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Is religious thinking something all people do?

Audie

Veteran Member
There is spiritual teachers out there like Eckhart Tolle, and Gary Zukav. Oprah Winfrey interviews a lot of these people on her Super Soul Sunday show. These teachers often dont subscribe to a spirit realm, but rather they give practical advice and wisdom and share insights about attitudes, and experiences to increase understanding of how one can be more self aware, and empowered. They cover ground on emotions and the effects things have on the heart, and mind. Generally speaking.

Ok, self awareness, emotions, intellect.
That sounds like the realm of psychology.

I have no idea what "spiritual"means, sorry.
 

Sir Doom

Cooler than most of you
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being.

I tend to think of religion as 'whatever a person believes about whatever mysterious things they encounter'.

If that being is supremely just and fair to all then fine, so be it.

Yeah, being all-loving is a pretty rare trait among deities.

But If thats all religion is then i dont see any use for it whatsoever.

Then stop using it. Its certainly not for everyone. Nor does it have to be.

I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting.

By spirituality you must mean how you intend to feel in this context. I'm curious how you transform your other emotions into love. Myself, I have quite a difficult time pretending that I'm feeling love when I'm feeling anger or sorrow or jealousy for example. In fact, I have hard time understanding how feeling love in those instances would even be beneficial or favorable. God did not make me out of a loaf of love with love sauce garnished with love and a healthy side of love muffins. I have far more depth than that. I can't speak for the rest of you, however.

Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.

I don't know what you intend to say here.
 

Truthseeker

Non-debating member when I can help myself
There's a lot to religion, but at core it is union with God, it is the love of God and love for all His creatures.
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
I tend to think of religion as 'whatever a person believes about whatever mysterious things they encounter'.



Yeah, being all-loving is a pretty rare trait among deities.



Then stop using it. Its certainly not for everyone. Nor does it have to be.



By spirituality you must mean how you intend to feel in this context. I'm curious how you transform your other emotions into love. Myself, I have quite a difficult time pretending that I'm feeling love when I'm feeling anger or sorrow or jealousy for example. In fact, I have hard time understanding how feeling love in those instances would even be beneficial or favorable. God did not make me out of a loaf of love with love sauce garnished with love and a healthy side of love muffins. I have far more depth than that. I can't speak for the rest of you, however.



I don't know what you intend to say here.
I tend to think of religion as 'whatever a person believes about whatever mysterious things they encounter'.



Yeah, being all-loving is a pretty rare trait among deities.



Then stop using it. Its certainly not for everyone. Nor does it have to be.



By spirituality you must mean how you intend to feel in this context. I'm curious how you transform your other emotions into love. Myself, I have quite a difficult time pretending that I'm feeling love when I'm feeling anger or sorrow or jealousy for example. In fact, I have hard time understanding how feeling love in those instances would even be beneficial or favorable. God did not make me out of a loaf of love with love sauce garnished with love and a healthy side of love muffins. I have far more depth than that. I can't speak for the rest of you, however.



I don't know what you intend to say here.

Even when i feel anger, or sorrow, or even jealousy, i try to remember love. Not so much that i always feel it, but as a practice and a means of self control, and as a means of perhaps making better to resolve negative emotions, or situations.

I dont think love is all sunshine and roses. But it does give me balance and peace. Im not talking about the love one feels for things that are wonderful. Thats the easy stuff.

Love in the sense of trying to understand, or even showing some mercy to someone being totally rotten for no good reason.

By spirituality i mean in the context of any given situation whats the best way to handle it good or bad.

Im only going to feel what i feel though, cant change that. But perhaps when anger hits town, i remember love, and i wont let the negatives get the best of me.

Its like a higher power for me. So is my punching bag in my basement.
 

Hawkins

Well-Known Member
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being. If that being is supremely just and fair to all then fine, so be it.

But If thats all religion is then i dont see any use for it whatsoever.

I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting.
Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.

More importantly, religion is an advocate about a future. Humans are incapable of knowing the future (nor the past if you are willing to look deeper). The only chance that humans could possibly get to know what lying ahead is through a super being who knows.
 

area28

Member
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being. If that being is supremely just and fair to all then fine, so be it.

But If thats all religion is then i dont see any use for it whatsoever.

I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting.
Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.

Probably more about people searching for meaning than anything else
 

scott777

Member
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being. If that being is supremely just and fair to all then fine, so be it.

But If thats all religion is then i dont see any use for it whatsoever.

