Zone1 How big is your interest in the Religions of this world?

[Unkotare]

seems the vast majority of existing religions are going the way of earths wildlife into extinction - the similarity would not portend a pleasant ending.

advice from the heavens to keep their sabbath, creation of life and garden earth - holy ... has been abused by humanity alone on earth and an outcome of their own making again a final conclusion surly not of rewarding festivities.

Do you work on Sundays?

 

[Moonglow]

I've little time or patience for facads ........ ~S~

Try facades; they actually exist in the English language.

 

[sparky]

Try facades; they actually exist in the English language.

I stand corrected moon dude, go you! ~S~

 

[Moonglow]

I stand corrected moon dude, go you! ~S~

I used to build them every damn day when I was under sixty.

 

[BreezeWood]

Do you work on Sundays?

24/7 ... like the heavens work is my lifeblood for enjoyment.

- judaisms interpretation legitimizes the perils of the other 6 days for most everyone by the religious monarchists.

 

[Zebra]

I've little time or patience for facads ........ ~S~

what do you mean by facads?

 

[alang1216]

Did you change your beliefs? I seem to recall you not identifying as an atheist before. I think your position was you didn’t know if there is a God or not, you’re just certain it’s not the God of Abraham. Which is very specific and weird.

Probably too old to change. When it comes to any and all religions, I'm an atheist. I've mentioned in the past that, since I don't know how the universe/big bang came to be, I can't rule out some kind of creator/intelligence, so I'm agnostic on that point. But, at the same time, I'm 100% certain that that creator is in no way connected to any religious doctrine.

 

[ding]

Probably too old to change. When it comes to any and all religions, I'm an atheist. I've mentioned in the past that, since I don't know how the universe/big bang came to be, I can't rule out some kind of creator/intelligence, so I'm agnostic on that point. But, at the same time, I'm 100% certain that that creator is in no way connected to any religious doctrine.

How do you know? Why don’t you believe that men seeking God can discover God? Isn’t that what religion is at its simplest? It seems to me that for any given thing that exists there are some that are born with an extraordinary talent for it.

 

[alang1216]

Why don’t you believe that men seeking God can discover God?

Men can and have but it never seems to be the same God.

Isn’t that what religion is at its simplest?

There is nothing simple about religion or anything else concerning men.

It seems to me that for any given thing that exists there are some that are born with an extraordinary talent for it.

True but that includes the bad as well as the good.

 

[ding]

Men can and have but it never seems to be the same God.


There is nothing simple about religion or anything else concerning men.


True but that includes the bad as well as the good.

Different men can have different perceptions of God.

Religion is quite simple if you are willing to be objective.

The absence of good does not mean good doesn’t exist nor does it negate natural talents for things which exist. It’s sad when people who have no talent or objectivity concerning a specific talent throw rocks at those that do.

 

[Cassandro]

This is an example of the unreliability of polls asking vague questions and offering vague answer choices. Even the author has trouble picking one.

 

[alang1216]

Different men can have different perceptions of God.

Because everyone creates their own God?

Religion is quite simple if you are willing to be objective.

There are no objective religions, that is why there are so many different ones.

The absence of good does not mean good doesn’t exist nor does it negate natural talents for things which exist. It’s sad when people who have no talent or objectivity concerning a specific talent throw rocks at those that do.

Is talent another thing that is quite simple if you are willing to be objective?

 

[ding]

Because everyone creates their own God?


There are no objective religions, that is why there are so many different ones.


Is talent another thing that is quite simple if you are willing to be objective?

Because different people have different perceptions of God. Let’s take you for instance, you have no perception of God so there’s nothing for you to discover.

it’s because you lack objectivity that you see differences in religions instead of the similarities.

Talents are self evident so it’s harder for you to deny them without showing your bias.

 

[alang1216]

Because different people have different perceptions of God. Let’s take you for instance, you have no perception of God so there’s nothing for you to discover.

