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| Raymond K |
 Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:25 pm Post subject: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Sophomore
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 188
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People need motivation to be a good person, people want hope for the future, even if it is false hope. For example, most people think after you die, you go to heaven or hell (or some similar case). We think with cells called neurons in our brain, it controls everything from pleasure, to intellect, to being able to walk. Now, when we die, these cells die, our neurons cannot function to move the body, let alone think. So, if our body is completly functionless, how do we ever do anything again, a spirit. What is a spirit anyways? Energy? Energy... emitted from our dead corpses? This "energy" we have never detected?
I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 3331
Location: England, UK.
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Exactly. I invented a notion about myself once. That there was two parts of me.
A: Me, as in me.
B: My brain. Logic and reason.
I would have conversations with myself (verbally aloud) and my brain would (and still does today to some extent) motivate me. I feel upest by brain sometimes for it being harsh, but it has kept me going in really hard times (which I've had a lot of during childhood/teenagerhood, in fact even now).
Same principle as what you said to that. And it makes a very good and logical theory.
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"Victory is in trying. Defeat is in not". - SVRDW. |
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| BumFluff |
| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Senior
Joined: 06 Mar 2008
Posts: 394
Location: Canada
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I don't think people need religion to be a good person. I think I'm a pretty spectacular person and I'm fairly close to atheist (Although I rarely step on other people's beliefs and I consider myself an agnostic.)
I also don't think religion is a form of weakness but more a form of ignorance. I don't mean that as a bad thing either. What I mean is the ignorance of the human race as a whole and, because of that ignorance, we form ideas and theologies based on that which we don't know or are ignorant about.
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"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt" - Bertrand Russell |
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| punarmusiko |
| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:05 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Posts: 210
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| Raymond K wrote: |
| People need motivation to be a good person, people want hope for the future, even if it is false hope. For example, most people think after you die, you go to heaven or hell (or some similar case). We think with cells called neurons in our brain, it controls everything from pleasure, to intellect, to being able to walk. Now, when we die, these cells die, our neurons cannot function to move the body, let alone think. So, if our body is completly functionless, how do we ever do anything again, a spirit. What is a spirit anyways? Energy? Energy... emitted from our dead corpses? This "energy" we have never detected? |
actually we haven't even detected the energy when we are alive
I mean its not like we can reinvest a dead body with life, so all this talk of neurons being the final last word about us is a bit premature.
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| I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
religion is simply the social norms that surround issues of knowing god
if it seems to indicate that there is a focus on being "good" I guess it just reflects god's good sense
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| coltbishop |
| Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:45 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 33
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| Raymond K wrote: |
| I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
God is infinitely simple. For thousands of years man has been unable to explain the natural phenomenon around him. The idea of someone controlling the world beyond our comprehension is an easy way to have to deal with the unexplained, especially considering the brief lifespan of a single man compared to the lifespan of earth itself.
God is a simple reflection of our fears, ignorance, and curiosity made by the same neurons you briefly mentioned above. |
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| punarmusiko |
| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:37 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Posts: 210
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| coltbishop wrote: |
| Raymond K wrote: |
| I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
God is infinitely simple. For thousands of years man has been unable to explain the natural phenomenon around him. The idea of someone controlling the world beyond our comprehension is an easy way to have to deal with the unexplained, especially considering the brief lifespan of a single man compared to the lifespan of earth itself.
God is a simple reflection of our fears, ignorance, and curiosity made by the same neurons you briefly mentioned above. |
where does that need to exist permanently arise from?
(infinitely simple .... meh) |
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| Pong |
| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 2:26 am Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 1412
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God, in my view, is our attempt to rationalize those (mostly virtuous) hardwired irrationalities of being human. Religion is that peculiar human nature formalized.
I think good evidence supporting that first statement is the fact primates naturally act like God-fearing people are supposed to. And humans born to any culture and religion largely conform to what God "commands", though they have never heard His (redundant) commandments.
The new formalizations of human nature are in law, medicine, and diverse other disciplines. |
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| punarmusiko |
| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:45 am Post subject: |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 20 Dec 2006
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| Pong wrote: |
God, in my view, is our attempt to rationalize those (mostly virtuous) hardwired irrationalities of being human. Religion is that peculiar human nature formalized.
I think good evidence supporting that first statement is the fact primates naturally act like God-fearing people are supposed to. And humans born to any culture and religion largely conform to what God "commands", though they have never heard His (redundant) commandments.
The new formalizations of human nature are in law, medicine, and diverse other disciplines. |
primates act like god fearing persons are supposed to? |
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| (Q) |
| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:42 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 1618
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| Raymond K wrote: |
I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
Those assertions have not been demonstrated and in fact the opposite has been shown to be the result of religion. It allows good people to commit atrocities in the name of their god while remaining pious.
Societies function much better without religion. The leading countries with violent crimes, high divorce rates and child abuse are those in which the majority of the population are theists.
