NationStates Jolt Archive

Well... before I get in to that, just some background first.

I am a Godless hippie liberal heathen. In my life, I have come up with this basic description of the function of religion, which I believe most people would agree with.

Religion is a tool which people use to explain things that they can not explain, or will not be able to understand in their lifetime.

Many people would agree with that statement, it's basically common sense, unless you are amazingly for/against religion, in which case your views excessively glorify/deface the purpose of religion.



My main problem with religion is not that main purpose. Having spiritual beliefs where you can not explain things any other way is a good thing for someone to have. It allows them to get on with their life more easily.

It isn't a problem in the least bit for someone to question any of the spiritual answers religion provides. In fact, such questioning should not only be tolerated, but downright encouraged.

THIS, however, is where the main problems of religion comes up. When religious people have faith in their religion to the point that they deny any other explanation of the world around them. This is a horrible thing for anyone to do, because they willingly support ignorance due to their spirituality. It is fine to be a spiritual person, but when people deny the study or findings of science because their religion doesn't have the same ideas, that's just wrong!

(Do note, it's not wrong to question science either. Science would not advance if it was not questioned.)


And this only suggests one religion against science, which is bad enough as it is. It is even worse when different religions go against eachother. That is people arguing, fighting, and in many, many cases throughout history murdering eachother because of conflicting ways to explain what they can't!

The zeal that not just extreme fundamentalists, but even most averagely religious people feel has been, from what I have seen, heard, and studied, the greatest source of hatred, fear, war, and destruction of and by the human race in all of human history.

THAT is my problem with religion. That should not be tolerated.

Well... before I get in to that, just some background first.

I am a Godless hippie liberal heathen. In my life, I have come up with this basic description of the function of religion, which I believe most people would agree with.

Religion is a tool which people use to explain things that they can not explain, or will not be able to understand in their lifetime.

Many people would agree with that statement, it's basically common sense, unless you are amazingly for/against religion, in which case your views excessively glorify/deface the purpose of religion.



My main problem with religion is not that main purpose. Having spiritual beliefs where you can not explain things any other way is a good thing for someone to have. It allows them to get on with their life more easily.

It isn't a problem in the least bit for someone to question any of the spiritual answers religion provides. In fact, such questioning should not only be tolerated, but downright encouraged.

THIS, however, is where the main problems of religion comes up. When religious people have faith in their religion to the point that they deny any other explanation of the world around them. This is a horrible thing for anyone to do, because they willingly support ignorance due to their spirituality. It is fine to be a spiritual person, but when people deny the study or findings of science because their religion doesn't have the same ideas, that's just wrong!

(Do note, it's not wrong to question science either. Science would not advance if it was not questioned.)


And this only suggests one religion against science, which is bad enough as it is. It is even worse when different religions go against eachother. That is people arguing, fighting, and in many, many cases throughout history murdering eachother because of conflicting ways to explain what they can't!

The zeal that not just extreme fundamentalists, but even most averagely religious people feel has been, from what I have seen, heard, and studied, the greatest source of hatred, fear, war, and destruction of and by the human race in all of human history.

THAT is my problem with religion. That should not be tolerated.


my major problem with all religions:-

Not enough hooters.

I am a Godless hippie liberal heathen.

Cool. And by the way, there are way too many god threads in this place. +1

Cool. And by the way, there are way too many god threads in this place. +1


This has nothing to do with the belief or nonbelief of god.

Well... before I get in to that, just some background first.

I am a Godless hippie liberal heathen. In my life, I have come up with this basic description of the function of religion, which I believe most people would agree with.

Religion is a tool which people use to explain things that they can not explain, or will not be able to understand in their lifetime.

Many people would agree with that statement, it's basically common sense, unless you are amazingly for/against religion, in which case your views excessively glorify/deface the purpose of religion.



My main problem with religion is not that main purpose. Having spiritual beliefs where you can not explain things any other way is a good thing for someone to have. It allows them to get on with their life more easily.

It isn't a problem in the least bit for someone to question any of the spiritual answers religion provides. In fact, such questioning should not only be tolerated, but downright encouraged.

THIS, however, is where the main problems of religion comes up. When religious people have faith in their religion to the point that they deny any other explanation of the world around them. This is a horrible thing for anyone to do, because they willingly support ignorance due to their spirituality. It is fine to be a spiritual person, but when people deny the study or findings of science because their religion doesn't have the same ideas, that's just wrong!

(Do note, it's not wrong to question science either. Science would not advance if it was not questioned.)


