity the superficial belief systems are failing each in their own way. Today's religion may just be today's religion.
I think that spirituality is a very real force in human nature...some feel it more strongly, others less so. Religion has capitalized on that and tried to corral people into groups...and with success because we are comfortable with people whose feelings, thought patterns parallel ours. But religion is divisive and has proven to cause conflict, war...spurn hatred, endless list of negatives. A world where religion never reared its ugly head would be interesting...but I wonder if people would develop a variant of it, to belong to a group and have the comfort of the mental dynamic of sameness.
My other thought is that religion supposedly instills moral values in people. That simply is not the case...ethics and fairmindedness..kindness, compassion...are these intrinsic in man? I personally do not see evidence that any religion in reality more finely hones positive characteristics.
Just my two cents worth.
Acknowledging of course that in the real world today their are two sides to the coin of "Religion" it has it`s bad side and it also has it`s good side.
Asking about a world without religion is like asking about a world without politics, or education, or sports. Spirituality is part of the human experience. Religion is how it is supposed to be expressed as a community. The same goes to government. Politics is supposed to be how it is managed as a collective.
I don't see the point in wondering about humankind lacking what actually makes us human.
Religious organizations, maybe. But not without religious or spiritual beliefs. There are too many unexplained things that happen on this earth that can only be explained by spiritual beliefs.
Like tiki said, some people feel it more strongly and that is very true.
Religions are not a must for one to have a religious feeling.
1) When our knowledge about our own habitat increases we realize earth is fine-tuned not only for our sustenance but also for our enjoyment. This inspires us to fine-tune all our actions (thinking, speaking, and acting) for the welfare of all.
2) When our knowledge about our universe increases we realize that earth is only a dust-sized in comparison with the vast universe, which means we have no sound basis to cultivate ego which makes life (own and of others) a hell.
These two are the very basis of spirituality.
" I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if " Religion " had never reared it's head ? "
The world would be a hell of a lot better. But not totally. Religion is used by men and/or women ( mostly men ) to seek total control over the masses of mankind and they do that by manipulating these masses of people through use of fear & guilt by influencing people to believe that the Bible is a book by " God " or " Jehovah " .
They use the Bible as a weapon actually to beat people over the head influencing their thinking in order to make masses of mankind fearful to live their life out from under the control of powerful Pope's, ministers, clergy, and Pastors of churches. And these men who become " leaders " find it convenient to abuse their power & control over humanity because it stuffs their pockets full of gold and money ! But even if organized religion had not appeared , there have still been powerful and corrupt men & governments who use any means to control people. Still would have happened even without religion. Religion's just one of the many tools sociopathic humans use to control each other.
Basically in a nutshell- THAT is all organized religion is - a way for powerful, unscrupulous men to control humanity while making a living off of exploiting that fear & control. O.K. I'm done
It had to. People are hard wired to want to know. Religion gives them the answers. It was just going to happen.
Humans have a built in need for meaning. Religion is the opiate of the people.
There is an episode (I actually think it is the second of a two-part episode) of SOUTHPARK called "GO GOD GO XII."
Skipping a long story, it essentially takes us to a future where religion is eradicated and war is being fought by 3 factions that argue over what is the most logical name for their denomination of atheism.
I think the point can be made that fighting over beliefs was embedded in mankind. If we didn't fight over "God," then we would have (and did) fight over land, oil, slavery, some issues.
