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Is it time to pass religion? Is it holding us back now?

sonz70

Banned
Religion, at one point, was usefull to humans, and civilization as a whole. We gained valuable steps and advancements in art, literature, music, poetry, as well as had someone we could unify under. ( Yes, it was the cause of wars, but people still unfied under it). As everything comes and goes, it seem now that religion is causing more of a stagnant society than vibrant one. It seems to be stepping in the way of advancement in other fields, namely science, and anything that might seem to be religiously wrong. So the question is, is it time to pass by religion as what dictates what we do? I am not saying it is wrong to be religious, or not religious, but sort of like some things do not belong in the office, so does religion not belong when making decisions that affect the advancement of society.
 
That depends...I find religious people, not the ones you see on tv or in politics...real religious people, help tremendously in their communities and have good morality, donating to charity, family oriented, well put together.

I find religious people to be a large benifit to society and shouldn't be looked down on. It is when they start listening to the talking heads and try to politicize everything, that's where I draw the line. I don't think it will affect the advancement of society, i have many friends who are religious and study genetics for the next generation of biotech. Technology will progress with or without religion, always has and always will.

You will see that in every generation where the older generation pushes for the way it has always been done, that doesnt relate just to religion but everyone. It may just be more apparent with the baby boomers making up so much of the society. I really don't see this affecting society other than politics, but in the end capitalists and socialists will debate and argue (nothing to do with religion), and the arguing will continue.
 
Religion has been regressing lately, but it's not the first time and we've survived past regressions. I think as long as we don't give in to every Religious whim, eventually Religion will evolve past its' current backlash mentalitiy.
 
Revitalization efforts are often spurred by religious fervor, and that may be what we're entering into now. It's no secret that most things are cyclical, including religious interest. We had a fairly strong period of waning faiths, now we're swinging the other way. In and of itself that's not bad or problematic. The issue is when the religion ties itself closely to politics. Then it's time to sit up and take notice, and possibly act a little.

So long as all religious people want is the right to practice their faiths, it's all good. When those people try to force others to conform, you risk serious confrontation and even war. I know very few religious people, but everyone I know (with 2 exceptions) wants religious freedom ensured. Those same people however, religious and otherwise, would sooner have civil war 2.0 than live under theocratic rule (or even the illusion of theocratic rule).

That's the real issue now as I see it...not that religion exists, but that it's being used as a catalyst to force government control of individual morality. Abortion, sex-ed, contraception, death with dignity, war on porn, taxes going to church organizations, etc. It has truly become a serious threat to the American way of life.
 
Originally posted by: sonz70
Religion, at one point, was usefull to humans, and civilization as a whole. We gained valuable steps and advancements in art, literature, music, poetry, as well as had someone we could unify under. ( Yes, it was the cause of wars, but people still unfied under it). As everything comes and goes, it seem now that religion is causing more of a stagnant society than vibrant one. It seems to be stepping in the way of advancement in other fields, namely science, and anything that might seem to be religiously wrong. So the question is, is it time to pass by religion as what dictates what we do? I am not saying it is wrong to be religious, or not religious, but sort of like some things do not belong in the office, so does religion not belong when making decisions that affect the advancement of society.

religion is about god.so if god exist,dismissing religion is somewhat evil.you can`t separate religion and god.
for example getting stem cells from a fetus might be looked upon as an advancement, but if that fetus has a soul you`ll have issues with god.
 
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: sonz70
Religion, at one point, was usefull to humans, and civilization as a whole. We gained valuable steps and advancements in art, literature, music, poetry, as well as had someone we could unify under. ( Yes, it was the cause of wars, but people still unfied under it). As everything comes and goes, it seem now that religion is causing more of a stagnant society than vibrant one. It seems to be stepping in the way of advancement in other fields, namely science, and anything that might seem to be religiously wrong. So the question is, is it time to pass by religion as what dictates what we do? I am not saying it is wrong to be religious, or not religious, but sort of like some things do not belong in the office, so does religion not belong when making decisions that affect the advancement of society.

religion is about god.so if god exist,dismissing religion is somewhat evil.you can`t separate religion and god.
for example getting stem cells from a fetus might be looked upon as an advancement, but if that fetus has a soul you`ll have issues with god.