I beg to differ. My perception of God is based on logic, education, and experience and is far more accurate than your perception which is based on what you wish to be true.

it’s because you lack objectivity that you see differences in religions instead of the similarities.

It’s because you lack objectivity that you ignore the differences in religions and focus only on the similarities.

Talents are self evident so it’s harder for you to deny them without showing your bias.

Did the pagans have less talent than monotheists? Sorry but talents are neutral, there are good ones and bad ones, fake ones and true ones, etc.

 

[ding]

I beg to differ. My perception of God is based on logic, education, and experience and is far more accurate than your perception which is based on what you wish to be true.

What is your perception of God?

 

[ding]

It’s because you lack objectivity that you ignore the differences in religions and focus only on the similarities.

Actually it’s because I studied them and as I studied them the similarities were self evident.

 

[Foxfyre]

how big is it?

i am interested in all aspects of them

and you?

While I do not consider myself an expert, I've spent quite a bit of my life studying and teaching the history and development of the JudeoChristian faith(s) as well as comparative religions with focus only on the major ones. The subject interests me, so I suppose that makes me at least 'very interested.'

 

[ding]

Did the pagans have less talent than monotheists? Sorry but talents are neutral, there are good ones and bad ones, fake ones and true ones, etc.

You are going off on a tangent. Whatever talents that have existed when it comes to sensing God’s presence and will would have existed throughout mankind. And I can see that in the major religions. As for ancient religions no one has ever known about, I can only assume it would have also been the case, but that there is no record to look at.

You seem to be missing the point that it’s quite natural and normal for experts to lead the less knowledgeable no matter what field is being discussed.

 

[alang1216]

What is your perception of God?

A very timely question. I'm just finishing a book titled "The Evolution of God" by Robert Wright. Highly recommended.

He went through the history of the God of Abraham and it was extremely insightful. He talks about how perceptions of God changed as things changed 'on the ground', in other words, the world of the authors. He examined Hebrew, Christian, and Muslim theological history, much of which I didn't know.

I think his view of God is not too far from my own. He says God is natural moral force that evolved by natural selection as man evolved from his ape ancestors. God is the morality and understanding we needed to survived in our societies as they developed. He sees Paul as the proponent of 'Universal Love' that was very a rare philosophy in the ancient world. It is an idea he sees as a way forward so disparate religions can, if not merge, at least respect and live at peace with all the others. (I'm sure I'm not doing Wright justice as I skipped summarizing his points on game theory.)

 

[Foxfyre]

A very timely question. I'm just finishing a book titled "The Evolution of God" by Robert Wright. Highly recommended.

He went through the history of the God of Abraham and it was extremely insightful. He talks about how perceptions of God changed as things changed 'on the ground', in other words, the world of the authors. He examined Hebrew, Christian, and Muslim theological history, much of which I didn't know.

I think his view of God is not too far from my own. He says God is natural moral force that evolved by natural selection as man evolved from his ape ancestors. God is the morality and understanding we needed to survived in our societies as they developed. He sees Paul as the proponent of 'Universal Love' that was very a rare philosophy in the ancient world. It is an idea he sees as a way forward so disparate religions can, if not merge, at least respect and live at peace with all the others. (I'm sure I'm not doing Wright justice as I skipped summarizing his points on game theory.)

I haven't read that book but I hope he illustrated how humankind's understanding of morality has also developed and changed over the millennia. For instance there are passages in the Bible in which God orders His people to kill all the enemy including men, women, children, animals. No Jew or Christian today would see that as moral. Other passages order the enemy to be taken as slaves. That also would not be moral in our view of morality now.

Few Christians and many Jews no longer follow Old Testament dietary laws seeing them as unnecessary in today's world. Many if not most of the Old Testament requirements of the people are no longer followed in today's world.

And on it goes.

That makes the history and ancient concepts no less valuable and interesting to study and understand. And it can help us understand how exercising the morality of a particular period does not make a person who lived then somehow evil.

We all are products of the culture we are born into. I'm sure future generations will study our history and find much to criticize in our morality that will not be the case with that future generation.