My Hope for the Future of Religion

[AtheistBuddah]

Here is honestly what I hope religion becomes in the generations to come. Now I know most of you would expect me to say that I want it to die out entirely but no that isn't the case. What I do hope is that all religions eventually follow the general model of the Amish. They hold some pretty unique beliefs about technology that nobody else agrees with. But they didn't try to force their views on the rest of us and outlaw technology. Instead they chose to let us live with it while they continued to live with out it. They even go so far as to allow their children to experience our world and decide for themselves if they want to continue to be Amish or not. If they want to return home and continue to adhere to the beliefs and rules of the Amish then they are welcomed back. If not then they are free to go and live as they please. I praise this model of religion and I think that it is one that all faiths should use. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think all religious people have to go live in isolation like the Amish do. They are free and welcome to live alongside the non-religious. But I think it would be beneficial if they followed the example of the Amish and didn't try to impose the lifestyle and the rules/restrictions that they chose to accept on others and allowed their children a taste of what life is like outside those rules to see what lifestyle they want for themselves.

 

[GrosMinet]

It's hard to say how things will evolve, because each family has their own Relationship with religion. For some parents, it is vital that their kids should embrace their religions, whereas for others, free choice is a value above compulsory faith. And not only families, but cultures.

True, people outside the spell of faith may value choice more than tradition, but for many people, and many cultures around the globe, it's the other way round and has always been so. The role of the individual is to fit into their community and embrace its values and beliefs. Western Individualism is an exception, almost an anomaly, in world history. And it's not unequivocally better than the community spirit.

Globalization has meant the spread of the individualist model, but at the same time, it has given rise to a backlash in some parts of the world.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Big block of Star Trek:TNG episodes on BBC America last night including "Who Watches The Watchers" about a Vulcan like but primitive species being observed by the Federation's scientists. Interesting part being when Capt. Picard reveals himself to the tribe's leader in hopes of dispelling their mistaken belief he's some kind of god and securing the release of one of his officers.

(transcript of the relevant exchange)

DATA [OC]: Captain, Nuria is alone.
PICARD: I'll handle this.
(Hoy leaves, and Picard beams Nuria aboard)
PICARD: Nuria, don't be afraid. No one is going to harm you.
NURIA: Who?
PICARD: I am Jean Luc Picard.
(Nuria falls to her knees, face down)
PICARD: Please, get up. Get up. You must not kneel to me.
NURIA: You do not wish it?
PICARD: I do not deserve it. Look at me. Look at me. Feel the warmth of my hand, the rhythm of my pulse. I'm not a supreme being. I'm flesh and blood, like you.
NURIA: Not like me.
PICARD: Like you. Different in appearance, yes. But we are both living beings. We are born, we grow, we live and we die. In all the ways that matter, we are alike.
NURIA: But you are the Picard!
PICARD: There is something I want you to see.
(The doors open and she jumps back)
NURIA: What a wondrous place. Even the walls obey your command.
PICARD: Wondrous, yes, but not miraculous. The doors merely work differently from the ones you know.

[Observation lounge]

NURIA: That is my home?
PICARD: Seen from far, far above.
NURIA: Yet we do not fall. I never imagined I would see the clouds from the other side. Your powers are truly boundless.
PICARD: Nuria, your people live in huts. Was it always so?
NURIA: No. We have found remnants of tools in caves. Our ancestors must have lived there.
PICARD: So why do you now live in huts?
NURIA: Huts are better. Caves are dark and wet.
PICARD: If huts are better, why did you once live in caves?
NURIA: The most reasonable explanation would be that at one time we didn't know how to make huts.
PICARD: Just as at one time you did not know how to weave cloth, how to make a bow.
NURIA: That would be reasonable.
PICARD: Someone invented a hut. Someone invented a bow, who taught others, who taught their children, who built a stronger hut, built a better bow, who taught their children. Now, Nuria, suppose one of your cave dwelling ancestors could see you as you are today. What would she think?
NURIA: I don't know.
PICARD: Put yourself in her place. You see, she cannot kill a hornbuck at a great distance. You can. You have a power she lacks.
NURIA: Only because I have a bow.
PICARD: She's never seen a bow. It doesn't exist in her world. To you, it's a simple tool. To her, it's magic.
NURIA: I suppose she might think so.
PICARD: Now, how would she react to you?
NURIA: I think she would fear me.
PICARD: Just as you fear me.
NURIA: I do not fear you any longer.
PICARD: Good. That's good. You see, my people once lived in caves. And then we learned to build huts and, in time, to build ships like this one. NURIA: Perhaps one day, my people will travel above the skies.
PICARD: Of that, I have absolutely no doubt.

My hope for the future of religion is they all go the way of the dodo.