That is my point though, religion is affecting the advancement of society as a whole because of viewpoints such as that.
 
Originally posted by: joshw10
I say its time to make up some new, more interesting religions with a modern twist
1st commandment: Get laid as much as possible.
2nd commandment: Wear a rubber.

Maybe we can work on the order later....😀
 
I look at religion as a offshoot of evolution from our need for acute self-awareness and awareness of our enviroment to maintain the intricate social networks that have served us so well as homo-sapiens, granted we are now learning why these natural events happen, like lightning etc. that before were literally supernatural.

Will religion carry on? or will religion be one of the main causes of our extinction as we stumble on the next step on this path of what is called life.

Is the human race ready? Or will we let the old ways hinder our moving forward, evolution is not very tolerant of inefficency in a species from what we have seen.

It does seem that there is still a large portion of humans still predestined to hold on to these old superstitions, and it is even making a resurgence in parts of the world as old societys decay and look to old ways to hold the status quo.

Regardless, If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve. 😉
 
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.
 
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.

look, i`m not american,so i`m not very knowledgeable with what happens in the usa.
but the fact of killing babies for stem cells to cure, let`s say, cancer it`s not such a wonderful thing if humans have immortal souls.you are delaying the inevitable.

even if science will bring us immortality(in theory),its meaningless without a spiritual dimension to human existence.
 
Originally posted by: sonz70
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

So religon breads a laid back society that should not care about advancement?

i`m not saying that.what i`m saying is that if god is real following your religion is not a choice,like what`s for dinner.you should respect god.
i`m not against modernity.
simply,if there is more to the world than matter end energy,the priorities of humans change.
 
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.

look, i`m not american,so i`m not very knowledgeable with what happens in the usa.
but the fact of killing babies for stem cells to cure, let`s say, cancer it`s not such a wonderful thing if humans have immortal souls.you are delaying the inevitable.

even if science will bring us immortality(in theory),its meaningless without a spiritual dimension to human existence.

Religion is not the only path to a "spirtual dimension to human existence". In fact, IMHO, it is not even the best path in many cases. I do not follow any specific religion (although I am interested in the good parts of many of them), most of my spiritual depth is uniquely mine. But I'd argue I have enough spiritual depth to make earthly immortality a fascinating exerience. Just because I (or another else for that matter) don't go to church on Sunday doesn't mean there is a void needing to be filled. Try thinking outside the box sometime.
 
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.

look, i`m not american,so i`m not very knowledgeable with what happens in the usa.
but the fact of killing babies for stem cells to cure, let`s say, cancer it`s not such a wonderful thing if humans have immortal souls.you are delaying the inevitable.

even if science will bring us immortality(in theory),its meaningless without a spiritual dimension to human existence.

No one is "killing babies" for Stem Cell research.

Life's meaning is whatever people make it. Whether it be a god, rock sculpture, science, or whatever else. Religion sometimes is what people need, but it is not a pre-requisite of a Meaningful Life.
 
Originally posted by: Rainsford
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.

look, i`m not american,so i`m not very knowledgeable with what happens in the usa.
but the fact of killing babies for stem cells to cure, let`s say, cancer it`s not such a wonderful thing if humans have immortal souls.you are delaying the inevitable.

even if science will bring us immortality(in theory),its meaningless without a spiritual dimension to human existence.