And this only suggests one religion against science, which is bad enough as it is. It is even worse when different religions go against eachother. That is people arguing, fighting, and in many, many cases throughout history murdering eachother because of conflicting ways to explain what they can't!

The zeal that not just extreme fundamentalists, but even most averagely religious people feel has been, from what I have seen, heard, and studied, the greatest source of hatred, fear, war, and destruction of and by the human race in all of human history.

THAT is my problem with religion. That should not be tolerated.

Ah, but that's a gross generalization. My religion, Jainism, takes no stance on evolution but implies that organisms did not evolve from other organisms, and yet I still believe that life could not have gotten this complex without some type of trial-and-error mutation system i.e., evolution.

This has nothing to do with the belief or nonbelief of god.

Personally, i'm still going for the whole "Hooter lack" thing...

Ah, but that's a gross generalization. My religion, Jainism, takes no stance on evolution but implies that organisms did not evolve from other organisms, and yet I still believe that life could not have gotten this complex without some type of trial-and-error mutation system i.e., evolution.

Are there lots of Hooters in Jainism?

I would say that is inaccurate, to a degree. Many societies that were deeply religious were also leaders in scientific innovation and progress. It's not so much the presence of religion as it is the presence of ignorance, repression, and fear that turn the two against each other. Religious societies that were well educated and relatively open advanced quite rapidly(think Medieval Arabia, India).

My primary problem with it: conformism, erosion of civil rights
My secondary problem: anti-science

Religion that does not agree with science is not religion but superstition. Science that does not take into account religion is merely materialism.



"While the religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder of science and knowledge, it is full of goodwill for learned men; it is the civilizer of mankind, the discoverer of the secrets of nature, and the enlightener of the horizons of the world. Consequently, how can it be said to oppose knowledge? God forbid! Nay, for God, knowledge is the most glorious gift of man and the most noble of human perfections. To oppose knowledge is ignorant, and he who detests knowledge and science is not a man, but rather an animal without intelligence. For knowledge is light, life, felicity, perfection, beauty and the means of approaching the Threshold of Unity. It is the honor and glory of the world of humanity, and the greatest bounty of God. Knowledge is identical with guidance, and ignorance is real error."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 137)



"Religion and Science are inter-twined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly. One wing is not enough. Every religion which does not concern itself with Science is mere tradition, and that is not the essential. Therefore science, education and civilization are most important necessities for the full religious life."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 28)

Religion that does not agree with science is not religion but superstition. Science that does not take into account religion is merely materialism.



"While the religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder of science and knowledge, it is full of goodwill for learned men; it is the civilizer of mankind, the discoverer of the secrets of nature, and the enlightener of the horizons of the world. Consequently, how can it be said to oppose knowledge? God forbid! Nay, for God, knowledge is the most glorious gift of man and the most noble of human perfections. To oppose knowledge is ignorant, and he who detests knowledge and science is not a man, but rather an animal without intelligence. For knowledge is light, life, felicity, perfection, beauty and the means of approaching the Threshold of Unity. It is the honor and glory of the world of humanity, and the greatest bounty of God. Knowledge is identical with guidance, and ignorance is real error."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 137)



"Religion and Science are inter-twined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly. One wing is not enough. Every religion which does not concern itself with Science is mere tradition, and that is not the essential. Therefore science, education and civilization are most important necessities for the full religious life."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 28)


I love the Baha'i Faith for that reason. I don't follow it, but I greatly admire it.

Are there lots of Hooters in Jainism?
It depends on what you mean by that, but I don't think so.

Materialism IS science applied to questions of ontology.

"While the religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder of science and knowledge, it is full of goodwill for learned men; it is the civilizer of mankind, the discoverer of the secrets of nature, and the enlightener of the horizons of the world. Consequently, how can it be said to oppose knowledge? God forbid! Nay, for God, knowledge is the most glorious gift of man and the most noble of human perfections. To oppose knowledge is ignorant, and he who detests knowledge and science is not a man, but rather an animal without intelligence. For knowledge is light, life, felicity, perfection, beauty and the means of approaching the Threshold of Unity. It is the honor and glory of the world of humanity, and the greatest bounty of God. Knowledge is identical with guidance, and ignorance is real error."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 137)

_YES_. Beautifully put. Awesome. This is getting printed-out and put on my cork board.

It depends on what you mean by that, but I don't think so.

I'm not sold then.

We want one of those funky religions, like Astarte, where the priestesses got them out 24/7.