Poll: will humans ever move beyond religion?

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: DaZ

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Since science can't disprove the existence of god(s) and a spiritual nature for mankind, there will always be people who believe in them. And agnostics like me who lack faith but accept the possibility that faith has value.

Since no one can prove the existence either, why believe in it? If told you in 2030 the earth is going to suddenly become perfect, no suffering, no working/job, no fighting.. just perfect.. you'd have to believe me right? becuase you cant prove me wrong.

Sigh, nice straw man. Of course not, and as an agnostic I don't believe in god(s).

But atheists also shouldn't assume that lack of proof makes one "simple minded" to have faith. Are we just meat machines? Quite possibly, I'd even agree to probably. But neither of us can prove that belief, we can only argue that there is no evidence to the contrary.

 

[BatmanNate]

It's all about individuality, you'd be wise to stop worrying about what makes your neighbors and coworkers lives fulfilling and focus on yourself.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: styrafoam
If anyone watched Star Trek they would know that in the future humanity gets over it for the most part, but the Klingons still go to Klingon church. The answer is yes.

lol yea

 

[thomsbrain]

what about people who believe in some form of god but don't belong to an organized religion? your poll stinks.

 

[FoBoT]

the existance of aliens doesn't "disprove God"

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: ThaGrandCow
With all the religions that have come and gone over the history of mankind, will humans ever decide as a group to abandon the thought of a "greater being"?

Maybe when a certain technological breakthrough happens, maybe if aliens are shown to exist, maybe something else.

Perhaps you have been watching too much utopian Star Trek?

 

[dighn]

i believe that science will eventually have enough answers so that religion will be obsolete.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: ViperXX
How can you not believe in God?

Matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed. You have a spirit contained within your body which is made of a type of energy. When your physical body dies your spirit will continue to live.

Believe, it's what gives us hope and a purpose in life.

the existence of some kind of "soul" (for the sake of argument, but i also want to believe that) does not prove the existence of God.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: dighn
i believe that science will eventually have enough answers so that religion will be obsolete.

Then science is your religion.

Science will never have all the answers. Science is a tool of imperfect and incomplete minds. Goedel is right.

 

[dman]

We'll make ourselves extinct before religion will go away... just a hunch.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith

Originally posted by: dighn
i believe that science will eventually have enough answers so that religion will be obsolete.

Then science is your religion.

Science will never have all the answers.

i never said all the answers. i think most of the religions today are pretty absurd. maybe religion will evolve to coexist with science. heck it already is doing that.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: ViperXX
How can you not believe in God?

One can simply say to oneself, "I do not believe that there is a higher power responsible for the existence of everything." (Higher power defined in this case as our Judeo-Christian concept of "God".)

Matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed.

First Law of Thermodynamics. Check.

You have a spirit contained within your body which is made of a type of energy.

Provide some evidence of this, evidence which can be tested and verified under controlled experimentation. How do you know that this is the case? Or are you just making an assumption based upon your religious belief?

When your physical body dies your spirit will continue to live.

Same as above, you're assuming this. Prove it, or at the very least provide solid evidence.

Believe, it's what gives us hope and a purpose in life.

Gives you hope and purpose, you mean. Some people, such as myself, do not require a religious belief to see purpose in life.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: dighn

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith

Originally posted by: dighn
i believe that science will eventually have enough answers so that religion will be obsolete.

Then science is your religion.

Science will never have all the answers.

i never said all the answers. i think most of the religions today are pretty absurd. maybe religion will evolve to coexist with science. heck it already is doing that.

I know you don't know all the answers. I wasnt trashing your post My response was based on your statement about your belief in science. Many think religion explains reality. Your statement about science and that it can do the same makes them in this context equivalent. They are both beliefs as to how things can be understood. I personally think that they can exist concurrently. Science and religion in fact ask two fundamentally different questions. Science really deals with "how" and religion "why". If I knew mechanistically how the universe came about, and with certainty, then that still does not explain the why of it. Likewise, if the God of Abraham revealed himself to me and stated categorically He created the universe, the how goes unanswered.

 

[ohtwell]

No, I dont think humans will ever move past religion. It may be less common for someone to be religious, but I think some people will always be religious.


: ) Amanda

 

[dawks]

Originally posted by: Astaroth33

Originally posted by: ViperXX
How can you not believe in God?

One can simply say to oneself, "I do not believe that there is a higher power responsible for the existence of everything." (Higher power defined in this case as our Judeo-Christian concept of "God".)

Matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed.

First Law of Thermodynamics. Check.

You have a spirit contained within your body which is made of a type of energy.

Provide some evidence of this, evidence which can be tested and verified under controlled experimentation. How do you know that this is the case? Or are you just making an assumption based upon your religious belief?

When your physical body dies your spirit will continue to live.

Same as above, you're assuming this. Prove it, or at the very least provide solid evidence.

