If the Thought of a Higher Power Was Never Popularized

If the idea of a higher power was never popularized, where do you think society would be today? What would be different? Could we have even progressed without the desire to appease something greater then ourselves? Or was the idea of a higher power one persons idea as the wheel was and spread to others? Is it possible this idea was prevalent before humans could speak? If not how did mankind progress to the point we did before being able to share this idea? If now one such as myself who doesn't believe in a higher power has progressed as I have, is it because we have created an artificial replacement for the need for faith?


Sorry, super stoned and my mind is wondering.

Lets hear some input.

 

It's hard to say. I won't deny that religion played a role in strengthening our species at one point in time, I just think that time is long gone.

 

It isn't as much about strengthening our species as much as connecting and gathering them(us). Possibly...as we have grown further apart as nations we have become less aware of religions and common goals.

 

Religion has caused a lot of good and a lot of bad. Sparked wars and the crusades but also gave people new hope around the 10 - 1200's after the world was prophesised to end, when it didnt it started a whole new revolution of faith. The Church has exploited this faith unforgivabley over the years though and even now there is a huge report being written by the Vatican on the insane ammount of sexual abuse in children from priests in schools all over Ireland the last few decades.

The Church has a lways had far too much control in my country but that control is slipping now. At one stage we were nearly stuck in a depression over the great ammount of literature that was banned, thoughts were very close minded and any free thinkers were quickly quieted. This among my own train of thought has left me unable to believe in a God whos desciples have acted and behaved so disgracefully.

Although I think organized religion also gives people something to strive for and work towards and so has helped keep society strong and optimistic in troubled times. In a world like today where money has more importance than religion its understandable that more and more people let their faith slip to the back of their minds but it will always be there to turn to when things go to shit and for that I respect peoples beliefs. If the bible wasnt taught so literally I would have a much easier belief but I dont think that children should be taught that if they dont behave a certain way that they'll burn for eternity. Thats just scare mongering and unfortunately, what the church is bets at.

 

I just woke up and haven't gotten a good night's sleep in a while.

My main beef is religion stems from two of its results: a) It subordinates the individual to a being that may or may not exist, and may not even be worth worshiping even if he/she/it isn't just a figment of our collective imagination and b) it discourages rational thought in favor of ancient dogma. Many people use religion as a crutch but in my opinion it isn't necessary. I went through my own existential crisis but came out of it with the knowledge that I decide the purpose and meaning of my life: Sartre's mantre 'existence precedes essence' is one that has remained very close to my heart since I first heard it. As Nietzsche pointed out, belief in an afterlife disvalues this one and has historically been little more than a way for people to justify the horrid conditions of their current life.

People often like to bitch about the 'atheistic' regimes of the mid twentieth century. First of all, Hitler wasn't an atheist. Mein Kampf is littered with religious justifications of his ideology and the pope went along with many of his policies. But that's besides the point. Fascism and communism play on the religion impulse. They replaced god with the State--hence they were subject to the same weaknesses of religious. Blind, dogmatic faith is never a good thing.

I feel sorry for the people who really feel that life is not worth living without this particular delusion, but the rest of us should not suffer because of it.

 

I found a saying in my program that I really like a couple weeks ago.


"We had to believe that there was something outside ourselves, which could help us."


Religion serves a very important purpose, that it helps people to stand strong in times of trial, but I think where it falls short, is when people separate spirituality from their religion.


Once you do that, it can cause many things to go awry. Once you do that, the result is Hatred, Discord, and Strife, because you no longer see the interconnectedness of all Beings.


That is why I try to make a point, to keep my Spirituality, quite separate of my Religion, (of which I have none.)

But I consider myself a very spiritual person, and my idea of a Higher Power, is that of all of Creation. I walk in this wonderful creation all of my existence, and I rejoice!

 

To answer the original question -

Humans have always been driven to commune with their "source."

It is a natural urge, to look to something outside of you for assistance.

We are finite projections of infinite consciousness, and through our lives here, we enrich the Cosmic Consciousness.

We are Immortal Light Beings, and it is not natural for us to incarnate on this plane, which is much denser, much more full of the more base emotions, (fear, hatred, anger, jealousy) but some of us make the free will choice, to incarnate into this Material Realm, to experience and learn Karmic lessons.

So, while we are here, we have an inkling of our prior existence, we know that this isn't the way things are supposed to be, that they could be better.

Some people chose to react to this fact by attempting to make their miserable lives more "comfortable" (although real comfort is Nirvana) with petty material possessions, and they think they can Manipulate, lie and cheat to come out on top.

But that is not the natural order of things.

If you have a self serving nature, you will attract the attention of other self serving entities, negative thought-forms, if you will, but this is all Metaphysics.

Those who are in tune with their intuition, Higher Power, whatever you may call it, generally are much less conspicuous than those that are self-serving, as they can generally see the consequences of their actions, and how it may affect others, and act accordingly.

Anyways, I think Humans have always been driven to seek their Higher Powers, but many times, their intentions are diverted by that of the Ego, and many fall by the wayside.

 

Humans naturally look for leaders, it's in our instinct to do so, and that's part of the reason I believe anarchy can never work. Amidst all the chaos, people would begin to follow leaders that promised to fix everything, and in turn create a dictator.

 

bump!