The so-called holy books promote violence and death, and immoral and cruel behavior.
Gods are about as complex as a two-bit criminal. |
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| Pong |
| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 1412
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| punarmusiko wrote: |
| primates act like god fearing persons are supposed to? |
Within their very limited means yes. For example they rather resolve a conflict with Patience (a virtue) than Wrath (a vice). A primatologist would say that social animals including humans must tend that way - it's innate and we needn't be told.
Much of religion and philosophy is consciously discovering what our instincts know already. |
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| Raymond K |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:27 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Sophomore
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 188
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| coltbishop wrote: |
| Raymond K wrote: |
| I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
God is infinitely simple. For thousands of years man has been unable to explain the natural phenomenon around him. The idea of someone controlling the world beyond our comprehension is an easy way to have to deal with the unexplained, especially considering the brief lifespan of a single man compared to the lifespan of earth itself.
God is a simple reflection of our fears, ignorance, and curiosity made by the same neurons you briefly mentioned above. |
If god is so simple then how did everything happen? Why are we here? |
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| Raymond K |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:34 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Sophomore
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 188
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| (Q) wrote: |
| Raymond K wrote: |
I think that god works in a way we cannot describe, god is infinitly complex. Religion, in my opinion is just to help a society function, along with giving people a reason to be a "good" person. |
Those assertions have not been demonstrated and in fact the opposite has been shown to be the result of religion. It allows good people to commit atrocities in the name of their god while remaining pious.
Societies function much better without religion. The leading countries with violent crimes, high divorce rates and child abuse are those in which the majority of the population are theists.
The so-called holy books promote violence and death, and immoral and cruel behavior.
Gods are about as complex as a two-bit criminal. |
You mean our version of "God" right?
What if you thought about it this way... God gave us freedom, we humans are naturally killing each other, it is our choice. People sometimes say, why does god let us get hurt and be sad, I think that it is just our freedom and us humans are the ones who cause it. Also, how would you know what good is without bad being in existance. |
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| (Q) |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:52 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 1618
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| Raymond K wrote: |
If god is so simple then how did everything happen? Why are we here? |
There is no reason as to "why" we are here. You can make up any reason you want.
We are here as a result of evolution, small changes over vast amounts of time with simple beginnings resulting in complex organisms. |
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| (Q) |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 1618
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| Raymond K wrote: |
You mean our version of "God" right? |
Any version of gods will do, there are countless millions of versions. Each individual has their own version of their god, created from indoctrination, conjured from the imaginative and supported by cult doctrines.
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| What if you thought about it this way... God gave us freedom, we humans are naturally killing each other, it is our choice. |
Bullshit. Humans are genetically altruistic, hence we don't go around killing each other for fun. People kill each other to protect their versions of gods because that's what they were indoctrinated to do. They lost the ability to reason as children growing up in their parents religion. You were told to eat your vegetables and believe in your god by the same people, yes?
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| People sometimes say, why does god let us get hurt and be sad, I think that it is just our freedom and us humans are the ones who cause it. |
You have that bass ackwards, pal. It is religious indoctrination which is the cause.
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| Also, how would you know what good is without bad being in existance. |
Religion only defines good and bad based on it's own doctrines and how best to protect itself and carry on the indoctrination. What may appear "good" for one religion might be "bad" for another.
Haven't you ever studied any other religion but your own? |
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| Raymond K |
| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:20 pm Post subject: Re: Our god is the result of human weakness. |
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Forum Sophomore
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 188
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| (Q) wrote: |
| Raymond K wrote: |
You mean our version of "God" right? |
Any version of gods will do, there are countless millions of versions. Each individual has their own version of their god, created from indoctrination, conjured from the imaginative and supported by cult doctrines.
| Quote: |
| What if you thought about it this way... God gave us freedom, we humans are naturally killing each other, it is our choice. |
Bullshit. Humans are genetically altruistic, hence we don't go around killing each other for fun. People kill each other to protect their versions of gods because that's what they were indoctrinated to do. They lost the ability to reason as children growing up in their parents religion. You were told to eat your vegetables and believe in your god by the same people, yes?
| Quote: |
| People sometimes say, why does god let us get hurt and be sad, I think that it is just our freedom and us humans are the ones who cause it. |
You have that bass ackwards, pal. It is religious indoctrination which is the cause.
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| Also, how would you know what good is without bad being in existance. |
Religion only defines good and bad based on it's own doctrines and how best to protect itself and carry on the indoctrination. What may appear "good" for one religion might be "bad" for another.
Haven't you ever studied any other religion but your own? |
Would you call a catholic person who never goes to church catholic? I was sort of tagged the religion of my family but lets just say I didn't attend sunday school much.
People actually do kill each other naturally, it is called dominance. The human race isn't a bunch of independent individuals, we are divided into groups, the groups have leaders. We fight for territory and power, that is pretty common in nature, but not on our scale. Religion or not, groups of humans will thrive for power, religion is just an extra reason. |
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