Which Religion is the One True Religion?

I have faith that the pub will be open when I get there later on. I don't know for sure it will be.

Not that I'm very curious, Spendi, but is the pub your true religion?

Not entirely. I was merely defining faith as a philosopher might.

Wow, a thread resurrected after all those years.

A good question, though.

True is antinomical with religion..

True is antinomical with organising civilised societies as well. There's no chance of civilised societies without religion.

It's too easy to say such things in a society that has religion. It's a cost free blurt. A self indulgence.

It certainly is, and I'm very prone to that kind of things.

I like this bloke when I utter such comments, it's close to narcissism...

So you assert with only the word 'crap' for evidence.

While I'm very prone to scatological evidence, you may have noted that I use the word nuts too.

But if you have some evidence that is not crap, please tell me, I'll be glad to abandon my erring ways..

I agree that religion is a fabrication of man, but that does not necessarily mean there is no truth at the core. Anything can be a religion because a person can do anything religiously. I can watch ESPN religiously every day. That could be my religion.
I disagree however, that Christianity and other such faiths have caused damage in a drastically significant way. Don't get me wrong, people were killed, burned at the stake, and treated like animals for not believing a certain way through the pages of history and it is tragic and wrong. But religion is not the problem, it's any strong belief or feeling of superiority that is the problem. You may recall the millions upon millions upon millions killed under Stalin's atheistic regime in Russia in the 1930's.
On the whole, all religions encourage people to treat each other well. It's when that power and that thought of superiority is used and abused by people of any belief, whether religious or atheistic, when it causes problems. It's the individuals who make these things happen under the guise of religion and belief.

NTS, All wrapped up into a nutshell; I'm not sure he can understand it.

Who, pray tell, lives by the core of religion?

A good quote by Joseph Campbell on the subject: "All religions are true in the sense that they are metaphorical of human and cosmic mystery, but if it gets stuck to the metaphor, then you're in trouble." I've been saying for a long time that religion is subjective, and one must not objectify religions myths and symbols; this leads to fanaticism and conflict. That is not to say that one shouldn't have religious beliefs, but to defend these beliefs or force them on others leads to trouble.

Religion is the result of the feeble minded trying desperately to grab hold of something that transcends mortality. Desperate because the backbone of all religion is faith. With faith someone need only believe in something for it to be true.

Religion/faith puts forth a framework that extends beyond our mortal existence. It commands us to be civil or suffer the consequences. It eases the pain and uncertainty of the dying, and those who love them. Etc, etc.

There is no true religion, they are all delusional fantasies. A grand illusion.

If you want answers with a little more substance, try science...theoretical physics. There are many "god-like" phenomena that exist there, and not dependent on something as useless as faith.

Well stated, but try telling that to those who believe in "heaven."

Embrace the unknown. I don't know what happens when I die. I don't know if there is a God, or what the nature of such a being might be. Embrace it, accept it. For some things may never be known. I search for the ultimate truths. They evade me. In the end, all I can do is: Embrace the unknown.

Incomprehensible to most, and my only reasonable option at present. Of course you don't have to embrace it, you could simply ignore it, which lots do.

One thing I find absolutely extraordinary is the act of passing from a state of non-existence to a state of existence(non-existence to birth). I live for a time, and then re-enter a state of non-existence. I ponder what the difference is between non-existence prior to birth, to non-existence after death. I wonder if they are identical states. This is my delusion: If eternity exists as boundless time or the like. Then whatever causes something to happen once, would cause the same thing to happen an infinite number of times. Assuming there is an "ultimate cause" existing along with eternity. God?

Things are rough without faith, but still.....I embrace the unknown.

Neil

Well done, again! If doubtful, always follow your instincts. Nothing wrong with that.

Love your work but I have a couple of things to dispute.
You did not and will not cease to exist, although you perception of your own existence may. Matter came together when conceived and considerably more matter was collected by your mother and yourself and incorporated into what is you today. After your death, that matter will continue as always and gradually dissipate, probably into other lifeforms. So your existence and even your life are parts of a continuum.

Secondly, in an infinite universe, there is no reason to assume anything will occur again in the same way. Thinking about the mandlebrot set can demonstrate this.

I'm not into pushing religion. I'll RECOMMEND Christianity if somebody WANTS a recommendation, but I will also tell people that with the single exception of I-slam which is basically a form of devil worship, ANY religion is better than atheism and the theory of evolution. That includes Voodoo and Rastafari; neither Voodoo nor Rastafari requires believing in any sort of a trans-finite sequence of probabilistic miracles and zero-probability events as does evolution.

I'm not so sure that lack of perception of existing is really existing. Analogous to: I do not think, therefore I am not. We might be connected to something eternal, but ourselves only be of finite duration. But part of a cycle that repeats endlessly.

As far as things occuring again. I'm just entertaining the idea of a re-manifestation of an identical conciousness. Last I knew, what consciousness is, cannot be agreed upon. How is my consciousness unique from someone elses? Unlike matter, manifestations of consciousness may be of a more finite nature, or maybe nothing is ever identical or repeats exactly. Then we have an eternity of infinity.

I guess I just don't know.

Neil