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- Why Religion? Why Not Unicorns?
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| Why Religion? Why Not Unicorns? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 4 2014, 03:01 AM (5,462 Views) | |
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Feb 4 2014, 03:01 AM Post #1 |
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I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I really want to get to the heart of why people think the way that they do, especially in regards to religion. I’ll focus specifically on Christianity in this post since it is the religion that most of you are probably the most familiar with. To me, there are a few “types” of Christians. 1. “Born and raised” Christians: those who have grown up in the church surrounded by friends and family who are like-minded Christians. 2. “Saved” Christians: those who have been “saved” from an unhealthy or unhappy lifestyle by God (I tend to find that most of these Christians had some type of religion background or knowledge of Christianity beforehand.) 3. “Rescued” Christians: I’m referring to “rescued” Christians as those from – say – Africa or parts of Asia where Christianity is little-known or completely alien. Many Christians go on missions to these countries to rescue people from lives of sin and misery. (I find that many of these Christians are looking for something to hold onto). Let me point out that the same could be said for any religion, really. Here are my questions: Do humans choose God because it is ingrained in our society and culture? Christianity has persisted for hundreds of years. In early days, it was a means of explanation. People couldn’t explain the workings of the world and the universe with science, so they relied upon a fictional being to give them answers and bring them comfort. Or do some people choose God because they are uneducated? For this question, I am referring specifically to Christianity since the majority of it can be easily explained away by a basic knowledge of modern-day science, an understanding of morality, and close readings of the Bible in comparison to modern knowledge. As is the case with people in other countries who are “rescued” by missionaries, do they latch onto Christianity because they are looking for comfort? Because they are uneducated? Or both? Does each individual believe in Christianity for a different reason, or is there one unifying reason behind it all? This section has been relatively dead lately, so I decided to make this topic in an effort to spur on some discussion. I hope it doesn’t die right away. |
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| + Pelador | Feb 4 2014, 03:35 AM Post #2 |
Crazy Awesome Legend
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I think it all comes down to death. People find loss so difficult to accept that they cling to this idea of an afterlife just so that they can keep their loved ones alive in some way. Then they keep following the religion in the hope that they will see their loved ones again some day if they follow the teachings correctly. Then there's other types of believers who think they need to do God's work on Earth or other people won't get into heaven. Once again it's all about the afterlife. The promise that death is not the end and that eternal paradise awaits the truly faithful. It's a very appealing dream indeed. |
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Feb 4 2014, 03:54 AM Post #3 |
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I can definitely see your point. I know that when I was a Christian, fear of the afterlife was a major motivator for me. I actually had one youth pastor use this as his evidence: "You can choose not to believe in God, but what if you're wrong?" No explanation, no logic, nothing. Just the "what if you're wrong?" mentality to scare us into believing? I found that a bit silly. But there are actually some very intelligent Christians out there, so I'm wondering why they choose to remain Christians despite understanding science and doing research? |
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| Daemon Keido | Feb 4 2014, 07:33 AM Post #4 |
Warmaster of Chaos
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It could be that they can justify God's existence as such: God created the Big Bang, and everything else happened on its own without His further interference. |
A Shadow is merely Darkness in the presence of Light Thanks Kid Buu for this awesome sig! The Emperor Protects | |
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| * Ketchup Revenge | Feb 4 2014, 08:30 AM Post #5 |
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"
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Humans in particular like to believe that we can somehow be important in a vast universe and we are in some way, immortal and transcend the physical world. In Christian religion, Humans were the pinnical of God's creations, which makes no sense because Angels and Demons are apparently so much more powerful than humans are. The difference between us and the beings of the divine is that we have a choice, while they don't. However, in the context of God getting mad for us not doing what he wanted us to do and wiping out the human race with a great flood, or threatening us with eternity in a place of eternal torture for anything that God doesn't agree with, it's ridiculous to believe that "God" even gives us a choice. It's similar to a 40s gangster complex. A 40s gangster will put a gun to your head and give you a choice to either pay him the money you owe him, or blow your brains out. The point is that the consequences of not choosing the right path really doesn't give you a choice at all, therefore we are just as bound as much into submission as the Angels and Demons are. "Choice" in Christianity is an illusion. It always has been. It's similar with other religions. The concept of a God gives us an illusion of order in the Universe. Belief in Unicorns does not, unless of course, the Unicorns are worshiped as Gods. All people are practical thinkers, but religious folks who believe in God are only as practical as they want to be. This is why they won't believe in Unicorns or Leprechauns, but they will believe in God, whose role in the Universe is infinite, and whose very existence can never be proven or disproven. Edited by Ketchup Revenge, Feb 4 2014, 08:34 AM.
