RELIGION
WOULD THERE BE A VIABLE REPLACEMENT?
tba
Does God exist? Is Religion true? If something is not provable that does not mean it is not true. People are entitled to believe either way. AND, no matter how strong the faith, it is wise to know that what is considered a truth, but one that has been unproven, may be proven otherwise - and it is wise to accept that, otherwise it may lead to intolerance and taking offense at those who believe otherwise. Every major great religious figure advocated the philosophy of acceptance, even Muhammad for the Jewish people, Jesus for the sinners, and Mandella for his prison guards. Anyone who does otherwise cannot claim to be a man of peace, love, and good for mankind.
But it is also interesting that one can, I think, reconcile one's faith in a religion or a deity with reality and science. And remember that we cannot disprove the existence of a deity - one cannot prove a "no existence" hypothesis.
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IS RELIGION "TRUE"?
According to The Believing Brain book, mankind seeks to have explanations for everything. People are prone to creating gods and other entities to both explain things and provide a loving figure for security. And, of course, people want to believe that they will never die. (See the article on this site: The Believing Brain.)
So people explain the unexplainable and tie down the unknowable as if it is knowable and then believe what they made up, though they had no real basis for. Yes, what they have made up is possible, but of the 10,000 different religions, which one of them has the "right" version? (Can they accept the areas of common agreement and leave the rest open to possible human error in the recording of the truths?)
No one can scientifically deny that there is possibility that the stories and the so-called made-up entities are actually real.
It may be useful for a "believer" to look at and decide how to reconcile God and/or religion with science.
OF UNDENIABLE VALUE
'Tis very good, methinks, that religion has provided real "value" system and a formal structure for teaching people morals. And, I think, it is undeniable that they have generally been a real touchstone and positive influence toward having man be better in their behavior. It is imperative, in my opinion, for a man/woman to establish definite and clear rules and ways of being in life that will lead them to true happiness and satisfaction in life.
The religions, for sure, have provided a place of support and socialization in their various congregations.
SOME BELIEVERS DO WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF...
One of the problems however is that some enforce their values through "threat" (damnation, going to hell, etc.), which, in almost all cases is antithetical to the concept of a wiser god. This means potentially that man has made up things in order to meet their own ends.
In most cases, the means were a matter of judgment of what would make society work.
The problem is that what they decided on before may not really work in this world - and they should revise those rules and beliefs to fit "what works" to achieve the moral and workable society that they want. For instance, there are those who cut off hands of thieves to deter thievery, but in today's world we hold that as "cruel and unusual punishment" in most of the world. Cruelty in the old days was efficient and effective, possibly. Even Saddam Hussein found it still to be effective, at least in one sense - however in many other senses it was not at all appropriate - and I think Allah would not have approved. (See Is God Compassionate? .)
SHOULD WE THROW RELIGION OUT?
If somehow someone was to "know" that religion was false, they could not prove it. So any discussion to answer this question is based on an assumption. But let's explore that option anyway.
If religion was based on false premises and facts, it is still questionable to throw out a structure that works for the general good, no matter if it has some disadvantages, I think.
It depends on whether keeping it in place has more benefits than throwing it out.
The question of course is what would we replace it with?
Would we go into amoral behavior for awhile until we established a new system?
Would people feel hopeless until they achieved a new philosophy that made them happy?
Does it really matter if there is a God or if religion is true, if it does more good than harm?
WHAT HAPPENS TO HOPE AND MEANING?
It is much simpler to believe in a system that is all set up with all the right answers even if they are not correct and true.
Getting rid of the belief would push us into a downhill slump until we could gain enough momentum to push the replacement and its effect back up to the former level of benefit - and then higher. How long would that take?
Currently even some scientists believe in God. Perhaps they are compelled to believe in it in order to have hope, to explain what they cannot otherwise explain, and/or to have a source of unconditional love or a surrogate parent of sorts. Certainly the idea of believing in something completely when it is unseeable and unknowable is in conflict with the scientific method. But, as we have pointed out, faith is what we have to fill in the gaps and to "know" what the truth is, even if it is unprovable.
