Thursday, March 1, 2012
Why......
.......was religion created? The only purpose of religion seems to be to get people to do the right things and behave correctly. It seems like we should be able to do that without religion. Religions just seems like the easy way out as apposed to truly teaching some one what is right and wrong. We need to convince others using stories and tall tales that we call religion. Who started this, and why? Was there a friend who had trouble seeing right from wrong and the creator thought that perhaps a good story would display the concept well?
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While it is true that religion is not necessary for people to act morally, not every person thinks critically and determines what is right and what is wrong. This is the reason that societies have laws. However, laws are external rules; religion, by tapping into a person's internalised beliefs, can become internal.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, this question assumes that religion has no basis in reality, which is a very difficult claim to prove. Some religions, certainly, can be disputed by appealing to empirical evidence which contradicts their doctrines; others, though, take this into account and add the idea of unknowability into the very definition of their deities. Such religions can be neither proven nor disproved.
P.S. I also posted this on my blog if you'd rather read it there.
I think this is an excellent question! When you are part of a religion they don't just teach you the stories either they use things such as the "Ten Commandments" to help you make the right choice. There is also the well-known phrase "What would Jesus do? WWJD". You can even buy bracelets that say it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is what Jesus had in mind when he was walking around attempting to create equality. I think that many different people over generations have altered what Jesus was trying to do to fit situations.
Moral action is only one of many functions of religion; transmission of history and a greater appreciation of the world are two others. There are lots more, too!
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