The Evolution Of Religion

[chuck010342]

Yes, people do evolve in both body in mind.

No they do not

Ideas change over the years along with what is socially acceptable/unacceptable.

Amen

It used to be that keeping a black person as slave was acceptable, if not encouraged. Do you think that would go over well with people today?

Nope

People also change in body.

amen

You should at the very least be able to agree with micro-evolution, correct?

yes I agree with micro-evolution

If not I have a news flash for you. If a black person has sex with a black person they will have a black child. If everyone that is not black stops having sex with each other there will only be black people left. There, evolution in action.

your right about this Micro evolution is true, I should of said people do not evolve in the marco sense

As for macro-evolution there is quite a lot of evidence supporting it. While it may not ever be a hundred percent true it will probably be 99.99% true if it's not already. [/quote}

what evidence? you didn't give me any

You probably didn't catch this, but when I used the example for Large changes I was referring to Christianity. Christianity in case you haven't noticed is an offshoot of Judaism which, by your logic, makes it a heresy.

the only difference between Christianity and Judaism is that Christians believe that Jesus is the Messah and the Jews are still waiting for him, everything else is the same. Both believe in a ressurection, both are monotheistic and so on.

If you are to consider Atheism a religion (Despite it being a lack of religion) then their set of beliefs would probably be morality and science. Since those have evolved over the years it can be said that Atheism has evolved.

I consider atheism as a belife system (there is no God) therefore it has a religion

As I stated before Christianity is reformed (drastically so) Judaism.

I guess that would depend on what kind of Judaism your talking about (reformed, orthadox and so on)

and I don't belive in religion, I belive in the truth and that truth is Jesus the Christ.

 

[chuck010342]

Animism?

I was refering to the type of religion adam and eve partook in

 

[chuck010342]

Actually, Buddhists differ on the issue of if there is a god or not, because it's not deemed as important to ending suffering in this life. So, yes some Buddhists would be atheists but some are open to the idea of a "god".

I believe Atheism is a religion, but my definition of an Atheist is not one who lacks religion, but one who does not believe in a god. There's a difference. I believe all people have a religion, even if their beliefs are not defined into an organized religion as we know it.

when I was refering to Buddism I meant the teachings of the Buddha himself and as far as I can remember he never said there was a God

 

[chuck010342]

Buddhism says there are lots of gods... maybe not a creator god, but many gods none the less. These gods are generally a karmic return of anyone with are large amount of good karma, where they just kinda sit around in perfection until they die. Yes, die... generally to be reborn as some lowly creature, like a bug or animal - because they just used up most of their karma being a god.

can you give a quote from the Buddha himself?

 

[lilithu]

can you give a quote from the Buddha himself?

Meogi is absolutely right. I don't think that the Buddha literally ever said "there are lots of gods" but Buddhist scriptures have devas (gods) walking around all the time. In fact, when the Buddha first attained enlightenment, he almost didn't teach the Dharma to others fearing that it was too difficult to understand. But it was the Hindu creator god, Brahma, who convinced the Buddha that there would be some people who would understand. And sometimes when the Buddha taught, the devas too would come and listen to him.

Buddhism is non-theistic only in that it does not believe in an unchanging eternal god of the Hindu-Hellenic-Abrahamic kind. Altho some Mahayana Buddhists have gone so far as to say that anatman IS atman, or in other words that the Unconditioned is the same as the unchanging, eternal Hindu God. (That's basically were I fall.) But other Buddhists say thats a perversion of Buddhism.

 

[lilithu]

the only difference between Christianity and Judaism is that Christians believe that Jesus is the Messah and the Jews are still waiting for him, everything else is the same. Both believe in a ressurection, both are monotheistic and so on..

Not true.

It isn't just whether Jesus is the Messiah, it's also whether Jesus Christ is God. Christianity believes in the trinity. Judaism does not. The idea that transcendant God could become human is alien to Judaism.

Not all Jews believe in a ressurection. Many don't even believe in an afterlife.

Jews do not believe in original sin or the Christian concept of the Devil. Nor do they tend to believe that scripture is the inerrant word of God. While they share some common roots, there are some very important differences between Judaism and Christianity.


