Why is religion so persistent?

Describe your vision. Describe a world with no religion, not even yours. And Yes, you DO have a religion, you have beliefs about the nature of reality and your relationship to it.

 

The same as the bible prophecies. I believe in it.

 

Religion reminds me of the chronicles of riddick, the necromongers

 

><>**^^~~ -Your absolutly corect ! -I have NO religion. --Jesus had no religion and He taught us to be like Him. -and Furthermore .. -I think whoever promotes a religion actually promotes himself. -Its ALL a bunch of crap. -If you cant reack God without your religion, -its all FAKE. -Your important and God loves you enoughf to talk to you individually!

 

One individual's belief about the "nature of reality and your relationship to it" is hardly a religion. It's exactly what you called it -- a belief.
A religion/cult/sect must by definition consist of a group of people.

My vision of a world with no religion is a beautiful one. I see great divides between peoples being shattered. I see humans developing a self concept as a member of the human race first and foremost. I see a great society based on rational pragmatism and compassion and community. I see a re-examining of our outdated moral codes leading to an age of increased tolerance and understanding. I see individuals thinking for themselves and taking personal responsibility for their own lives and actions.

...um...and eventually I see the obsolescense of national governments and the formation of one nation of Earth.

Yes, that would kick ass!

 

Kilgore Trout, what a great post.

 

Well, if you can't find God in religion you are missing out. I mean, it is directly about God, made by God, etc. Even if it is a joke.

 

I see the humor in the current situation.

 

Well, every Western religion is based on an understanding of the nature of reality and your relationship to it and how that relationship may be maintained in a way that is, presumably, sane and healthy. All too often, this is tragically, grossly misunderstood.

The Eastern religions tend to focus on teaching you how to see for yourself the nature of reality and your relationship to it and how that relationship may be maintained in a way that is, presumably, sane and healthy. Even this is sometimes tragically, grossly misunderstood.

In a very real sense, the practice of one's religion is the same as any of the great pursuits that make us human, there are those who have a great talent, a gift, a genius even, who do it well for its own sake. And then there are those who are good at getting a lot of attention even though they do it relatively poorly, or at best, with great mediocrity. It isn't fair and it isn't really representative of what's available, but if your are willing to dig a little then you'll find unexpected quality in any genuinely creative, human tradition.

In a perfect world, Andy Partridge, Michael Hedges or Lisa Gerrard would be far more famous musicians than Britney Spears, Madonna or Celine Dion; Tony Vigorito, Tom Robbins or Terry Pratchett would be far more recognized and widely read authors than Danielle Steel, John Grisham, or Tom Clancy; and Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and maybe even Bob Marley would be your shining example of modern enlightened religious practice instead of Jerry Fallwell, Duh-bya or Osama Bin Laden.

Careful, if you start telling everyone to forget ego, power, money and influence and instead to identify with your common humanity, treat each other with compassion, tolerance and understanding, and try to simply love one another, well, that once was a good way to get crucified. In our modern enlightened times, people who present such an ideal are usually shot. I don't understand how such an obviously simple, sane message can so consistantly "inspire" such hateful, violent resistance.

Believe it or not, I agree with you on just about every point. I hope your vision grows into something that everyone can be a part of.

 

Well I got to tell you the Jews are back in Israel. Now I know that means nothing to you but according to the Bible, the generation that see Israel established again as a Jewish state will not pass away until many from that generation will see the return of Christ. The Bible also states that when Christ returns He will be the first one to walk through the sealed East Gate of Jerusalem. Now that prophecy in the scriptures was made thousands of years ago but if you go to Jerusalem today you will find one gate that has been sealed for hundreds of years. It just happens to be the East Gate. The Bible also states that the prophecy will not fail, Moslems found out about the prophecy and tried to break through the gate twice in the last century to make the prophecy invalid. Unfortunately for them they failed on both attempts, just like the Bible said they would. There is so much about the future to be found in the Bible but todays church is often so messed up that this information is never passed on. Even the future of the United States is recorded in the scriptures. And in no less that four chapters. The Bible is not a religion, but it speaks the truth which will be witiness by many that are alive today.

 

i don't think the moslems just 'found out' about the golden gate prophecy; don't they also use the old testament?

 

Would you be so kind as to tell me exactly which scriptures make this prediction? I want to look into this myself.

 

ezekiel 44

 

Thank you... I shall have to have a read of that later (I would now, but I've just pulled an all nighter, and so I'm very tired, and open to sugestion.. and I don't want to fall for any of this bullshit )

 

Thats true, the Moslems tried to break through the gate as far back as 1917, and they tried again in 1967. On the same day on both attempts Jerusalem passed out of their hands first to the British in 1917 and second to the Jews in 1967. The gate remains selaed today, and will remain sealed until Christ alone opens it.

 

Why do all religion threads turn into boring bible study discussions?

I mean seriously...(YAWN!)

 

Because the bible is their only weapon... it's a shame it's unloaded and broken...

 

human beings are incurably religious.

I heard once that if there really was no GOd, we would make up our own.
We were created with a God-shaped hole in our hearts that nothing else can fill.
That's why when people actually truly find God and let him into thier hearts, they want to spread the love and the joy they have found, but people take it the wrong way. I admit though, being a Christian now for 9 years, Christians have to learn about Grace and not be so pushy, alot of pushy Christians are annoying and ruin the "Christian" name for the non-pushy Christians such as myself. Jesus stood on hillsides talking mostly about love, not about religion or rules or how bad we all are, he gave an aternative way of living, and everyone knows you can't go wrong when you live for love.

 

This is very true, because this is exactly what has happened...

Early man would look into the sky and see lots of star and think to himself "I wonder what they are?" and so he would have a think, and due to the lack of a telescope and further information about the rest of the world, he is forced to guess... and it's not long after that before gods are created...

But this does not mean there is a god, it just means that it's used to explain what is not known...

 

Good post.