Believe, it's what gives us hope and a purpose in life.

Gives you hope and purpose, you mean. Some people, such as myself, do not require a religious belief to see purpose in life.

JJJJingo!!

Human Consciousness is (Life) as we know it, is nothing more then electrical and chemical impulses. How can this exist without a 'vessel'. ie. How can this spirit thing, just.. float to some imaginary place up there.. (of which we can't see, or detect, or travel too).

And if heaven is just a great place, how come death is such a bad thing in so many religions? Why does everyone cry at funerals? Shouldnt we all want to be there?

Believe, it's what gives us hope and a purpose in life.

Just as Astaroth33 says, its what gives you 'hope' and purpose. If it helps you sleep at night, good for you. As for myself, im fine with just living life as it goes. I dont need to pretend theres a wonderful after life, and live my life in such a way that will 'get me into heaven'.

 

[oniq]

My higher being is a mountain goat. Discuss.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: oniq
My higher being is a mountain goat. Discuss.

Good thing, because if it were a donkey, and you tried to emulate it, then you would be making an ass of yourself.

 

[Schadenfroh]

evolution is a religion, so no

 

[Rob9874]

Originally posted by: ThaGrandCow
With all the religions that have come and gone over the history of mankind, will humans ever decide as a group to abandon the thought of a "greater being"?

Maybe when a certain technological breakthrough happens, maybe if aliens are shown to exist, maybe something else.

LMAO!! "Maybe when aliens are proven to exist, people will quit believing in God."
Am I the only one who thinks that statement is ridiculous? Let's shun the mainstream belief in a higher power, because it's cool to have the unpopular belief of little green men that don't exist! Or better yet, maybe when psychics, ghosts, and ufo's are proven, people will finally dump the ridiculous notion of a God. Give me a break.

 

[PaperclipGod]

Humanity is too stupid to ever believe that they're not some inherently special, purpose-driven creation of an omniscient being.

Too many people can't cope with the thought that we're just a miniscule part of a vast galaxy, and that even if the earth disappeared tomorrow, the universe wouldnt make a tremor.

 

[kalster]

why do we need to move beyond it


as long as the importance of religion in our life doesnt go to such an exterme where everything we do is driven by it, i dont see y we need to move beyond it

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
what about people who believe in some form of god but don't belong to an organized religion? your poll stinks.

True 'dat, about the poll.

And humans will probably always have some form of spirituality unless immortality is achieved.

 

[StageLeft]

I said I don't know. Humans simply don't know now whether a god exists. Some say yes, some say no. If our collective intelligence goes far enough to "proove" beyond a reasonable doubt that god does not exist (I think perhaps our current level of intelligence just won't cut it, because we are ignorant in far too many areas of the universe and understanding it) then we'll move beyond it, but if God does exist and is sick of seeing the blaspheming, and comes back prooving his existence to even the biggest skeptics then obviously more would embrace religion!

Too many people can't cope with the thought that we're just a miniscule part of a vast galaxy, and that even if the earth disappeared tomorrow, the universe wouldnt make a tremor.

The opposite could be argued. I know that many people are true atheists and yet really cannot get their mind around what this means, because they've never really bothered to look ahead to when they're dead, and when human kind is over with. They see no god, so they believe in none, and carry through their lives like an ant in my kitchen, oblivious to the ant poison that I'm feeding them!

 

[PaperclipGod]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I said I don't know. Humans simply don't know now whether a god exists. Some say yes, some say no. If our collective intelligence goes far enough to "proove" beyond a reasonable doubt that god does not exist (I think perhaps our current level of intelligence just won't cut it, because we are ignorant in far too many areas of the universe and understanding it) then we'll move beyond it, but if God does exist and is sick of seeing the blaspheming, and comes back prooving his existence to even the biggest skeptics then obviously more would embrace religion!

Too many people can't cope with the thought that we're just a miniscule part of a vast galaxy, and that even if the earth disappeared tomorrow, the universe wouldnt make a tremor.

The opposite could be argued. I know that many people are true atheists and yet really cannot get their mind around what this means, because they've never really bothered to look ahead to when they're dead, and when human kind is over with. They see no god, so they believe in none, and carry through their lives like an ant in my kitchen, oblivious to the ant poison that I'm feeding them!

As a catholic turned agnostic turned atheist, IMO there's nothing to "get." Why must your life or your experiences last forever? Are you really that important? Why do people have such a need to feel like an integral part of the universe? The vastness of the cosmos suggests just the opposite.

When you die, you end. What you are and what you have been is no more. Your thoughts do not mysteriously survive beyond the mushy synapses of your brain. That is our existence. Anyone who cannot come to terms with that is, IMO, living in denial. Live your life to the best of your ability. Make the most of it. Enjoy yourself. But do so without deluding yourself with visions of grandeur.

 

[bandana163]

I hope so, altough I fear humanity became so stupid that progress is not an option for most people.