I AM LUCKY, EITHER WAY
Of course, I couldn't care less if God created me or if my species evolved and I was lucky enough to be an effective sperm and egg. I'm here. That makes it about even in that regard.
LIFE'S MEANING
Does life have meaning? Did we have a contract with God as to what we would do when we came to earth and then have it removed from our memories for some reason? That is unknowable, though the negative of it cannot be proven, per se.
If something else made us for a particular purpose, well, how do we know? I think we make up our own "purpose" and the meaning of life through our growing a "value" system, where we value certain characteristics and outcomes - and in that process we develop a purpose or mission that achieves and/or is consistent with our values. In other words, we make it up from our values and therefore it has value. It's a bit like we are the god of our own internal universe and we get to make up whatever we want and make it the law of the land. See The Meaning Of Life.
And what about not having an after life? Can we accept the terrible fate of not living after this life? That's probably the biggest question and perhaps the hardest part to take away, as it could be cruel to do that.
Maybe most people could not grow philosophically to accept that the only provable alternative is actual death or at least that the alternative is not at all provable.
Could most people accept this:
That we are fortunate enough to have been born into this life and we therefore are blessed, in a sense, to have an experience that is a pretty long one (regardless of how we were created).
So the privilege is that we get to have the experience. We are never worse off than not having been born at all. We only have a gain, which is later lost, forever, and always, as we lose our consciousness for always. So, we are no worse off and never worse off (see What I Have, For Sure.). And when we die, there is nothing to feel bad about, as we will be feeling nothing at all, so that seems ok. And if the alternative is true (that there is an afterlife) then there is also no problem, as we will not be unhappy at all then either (unless we go to hell, which is highly unlikely).
It seems to me that the most probable truth is that, due to my value system that I create, I am fortunate enough to be alive and to have a very long experience, and then I just die - and so what?! I simply die. There is nothing wrong with that. (And I don't really give a damn if my atoms float around and are used by other people or in newborn people, as I wouldn't be conscious to experience it. So 'eternal life' in that way means zippo, nada, nothing, zero to me. However, I do not need to be comforted. I'm ok with just dying, though I am not so crazy about suffering in the final days - but even then I know that the suffering will not be permanent, for soon the screen will go blank, into eternal darkness and nonexistence. But what a helluva trip!!!!!) (See You Will Die! Is That Ok With You?.)
And, wouldn't it be great if there was an afterlife...
SO, WHICH IS IT?
I suppose it makes little difference. It doesn't matter if "religion" is true or made up if it does some good morally and socially. And I certainly don't know if it would even be beneficial (because it might not be successful) to transition to a more "enlightened" view based on reality.
Based on my value system, and not based on any reality "out there", I choose to just live a life where I can benefit other people's experience as much as I can, hopefully to the extent of removing virtually all their suffering and having them learn to live in unconditional happiness, not in an ideal world but in the imperfection of the world as it is. [The world is actually not imperfect, as no one can know what "perfect" is. We can only know that we make up expectations of how things should be and that those expectations are so high that reality could never measure up - which creates an "unhappiness gap" for most people - but there is nothing to be unhappy about. Each of us will just live until we die - and that seems to have value, though not in reality but only in my mind, which is all that really matters to me: the reality in my mind. And, that, of course, means it is held in images in my mind - aka my imagination. And that's ok.]
And right now I am grateful for this world, for how things have turned out and for how things are turning out, and it is all quite delightful for me. If I were a believer, I could only conclude with "Thank you, God!" So, at least, thank the inanimate force that allowed good: Perhaps it is should be Thank You, Good?
But, then, again, none of it is provable. I just hope that when Jesus comes back that he verifies it by calling the pope on the phone, from Salt Lake City...
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My current vote is "for" religion, except for those people who care to climb over the mount into a new acceptance of life-as-it-is and accepting that there is no knowing of the unknowable.
Yes, I have beheld it, religion, and I deem it as good. And, bless all those who uphold religious values, for they have given us much. Thank you!