But as for the "evolution" of religion: Khale, I hope by that loaded word you don't mean to imply that religions are getting "better" or there is some sort of "progress" towards some ideal. Religions do change over time, just as everything does. Change is not always for the better or for the worse. Change just is.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Not true. It isn't just whether Jesus is the Messiah, it's also whether Jesus Christ is God. ... Change is not always for the better or for the worse. Change just is.

Very nice post.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I consider atheism as a belife system (there is no God) therefore it has a religion

You limit yourself to but one of two standard defnitions of atheism. You also equate "belief system" with "religion", thereby diluting the term to the point of worthlessness.

 

[lilithu]

You also equate "belief system" with "religion", thereby diluting the term to the point of worthlessness.

I agree. If everyone has a "religion" then the word has no informative value.

Also, that definition of religion would include people into the "religious community" who don't want to be included. It's the equivalent of saying to someone who rejects religion that, "You really are religious, even if you don't think you are."

 

[fromthe heart]

I think religions do change all the time but not the deep basics of it from those that are so intent on remaining in the true point of that religion. I've seen Christianity change in various ways...some think (christians) that just using a certain text from the bible they can justify anything...seeing that the bible covers almost if not everything out there. I've seen new versions of the bible take a word such as abonination and soften it so it doesn't sound so harsh in the new versions. I don't know if new versions are necessary even under the disguise of making it easier to read and understand...I don't know if other religions take the original text of their religions and twist it so I can only speak from my personal perspective on how I see it...I could always be wrong but that is my personal view.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I think religion is a foundation upon which theology, but not only theology, rests.

 

[SoulTYPE]

Religion is basically the noun to describe someone's beliefs and faiths in an ideal.

 

[Sunstone]

show me a scientist and I'll show him how evolution cannot be true

Good luck!:woohoo:

 

[SoulTYPE]

How will you show him this chuck?

 

[Sunstone]

How will you show him this chuck?

With the usual creationist smoke and mirrors?

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I was refering to the type of religion adam and eve partook in

I didn't know getting cast out of the Garden of Eden was a religion. But, hey, whatever floats your boat! (I'm imagining the church services of this religion: people are in a garden and eat fruit, then get kicked out.) Seriously, though, it's hard to make your way on these forums without being respectful of other paths of worship. This doesn't mean you have to believe in them, but at least acknowledge that those who follow them are at least as convinced that their religion is 'right' as you are.

Oddly enough, for me 'religious evolution' involves incorporating 'primitive' religions into my everyday life. Are we evolving religiously by returning to our roots?

 

[Sunstone]

Oddly enough, for me 'religious evolution' involves incorporating 'primitive' religions into my everyday life. Are we evolving religiously by returning to our roots?

Very good question there, Feathers! I tend to see "primative" religions as the religious expressions most natural to our species, and hence, I tend to see "more advanced" religions as somewhat corruptions of natural religiousness. So, yes, maybe we are evolving religiously by returning to our roots.

 

[SoulTYPE]

What religion did Adam and Eve participate in?

 

[cardero]

FeathersInHair writes: I didn't know getting cast out of the Garden of Eden was a religion.

Soultype01 writes: What religion did Adam and Eve participate in?

I think Adam and Eve called this religion “Escapism”

FeathersInHair writes: But, hey, whatever floats your boat!

You are thinking of “Noahism”

 

[Khale]

It isn't just whether Jesus is the Messiah, it's also whether Jesus Christ is God. Christianity believes in the trinity. Judaism does not. The idea that transcendant God could become human is alien to Judaism.

I don't know if the idea of God becoming human is alien to Judaism. I believe that the reason that they got the name Israelites is because Jacob wrestles with a human form of God.

But as for the "evolution" of religion: Khale, I hope by that loaded word you don't mean to imply that religions are getting "better" or there is some sort of "progress" towards some ideal. Religions do change over time, just as everything does. Change is not always for the better or for the worse. Change just is.

Sorry if it sounded that way. I simply meant evolution as change over time. It was something that I had been personally struggling with in my religion. I have been worried about it changing so much that it would lose it's original purpose/meaning. This is a bit of a problem to me since I am currently struggling to find the truth of my faith.