Yo blades, I'm in the process of writing a definition essay for class and my topic is religion. For those that don't know a definition essay is an essay where you describe what a specific word means to you. I know asking you guys isn't what it means to me but I'm just looking for other point of views to spice up my paper The definition of religion is "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods" Now I was thinking of my topic being along the lines of basically we are our own gods. I chose this because I know it'll cause a good debate which I love. So fire away, what do you guys think. Are we our own gods? Is some mystical force our god? Is nothing our god? Who knows if I get a good grade I might just send the best poster some Nugs hahaha Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Religious belief is heavily entrenched in human culture all around the world. It has no scientific support and although it rests awkwardly on philosophical ground too, it nonetheless persists. I consider all religions that I've come across equivalently false. As Christopher Hitchens put it, "All of these cults are equal and equivalent glimpses of the untrue." I thnk it would be good to discuss evidence based reasoning, the scientific method and empiricism in your essay. This would lead toward and underpin the evolution vs creation debate. Scientists can't research God because no one has ever discovered any observable evidence for a god. Because of that reason, I don't believe in one. If indeed someone does discover a god, they will start a scientific revolution. I consider religious texts to be, by and large, works of fiction.
Religion is man-made speculation about God. And it can be fun to speculate but lets not pretend that this speculation is proven fact.
I think religion started as superstition back when people needed to explain events in nature and in everyday life. They had no idea how to explain things in a scientific or logical way, so they attributed things to a supernatural being. I mean, who else could put a rainbow in the sky? I can't do it and you can't do it, therefore God must have done it. Right? Different religions have gained traction in different parts of the world. I see this as further proof that they are all man made. There are many different religions, some similar and some drastically different. They can't all be right, but the followers of each believe they are right. It's something akin to regional sports fans. One would expect to find more Atlanta Braves fans in The South than in New York City. Likewise, you'll find more Christians in an the U.S. than in the Middle East because Christianity took off here and Islam took off there. And, like picking a favorite sports team, personal preference also comes into play. Some US residents prefer Islam to Christianity. No right or wrong answer, just different ones. Go with what works for you, but don't condemn someone else because something different works for them. BTW, I'm an agnostic deacon in the Southern Baptist church, sitting in church as I write this. 😃 Good luck on your essay!
You asked for my view on religion. I definitely would tell you if I wasnt going to offend millions of people http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1340347-Lucid-Dreaming-Thread
Even in its early stages? I think that it was originally just a way to explain things like earthquakes, rain, etc. But, it probably didn't take long before some cunning individual realized the power that fear has and that it could be used against the masses.
I can see it being both at the same time... Imagine seeing lighting or a bad storm for the first time... "What is this? Why is it happening?"... "Its god, and he's angry with us"...
Even.in those days, shamans.were the leaders They would have "divine vissions" and use them.to.lead the tribes. Maybe it wasn't intentional. Maybe the shamans were insane and had delusions of grandeur ; but Tue religion was still.used as an exscuse for authority was it not? Perhaps it wasn't intendded for control. But as soon as it was created it was used for it -yuri
Religion is a system used to keep people in fear. With over 5,000 gods worshiped on Earth, it really reduces the significance of any religion. Every person believes their religion is correct. I'm Agnostic and my belief is 'who the fuck knows?'. We're only human. We will never know until we die ( possibly ). And maybe we don't even have the capability to understand a higher power.
I tend to believe that it was originally used to explain things that were unknown to humans because they had no concept of science. But, as I mentioned, it probably wasn't long before some sly shaman realized that fear of the unknown is quite powerful and began using it to his advantage. Since then, a few controlling many has become a hallmark of religion.
Religion can be a method of social control: others can't be watching you at all times to make sure you're doing right, but an all-seeing, all-knowing god can. And who could argue with a set of rules set out by an all-mighty creator? Provides comfort to believers, and can allow them to be satisfied with unegalitarian circumstances: a poor person is less likely to revolt against the rich if they believe doing so will anger their god. They are happy not to revolt because they believe that after this life of suffering they will be rewarded with eternal peace and goodness. Organized religion, IMO, causes more harm than good. Individual spirituality and connectedness to the natural world around us is more my style.
Religion: Unsupported, irrational nonsensical babble. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Worship the sun bud, at least it's dependable. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I'll take it from here then, I don't mind offending people. The chance that a specific god exists (for example the christian god) is no greater than the chance that there's a flying, invisible, truck driving unicorn in my bedroom. The belief in that unicorn, however, hasn't caused wars, oppression, suffering and the death of millions.