Why religion?

[nPeace]

I wouldn't like to say it was the sole or even major reason; only because I think the idea is somewhat disputed.

I understand.

 

[ChristineM]

Read your comment.
"Good religion can help if..."
How can it be good religion if...?
Good religion will teach good values and will help both young and old to instill good values in themselves and their offspring, resulting in making all round good decisions.

That was my point, there is no good religion, only religion.

If it doesn't do that, it is not good religion. I said in my post, I am not referring to just any religion.
Often people tend to take their experience in one religion, or the ones they have had experience with, and apply it to every religion,

See previous comment

Whether this is done as an attempt to paint all as bad, for a particular reason, I don't know, but there is good and bad in everything. There is good religion.
I understand though, for some, God and religion are bad words.

No need to do any painting.

The link was not supposed to mention religion.
You said, "Children grow and earn independence, there are things they need to try to become adult. And in that independence and trial and error they learn or they don't and it tempers their maturity."

Was it not? Oh.

And are you saying your link contradicts my comment?

My response was to support my post.
Instilling values early in life gives children a foundation on which to build - preventing trial and error, by giving them guidance in making wise decision, thus avoiding the cycle, common in this world.
The links support that.

Well it didn't support your post any more than it supported mine

What a load of tosh. Indoctrinating kids does in religion does not prevent them being kids unless a really harsh, tortuous regime knocks the child out of them. If that's what you mean by giving them guidance you are welcome to it

 

[nPeace]

That was my point, there is no good religion, only religion.





See previous comment



No need to do any painting.




Was it not? Oh.

And are you saying your link contradicts my comment?



Well it didn't support your post any more than it supported mine

What a load of tosh. Indoctrinating kids does in religion does not prevent them being kids unless a really harsh, tortuous regime knocks the child out of them. If that's what you mean by giving them guidance you are welcome to it

Your bed. You get to sleep in it.

 

[ChristineM]

Your bed. You get to sleep in it.

Thats precisely what i was about to do.

But i will just add, the incidence of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, teen alcoholism, teen crime is higher in the bible belt states with its good religion than elsewhere in America... Why is that i wonder

And now, goodnight

 

[Deeje]

Worshiping the "wrong" parent?

We can't have more than one parent? Only one parent is actually appropriate for "worship", that's ego talking.

In times past, before atheism became fashionable, humans were usually aligned to the religion of their parents and to wander off that path would have been unusual because of a lack of exposure to other belief systems, and also due to community pressure. So whatever “god(s)” received the community’s collective worship, there was not usually a rival god to take them away to some other form of worship.

But as humans progressed in their knowledge of science, it became popular to ditch the “god” concept in favor of what was considered a more scientific approach. Religion gradually came to be seen as some kind of pathetic crutch for the scientifically uneducated. Community pressure in both camps began to create rifts in these faith communities as devotees defected to more appealing explanations.

Science gave everything a “natural” explanation, so “Mother Nature” and “Father God” seemed to get a divorce in the minds of increasing numbers of people. As with all divorces when there are children involved, there has to be a decision about which parent will have custody. The children could choose which parent would best provide for their needs.....and they did.
That is how I see things....

If we're using the parental analogy. I'd rather worship my Family then my Father alone. Things work better as a group.

And that is your choice, but if the family is disunited, then it makes the choices difficult. You may have to choose a new family.....

The “Father” in our case, (from the Christian perspective) is YHWH who is God alone....he shares that position with no one.
His children are those who have chosen to live with him, and to support and defend him from false accusations. As with all choices, there will be consequences for the position we decide for ourselves. That is why, I believe that we have free will.

 

[nPeace]

Thats precisely what i was about to do.

But i will just add, the incidence of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, teen alcoholism, teen crime is higher in the bible belt states with its good religion than elsewhere in America... Why is that i wonder

And now, goodnight

One is good. One is bad.
Don't get your brain all tangled trying to figure it out.
There is good religion, you just don't know how to tell one from the other.

