Wednesday, July 15, 2009

LORD WHAT FOOLS THESE MORTALS BE!

Ok so here's the deal. I don't understand why there is still religion. Humans have come so far when it comes to evolution, technology, science, education, sociology, etc. ... I mean we have been on the moon for Christ's sakes (no pun intended). Yet, people still believe in God. (I'll refer to Christianity as that is the religion I am most familiar with, though my thoughts encompass all religions). When will humans be intelligent enough to realize that religion is a thing of the past?

I'll admit, we have no proof that there is definitely no God. And as soon as there is scientific proof, real solid evidentiary proof, I will be the first to admit that there is a God. We do, however, have scientific evidence prooving many ideas of Christianity and the bible to be false, or at least very unbelievable. Take for example evolution. All of the scientific evidence leading to the idea of evolution, particularly in humans, and what do Christians do? They just deny it, ignore the facts, because it contradicts their beliefs. Is this intelligent thinking? Let's just ignore anything which does not support our ideas and beliefs! How convenient!

I personally see religion as a complete lack of education and knowledge. And I can understand it in those with very little, or no, formal education. However, there are highly educated individuals who claim to believe in God. How can a person learned in mathematics, science, etc., still believe there is a God?

One possibility I see is that they don't really believe in God. They want to believe in God, either because it gives them satisfaction and comfort of some sort, or because they have been taught that they will go to hell if they do not believe in God. Which brings me to another point. When I was a child, and learning about God and the bible in school, I learned that God loved everybody equally, no matter what, and never judged. So, if there is indeed a God, will he not forgive me for lacking faith?

On to possibility number two: They were just brought up that way. Their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., were religious people who believed in God, went to church, etc., so it has always been a part of their life. No real thinking involved here.

Possibility number three: A person either never has faith, or loses faith, and begins to live a life without God. Then something "miraculous," like a near-death experience, happens to them or someone close to them, and they are so overwhelmed with happiness and awe that they believe it must have been God. And faith is restored. (Some poor doctor is probably not getting the credit he deserves here).

As for the "uneducated" individuals. Many natural phenomena which can be easily explained by science may seem like magic, or a miracle, to the uneducated. This is where religion comes in to play. For example, before humans had all of the scientific knowledge we now have, people believed dreams to be connected to a person's "spirit," which is where "spirituality" came from. With scientific studies and discoveries, humans learned that this was dreaming which takes place in the person's mind while they are sleeping. Note that this is just one very little example.

And here's a big one: CONTROL. Religion has been used by those in power, or those wanting power, to control others. It is very easy to convince uneducated (and even educated) individuals that there is a God and if they do not follow all of the "rules" of Christianity, they will be sentenced to an after-life of damnation. And who do you think made these "rules?"

Religion has also been used by sociologists as a way of controlling society. Sociologists believed, and still believe, that in order to have a controlled society, there needs to be a common belief system amongst the people. This will give people common morals and ideas, and help keep them working together and "under control."

I also believe there are people who have faith in God simply because it gives them something to live for. The elderly find comfort in the belief that they will have an after-life, particularly and hopefully in heaven. Adults find comfort in this idea, and also in the belief that loved ones who have died are now in a "better place." As for children, they tend to believe whatever they are taught. (And this is an entirely different blog topic).

In the above-stated case, I do not see religion doing any real harm. I must say that I do see excessive church-going and other religious rituals as a waste of time and life, but if it makes people happy, then so be it.

So when does religion cause problems? Every freaking day! Religion has been the primary cause of every war. EVERY war on earth. EVER. What good is faith if it causes millions, billions, of people to die???

How many people do you see shooting eachother because they have differing scientific beliefs???

Well there's my vent for tonight, please feel free to leave comments. I am very interested in hearing different sides of this.

I will admit that there is a lot about religion that I do not know, and there is a lot about science that I do not know. I do not consider myself to be an expert on either topic. These are just the ideas of one person who feels the need to vent.

Thanks for listening (reading?). Please let me know what you think.

~angela~

No comments:

Post a Comment