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 The vengeance is her's for as long as she stands by Him. | |
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| * Mitas | Feb 4 2014, 12:10 PM Post #6 |
It truly was a Shawshank redemption
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I don't think this is the case. There are many intelligent people who are religious, as you yourself pointed out. I think your topic title doesn't really work. There are almost definitely people who believe in Unicorns, just like there are people who believe in Big Foot, the Loch Ness monster, the Abominable Snowman, and there are multiple Gods of different forms in the various religions of the world. You're basically just trying to belittle people who hold religious beliefs, which I don't think is a very redeeming quality. So many people feel the need to belittle religious people in a way that makes them feel like they are better than them because they're not religious, when that's not true. To answer the question, I think people are religious because it's so deeply ingrained into our society. Expanding on that: people choose religion because they are uncomfortable with the unknown. Why are we here? What happens when we die? Religion is an answer to these questions. People choose religion because, like Pel said, they are afraid of death and loss. It comforts them to know that their loved ones don't just disappear when they die, and that death isn't the end, but the beginning of a whole new life where they get to see the loved ones that they've lost during their lives. They choose religion because it makes them feel like they belong. People who would otherwise be alone have a place to go and socialise, something to cling onto that makes them feel like their life is worth living. Just because these reasons aren't good enough for you, I don't understand why people have to look down on the people who do choose religion. It doesn't affect you. And yes, there are some religious people who preach their beliefs to others. But you know what's identical to that? Preaching that religion is not the answer. |
 "Then you've got the chance to do better next time." "Next time?" "Course. Doing better next time. That's what life is." | |
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Feb 4 2014, 08:31 PM Post #7 |
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The topic title has nothing to do with the topic itself. I just needed a title. |
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| Topographic Oceans | Feb 4 2014, 08:46 PM Post #8 |
 
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I believe people choose to have a religion because they want something to believe into, something to give their lifes more purpose. Another obvious anwser is that they were educated since birth to be christians/jews/muslims/whathever. A lot of people, in special in the internet, were religious before being atheist, but the majority of the general public keeps on to their religion if someone teaches it to them since childhood. It's hard to let go of something that has been ingrained in your mind since always, even if you have doubts about it. Chosing to believe in a God helps this person's lifes a bit more of a purpose, giving them the sureness that there is something waiting for them in the other world. Of course this can have adverse effects. If someone is good just because they want a place in Heaven, them there's something wrong. You should do good because you want to help people, not to guarantee your place in the good version of the other world. I don't believe it has to do with being uneducated. I am sure there are intelligent and knowledgeable people in the world that are deeply religious. I believe people should be more educated in diverse religions. If you want to bash it just for the sake of bashing it, fine. But them your argument has no value. You can preach countless hours about how religion is a cancer and the cause of everything bad in the world, just as you can spend countless hours preaching about how religion is the way to save all men. Lack of education exists on the side of those who don't like religion and on the side of those who like it. |
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Feb 5 2014, 10:08 PM Post #9 |
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But there are obviously instances in which education (or lack thereof) plays a role. People who are only exposed to the basic principles of Christianity and follow it blindly are uneducated in a way. The same goes for people who see the facts presented in front of them and still claim that things like evolution don't exist. That is being uneducated. There are many more examples that I could use. |
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| Topographic Oceans | Feb 5 2014, 10:35 PM Post #10 |
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There's also lack of education among the non-religious/atheists in general. The number of people that turn into atheists just so they can join the cool internet niche of atheists is huge. But it's no good generalizating it for either side. I totally see your point about lack of education and agree with it. Thing is, it could go to either side. However, the religious are generally a lot more stubborn and not receptive to the idea of change, what makes their lack of education more evident. |
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| Tensa Zangetsu | Feb 17 2014, 01:23 PM Post #11 |
Catch me if you can!
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One logical reason to follow religion is because the existence of God solves many things that science has no answer today, for example, who is the creator of the universe or how the universe came into existence from nothing. Also, people believe that there should be justice in the world. If God exists there will surely be justice. |
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| * Mitas | Feb 17 2014, 01:52 PM Post #12 |
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It truly was a Shawshank redemption
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Pretty sure Science has some ideas about how the universe was created. And also, why does it have to be 'who' created the universe? I think that's something a lot of people get hung up on. There doesn't have to be someone behind the creation. It more than likely just 'happened', as the Big Bang theory suggests. Also, a God is not needed for justice. Laws and enforcers of the law do a pretty good job of that. Edited by Mitas, Feb 17 2014, 01:53 PM.
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"Then you've got the chance to do better next time." "Next time?" "Course. Doing better next time. That's what life is." | |
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| + Pelador | Feb 17 2014, 02:02 PM Post #13 |
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Crazy Awesome Legend
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The existence of God doesn't prevent injustice from happening in our world. If you're talking about God's justice after we've died, what gives God the right to decide what is right and what is wrong? Who put him in charge anyway? Oh because he supposedly made everything I have to accept his every word as truth? |
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http://www.youtube.com/user/jonjits | |
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| Tensa Zangetsu | Feb 17 2014, 02:05 PM Post #14 |
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Catch me if you can!
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Science doesn't explain why the big bang happened. There should be something that must have caused the big bang. Moreover, the universe couldn't have simply come into existence from nothing or from thin air. Common sense says there has to be a creator. There is a lot of injustice going on in this world which we can't take care of. For example, Hitler killed 6 milion Jews. Even if you catch him today, the worst punishment you can give him is 1 death. What about justice to the remaining 5,999,999 people he killed? If God is there, he can give them justice by punishing him in Hell as many times as he wants |
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| Tensa Zangetsu | Feb 17 2014, 02:10 PM Post #15 |
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Catch me if you can!
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Even a criminal could say the same argument. Why should he follow the rules of a country and not rob, commit murder etc.? Without the existence of God and religion, you can never prove to a thief why robbing is bad. |
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