@1CellOfMany,
Rwa001;143907 wrote:I think the last part of your quote is misleading. Shouldn't we take into account the fact that religion held the grand majority of all people during the times of the fore mentioned scientists? Include the social stigma involved with being an atheist, and there likely existed more closet atheists than we could be aware of, which certainly isn't a refutation of your statement, but it should be taken into consideration.
The old saying will always reign supreme: correlation does not imply causation.
Religion will always be a negative factor on humanity. A blind belief in an ultimate source of judgment independent of the person is not compatible with free human development.
I also reject the idea that religion is corrupted by society. It was created by society for the single purpose of control. It's not really corrupted so much as it just has an abhorrent origin.
Edit: I should clarify that my first point is limited to theism more than normal spirituality. My second point is limited to the dominant abrahamic traditions.
jeeprs;143915 wrote:And that is what I would call a statement of pure prejudice. There are many people who say that nowadays - but no matter what horrors religious institutions have visited upon human society (and I don't deny it), the Judeo Christian ethos is still a bedrock of Western society and one of the foundations of civilization.
There are millions of people today being fed, clothed and educated by religious charities, and billions living according to religious codes and ethics.
Rwa001;144137 wrote:It's not prejudice. There is a premise in all the Abrahamic religions that places God as the final judge and jury of all humans. This is incompatible with free human development, which I think is a good thing. So rather than prejudice, it's just logical for me to feel that way. You're certainly free to reject my assumption that God is incompatible with free human development, or that free human development is a good thing, but to label it as prejudice is just weak.
I agree that it is a foundation of our civilization, but is that much to its credit? Are you suggesting we might be worse without it? Do you have a reason to believe that? These are all questions we have to address.
Thank you, Rwa001, for joining the discussion.
I have to agree that, "There is a premise in all the Abrahamic religions that places God as the final judge ... of all humans." [no jury required] You and I probably have different ideas about what this statement means and what it implies. [The two Abrahamic religions with which I am most familiar are the one based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the most recent one, which is based on the teachings of Bah?'u'll?h.] I also agree that human development is a good thing. If, by
free human development, you mean, "human development that is not restricted by illogical and/or superstitious dogma," I also agree that this is a good thing.
I perceive that each religion since at least the time of Zoroaster has begun with a
revelation which, far from being "created by society for the single purpose of control," has rebuked and corrected the society and its leaders. Those same leaders, and the elements of society which they have led, have responded to the new revelation and its followers with anger, ostracism, persecution, and even execution. These efforts by society to extinguish the new religion only serve to strengthen it. More and more people embrace its teachings and practices, despite the social perils. Eventually, the
new religion becomes the
established religion. Corruption of the religion comes as elements of materialism overshadow the spiritual teachings and practices until the
form of the religion dominates, while the
spirit is lost (to all but a few independent souls.) At that point in time, a new revelation comes, bringing light to the spiritual darkness.
The light that each revelation brings is centered around certain, basic spiritual principles which lead to the upliftment of human character, to greater compassion, increased creativity, and individual connectedness to the universe. Each revelation also brings those laws and ordinances that are needed at the time for the advancement of civilization. As Bah?'u'll?h has said, "The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require."
From this perspective, having God as the Judge and Highest Ruler is a
good thing for human development. In a society ruled by materialism, people become more concerned with the quality of their possessions than the quality of their character, governments are more concerned with how well people follow them than with how well they lead, and war, death, fear and destruction are preferred over love, wisdom, forgiveness, and reconciliation as a means of bringing nations together. Only the All Knowing, the All Wise can correct the course of society back from materialism and on toward an ever advancing civilization.
