Staying with the topic of religion, I mused in my previous blogs about indications that we humans need religion because we cannot exist in a world / life where there are great voids in our knowledge base.
The professor teaching my “Axial Age of Religions” course laments the fact that religion(s) fill voids and therefore eliminate all mystery in our existence. He feels that some mystery is somehow good for us because it keeps us thinking, guessing and searching. Religion on the other hand, with absolute certainty (where certainty is not possible) answers all our questions, filling all voids.
Can we live with uncertainty? History shows us that we prefer not to and look to religion or invent a religion, to remove uncertainty and bring peace and tranquility to our existence.
The new aggressive secularists think we do not need god(s) to live a happy and satisfying life.
These new atheists challenge religious beliefs and in basically all cases can show that what religions teach and preach is based on nothing more than imaginings of a few. Members of religions are asked to have faith, to believe that somehow these imaginings are true even though based on absolutely nothing with no way of proving that they are even remotely true.
My contention is that these believers would rather believe in someone’s imaginings rather than nothing; read void.
I look inward to examine why is it that I have no problem with empty spaces in my knowledge base. I relish the search. I envy people that will live in the future, a future where other worlds will be discovered and other ‘people’. Where current religions will be washed away as mere superstitions but will other ‘religions’ / superstitions take their place?
Myth and ritual are very powerful forces in our world and have been right from the beginning. I am not sure we can just eliminate religion without offering a substitute.
So why do most Western Europeans live without religion and remain happy and satisfied. I need to look into that a little bit more.
Russia and China were officially atheistic for so many years. Why is religion making such great strides in those countries now that officially, religion(s) can flourish?
The professor teaching my “Axial Age of Religions” course laments the fact that religion(s) fill voids and therefore eliminate all mystery in our existence. He feels that some mystery is somehow good for us because it keeps us thinking, guessing and searching. Religion on the other hand, with absolute certainty (where certainty is not possible) answers all our questions, filling all voids.
Can we live with uncertainty? History shows us that we prefer not to and look to religion or invent a religion, to remove uncertainty and bring peace and tranquility to our existence.
The new aggressive secularists think we do not need god(s) to live a happy and satisfying life.
These new atheists challenge religious beliefs and in basically all cases can show that what religions teach and preach is based on nothing more than imaginings of a few. Members of religions are asked to have faith, to believe that somehow these imaginings are true even though based on absolutely nothing with no way of proving that they are even remotely true.
My contention is that these believers would rather believe in someone’s imaginings rather than nothing; read void.
I look inward to examine why is it that I have no problem with empty spaces in my knowledge base. I relish the search. I envy people that will live in the future, a future where other worlds will be discovered and other ‘people’. Where current religions will be washed away as mere superstitions but will other ‘religions’ / superstitions take their place?
Myth and ritual are very powerful forces in our world and have been right from the beginning. I am not sure we can just eliminate religion without offering a substitute.
So why do most Western Europeans live without religion and remain happy and satisfied. I need to look into that a little bit more.
Russia and China were officially atheistic for so many years. Why is religion making such great strides in those countries now that officially, religion(s) can flourish?
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