Good night.

 

[Deeje]

One is good. One is bad.
Don't get your brain all tangled trying to figure it out.
There is good religion, you just don't know how to tell one from the other.

Good point! It’s not what you call yourself....it your conduct that aligns with your claims that determines who and what you really are.

Wasn’t hypocrisy the one thing Jesus hammered home with the religious leaders of his day? (Matthew 23)

 

[ChristineM]

One is good. One is bad.
Don't get your brain all tangled trying to figure it out.
There is good religion, you just don't know how to tell one from the other.

Good night.

So you need strawmsn rather than actually pointing out what good religion is, ok, so here's mine

You may realise.by now that in general i have not seen anything to make religion good. I have and do know good religious people but that is not the same thing.

I consider the abrahamic religions to the worst and not because of their overwhelming numbers.

 

[Secret Chief]

You may realise.by now that in general i have not seen anything to make religion good. I have and do know good religious people but that is not the same thing.

Could a person be a good person because of their religion, rather than despite or irrespective of it? And how could one determine which seems the case?

 

[ChristineM]

Could a person be a good person because of their religion, rather than despite or irrespective of it? And how could one determine which seems the case?

I am sure it must happen but i cannot say I've ever seen it.
Despite the rhetoric it's been my experience that religion does not teach good, what it does teach well is tribalism and hypocrisy.

How i determined my best friend was good was that i knew her before she got religion badly.

Other than that is a crapshoot

 

[Secret Chief]

How i determined my best friend was good was that i knew her before she got religion badly.

Do you think religion has changed her in any significant way, for better, worse or just different?

 

[ChristineM]

Do you think religion has changed her in any significant way, for better, worse or just different?

She got really involved in religion about the same time i was having my troubles with religion.

Apart from far to many "gods will" and "blessings" she is the same person I've always known. There are a few odds and ends that we have had some ding dong arguments over, but her core personality is the one i knew as a child. Honest and open.

 

[Illusion11]

I can only speak for my self, But religion/spirituality to me is very important.
I follow the teaching to awaken the spiritual being within me

Yes that's true.I agree with you .If that's the case then why not have a single religion so that we do not have these differences, because religion is sole reason for all the problems ranging from countries fighting for territorial autonomy to groups wanting their religion to emerge as the supreme one.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Yes that's true.I agree with you .If that's the case then why not have a single religion so that we do not have these differences, because religion is sole reason for all the problems ranging from countries fighting for territorial autonomy to groups wanting their religion to emerge as the supreme one.

Your question is a very good one
In my understanding, there are different religious teaching at different times because human beings are at different level of wisdom, and different understanding due to where they are born, so the religious teaching are made in a way that all people are able to gain the wisdom but in different ways that has been created so that each person at their level can awaken to it.

One problem is that human beings clining to their ego, and they think mine is better than yours, so they start fighting.

 

[nPeace]

Yes that's true.I agree with you .If that's the case then why not have a single religion so that we do not have these differences, because religion is sole reason for all the problems ranging from countries fighting for territorial autonomy to groups wanting their religion to emerge as the supreme one.

Welcome to the forums.
The way I would suggest we could look at it, is with a few illustrations.
We have money. Why don't we have only good money? It started that way, but then people got the idea to make bad money - counterfeit.
We have the police force. Why don't we have only good police force? It started that way but some people decided on doing certain things they know was illegal, and we got corruption in the force - crooked cops.

The world started out with one way of worship - pure and right worship.
Someone got the idea that they could have a different way of worship, and we got - false or contaminated worship.
What happens in all these cases, is that corruption and counterfeit or falsehood can take many many forms. Whereas, good only has one form. It can't change.

So, we must look at why this conflict exists.
Is it not a struggle between good and bad, with bad trying to overcome or erradicate good. While good stands its ground?

It is a case then, not of mixing them up into one, but identifying the good one, and taking one's stand on its side
Like the good cop, that stands up for good, even when most of his colleagues choose the corrupt side.