I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting.
Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.
For me, religion (not mine) has faith at it's core, and so is a system of beliefs which have no rational or scientific basis. By that definition, you don't have to be religious, though clearly most people of the world are. But if you question things, and refuse to fully accept things with blind faith, then you are not religious.
 
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being. If that being is supremely just and fair to all then fine, so be it.

But If thats all religion is then i dont see any use for it whatsoever.

I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting.
Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.

It has been said, and I believe it to be true, that man has a god shaped void in his soul that can only be filled with God. It has also been said that man is irresistibly religious, even if there is only one adherent. Without doubt, every human being on the face of the planet, at some time in his life, has asked the question, what in the world am I doing here, and, is there a God who made all things? Surely life is so miraculous and couldn’t be an accident. What is the purpose of life?
If I was looking for God, where would I find Him? I would expect that God would have personally revealed Himself to someone at some time. I would also expect God to be the Lord of life and death because He would be the originator of life. The only place I can find all of these questions answered is in the Bible. The Israelites have interacted personally with God for thousands of years, and then in Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, and then in His death, burial and resurrection. This shows that He is the Creator, the Lord of life and death. He has control over both. Everyone else who has died, has stayed dead, but not this fellow. That is why I became a Christian. My question to you is not whether you like my reasoning or not, but whether it is true. Certainty for eternity.
 

ecco

Veteran Member
There have been a lot of comments sating what is religion is. Personally, I find comments like these to be a waste of time. If I want to know what "religion" means I just google the definition.

Also, most comments do not address the OP
Is religious thinking something all people do?
No. Most people do.
 
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being. If that being is supremely just and fair to all then fine, so be it.
But If thats all religion is then i don't see any use for it whatsoever.
I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting.
Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.

Religion is spirituality gone amok, where one person or a group of people seeking power to control other people, formalize their spiritual feelings into a religion that sets rules and allows some people to dominate over others. It always end up victimizing some and making others rich. Nothing to do with spirituality, which evaporated with the transition to religion.
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
Religion is spirituality gone amok, where one person or a group of people seeking power to control other people, formalize their spiritual feelings into a religion that sets rules and allows some people to dominate over others. It always end up victimizing some and making others rich. Nothing to do with spirituality, which evaporated with the transition to religion.

All religions are this way? Even Buddhism?

I would say in most religions a dominant authority is set up, to control the flock.

I would say in most religions delusion and falsehood do prevail.

Im not ready to denounce them all.

Would you say spirituality is more individual then all inclusive?
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
All religions are this way? Even Buddhism?
Often yes.

Remember that in the west, where Buddhism is only a weak minority, we get a softened, nicer version of it. In Buddhist-majority countries, Buddhism can be quite oppressive and an obstacle to social change, and it can be very common for Buddhist monks to treat the communities around them as a flock to be fleeced.
 

scott777

Member
Religion is spirituality gone amok, where one person or a group of people seeking power to control other people, formalize their spiritual feelings into a religion that sets rules and allows some people to dominate over others. It always end up victimizing some and making others rich. Nothing to do with spirituality, which evaporated with the transition to religion.
Very true, except that lots of people are still spiritual.
 

ecco

Veteran Member
Often yes.

Remember that in the west, where Buddhism is only a weak minority, we get a softened, nicer version of it. In Buddhist-majority countries, Buddhism can be quite oppressive and an obstacle to social change, and it can be very common for Buddhist monks to treat the communities around them as a flock to be fleeced.
You mean like Christians Jimmy Swaggart, Creflo Dollar, Mike Murdock, and Kenneth Copeland?
 

HonestJoe

Well-Known Member
I looked up the word religion, and all it said is that it is the worship and praise of a superhuman power,and/or being.
If that’s all it said, you need to try a better dictionary. Religion is one of those fuzzy and multi-faceted words (there are several in this field). Part of the problem is that it was initially coined and defined in environments where there was only own kind of religion and so the traditional use of the term doesn’t necessarily fit other ideas and concepts that we naturally recognise as “religious” all the same.

But If thats all religion is then i dont see any use for it whatsoever.
I tend to agree but that doesn’t have any impact on the definition and meaning of the word.

I see religion as a spirituality that embraces love, and compassion for all as is fitting. Religion is That there is a spirit dimension to reality even if it only turns out to be physical in origin.
You can’t do that. That’d be like me saying “car” is defined as a Green Ford or “home” is defined as a two-bedroom flat. Your version, understanding or experience of a thing will ultimately be unique to you and that perception of it is entirely valid but you can’t declare that is the only valid understanding of the word.
 
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