Religion is not the only path to a "spirtual dimension to human existence". In fact, IMHO, it is not even the best path in many cases. I do not follow any specific religion (although I am interested in the good parts of many of them), most of my spiritual depth is uniquely mine. But I'd argue I have enough spiritual depth to make earthly immortality a fascinating exerience. Just because I (or another else for that matter) don't go to church on Sunday doesn't mean there is a void needing to be filled. Try thinking outside the box sometime.
you are putting words in my mouth.without god the whole universe is ashes(meaningless),even if there are plenty of people satisfied with indefinite earthly existence.
this world can only be justified by something outside of it,namely god.
 
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.

look, i`m not american,so i`m not very knowledgeable with what happens in the usa.
but the fact of killing babies for stem cells to cure, let`s say, cancer it`s not such a wonderful thing if humans have immortal souls.you are delaying the inevitable.

even if science will bring us immortality(in theory),its meaningless without a spiritual dimension to human existence.

No one is "killing babies" for Stem Cell research.

Life's meaning is whatever people make it. Whether it be a god, rock sculpture, science, or whatever else. Religion sometimes is what people need, but it is not a pre-requisite of a Meaningful Life.

never said that.
 
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: Rainsford
Originally posted by: albatross
Originally posted by: sandorski
Originally posted by: albatross
the advancement of society isn`t worth much if there is a god.

Why? Does "God" want us crawling in the mud?

The problem with Religion has little to do with whether "God" exists or not IMO. The problem is that Religion insists that "God" associates with them and them alone. This leads to Religions thinking that their way is the only way, others and even "God" be damned if they disagree.

look, i`m not american,so i`m not very knowledgeable with what happens in the usa.
but the fact of killing babies for stem cells to cure, let`s say, cancer it`s not such a wonderful thing if humans have immortal souls.you are delaying the inevitable.

even if science will bring us immortality(in theory),its meaningless without a spiritual dimension to human existence.

Religion is not the only path to a "spirtual dimension to human existence". In fact, IMHO, it is not even the best path in many cases. I do not follow any specific religion (although I am interested in the good parts of many of them), most of my spiritual depth is uniquely mine. But I'd argue I have enough spiritual depth to make earthly immortality a fascinating exerience. Just because I (or another else for that matter) don't go to church on Sunday doesn't mean there is a void needing to be filled. Try thinking outside the box sometime.
you are putting words in my mouth.without god the whole universe is ashes(meaningless),even if there are plenty of people satisfied with indefinite earthly existence.
this world can only be justified by something outside of it,namely god.

Why does the world need a creator to be justified? Can justification not come from advancement as a society? Advancement of a society justifies the existance of mankind as a species.
 
without god,society will turn to dust sooner or later.you might as well argue that the purpose of human existence is eating and drinking.
 
Originally posted by: albatross
without god,society will turn to dust sooner or later.you might as well argue that the purpose of human existence is eating and drinking.

That is a pessimitic view of the future.
 
Originally posted by: sonz70
Originally posted by: albatross
without god,society will turn to dust sooner or later.you might as well argue that the purpose of human existence is eating and drinking.

That is a pessimitic view of the future.

as far as we know only the spirit can defeat entropy.we are immortal souls, or we are dust.
 
How is that? Plenty of societies have done fine without the christian god, we are decended from many many cultures with no christian god, just the fact that you are here negates that.

You ancestors society did not turn to dust, but did well enough to bring us to the point we are at now, matter of fact since christianity has declined in the past few hundred years the human race has grown by leaps and bounds since growing beyond the old superstitions.
 
i`m talking about long term.
without transcendence we are just evolutionary accidents and sooner or later we will disappear(as a human species).
 
Originally posted by: albatross
i`m talking about long term.
without transcendence we are just evolutionary accidents and sooner or later we will disappear(as a human species).


I don't get this, are you saying we should be afraid of the human race having to take responsibility for our own future? Why?

The human race has done quite well regardless of the current god worshipped.

Actually it seems that periods where Christianity has ruled totally the societies have gone into decline, how do you explain the dark ages of europe when eastern civilizations flourished?
 
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