The Essence of Religiosity

[DGS49]

First: Do you believe that your total existence takes place between the moment of conception and the instant of natural death? Do you believe that's it? There is no afterlife.

If so, then you are truly irreligious, and you need to ponder the issues mentioned herein.

There are three basic tenets of religion: (1) There is a God, (2) There is an afterlife, and (3) "Justice" comes in the afterlife. That is to say, in some way - nobody knows exactly how - virtue is rewarded and evil is punished in the afterlife. These three tenets are a "package." If you believe any one of them or any two of them, then you MUST logically believe all three. I will spare you the boring explanation, but as you ponder it, it becomes compelling. You cannot believe fewer than three. It is all or nothing.

Having said that, the constant question presented to Religious people becomes answered by the obvious: to wit, "Why does God allow EVIL to exist?" or "Why does God allow good people to suffer?", or "Why does God allow natural disasters that kill, injure, etc., large numbers of people?"

See (3) above. This Life is not our entire existence. If we are tormented or killed or suffer in this life, we will be reconciled in the afterlife, somehow. If we sacrifice our time, effort, and lives now, we will be rewarded in the afterlife.

As for the existence of evil and catastrophes, Creation can be understood as being the initiation of a perpetual motion machine that will go on forever, but in the meantime will have some imbalances. People have free will. Some people are Evil, and God never interferes with them - that's why we have the afterlife.

It ain't that complicated.

 

[task0778]

There are a good many eastern religions with a whole lot of followers who believe in reincarnation and karma, so if you do evil stuff in this life then you gonna pay for it in the next one. I kinda like that concept.

 

[watchingfromafar]

First: Do you believe that your total existence takes place between the moment of conception and the instant of natural death?

Yes, whether it was natural or from some unexpected accident; dead is dead. The biblical version is-

From dust we came
To dust we will return​

Do you believe that's it? There is no afterlife.

Only in the memories of those still alive, death is death

Do you believe that's it? There is no afterlife..

Only in the memories of those still alive, death is death

There are three basic tenets of religion-----:
(1) There is a God,.

I agree

(2) There is an afterlife

I do not agree

(3) "Justice" comes in the afterlife

.

I do not agree

"Why does God allow EVIL to exist?"

Evil is a human mental condition conjugated as a word to represent a human feeling.

God did not create this feeling, or the word attached to it; humans did.

"Why does God allow good people to suffer?"

From my point of view; God did not create this feeling, or the word attached to it; humans did.

"Why does God allow natural disasters that kill, injure,

From my point of view, God did not create disasters natural or unnatural; humans did.

Since it’s a human creation; not God’s creation; only humans can change it
as I see it

The one really, really big thing He gave us is the ability to chose.
I believe the saying goes, just chose wisely

 

[The Irish Ram]

God gave Adam dominion over the earth. Satan won dominion from Adam by causing Eve to sin. Adam relinquished his dominion by choosing to stay with his wife.
We know that by the offers Satan tempted Christ with during 40 days in the desert. He offered Christ 3 things:
1. Power
2. Glory
3.Kingdom
^ (The exact things we ask God to retake in the Lord's Prayer.)

If I offered you the Brooklyn Bridge you wouldn't take me seriously unless I owned the bridge. It would be a hollow offer. Satan's offer was genuine. He had those 3 things. And God, being a 100% just God, had to honor the exchange. But God had something up His sleeve. The power to remove sin, by way of sin free blood. So, He shed His own to redeem us. That end around move made God 100% merciful.

We are not given the time frame for the length of Satan's reign, but there is one. And it is coming to an end. God intends to return His earth and His people to their former glory. He is within His legal right to do so, because He, Emmanuel, paid for our sins, and being sin free removes us from the clutches of our accuser, Satan. Then He offered it to us as a gift. Accept the gift. You will be eternally grateful that you did....

 

[watchingfromafar]

We know that by the offers Satan tempted Christ with during 40 days in the desert

I thought is was Moses who spent a long time in the desert.
And I believe Jesus was a carpenter.
-

 

[percysunshine]

Religiosity is not a real word. It is an invented word.

 

[The Irish Ram]

We know that by the offers Satan tempted Christ with during 40 days in the desert

I thought is was Moses who spent a long time in the desert.
And I believe Jesus was a carpenter.
-

2 different events, wash.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Here is the narrative:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 4:1-11 - New International Version

 

[The Irish Ram]

"The Irish Ram, post: 24157860, member: 29246"]

We know that by the offers Satan tempted Christ with during 40 days in the desert

I thought is was Moses who spent a long time in the desert.
And I believe Jesus was a carpenter.


2 different events, wash.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Here is the narrative:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 4:1-11 - New International Version

 

[The Irish Ram]

I thought is was Moses who spent a long time in the desert.
And I believe Jesus was a carpenter.

2 different events, watch.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Here is the narrative:
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 4:1-11 - New International Version

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Do you believe that your total existence takes place between the moment of conception and the instant of natural death? Do you believe that's it? There is no afterlife.

Yes, of course, because there is no evidence or even good theory to suggest otherwise.

 

[BreezeWood]

First: Do you believe that your total existence takes place between the moment of conception and the instant of natural death? Do you believe that's it? There is no afterlife.

If so, then you are truly irreligious, and you need to ponder the issues mentioned herein.

There are three basic tenets of religion: (1) There is a God, (2) There is an afterlife, and (3) "Justice" comes in the afterlife. That is to say, in some way - nobody knows exactly how - virtue is rewarded and evil is punished in the afterlife. These three tenets are a "package." If you believe any one of them or any two of them, then you MUST logically believe all three. I will spare you the boring explanation, but as you ponder it, it becomes compelling. You cannot believe fewer than three. It is all or nothing.

Having said that, the constant question presented to Religious people becomes answered by the obvious: to wit, "Why does God allow EVIL to exist?" or "Why does God allow good people to suffer?", or "Why does God allow natural disasters that kill, injure, etc., large numbers of people?"

See (3) above. This Life is not our entire existence. If we are tormented or killed or suffer in this life, we will be reconciled in the afterlife, somehow. If we sacrifice our time, effort, and lives now, we will be rewarded in the afterlife.

As for the existence of evil and catastrophes, Creation can be understood as being the initiation of a perpetual motion machine that will go on forever, but in the meantime will have some imbalances. People have free will. Some people are Evil, and God never interferes with them - that's why we have the afterlife.

It ain't that complicated.

.

This Life is not our entire existence.

not necessarily so including the "religious" there may be requirements, a goal if not attained before physical expiration would be all there is for whoever that may be.

 

[Gdjjr]

Constantine figured out "religiosity" and used it to his advantage.

Post 8

I'm reading The Malta Exchange- I have a thread on it The Malta Exchange

The "professional" review can be found here https://www.amazon.com/Malta-Exchan...books&sprefix=the+malta,stripbooks,251&sr=1-2

As is my wont I mark pages that have interesting, sometimes profound quotes, or just notable sentences or paragraphs-

I ran across this last night, pg 466, near the end of the story and it pertains to this thread.

"A literal blueprint for religion

First, establish a consistent doctrine called the New Testament with select gospels that speak to a universal belief, which was precisely what the bishops had done at Nicaea. Then decree that all other beliefs are heretical, unworthy of consideration, and all who don't believe will be excommunicated. To further enforce dogma, create the notion of sin, adding that if it's not forgiven, the soul will be sent to eternal damnation in flames. Never mind that the Old Testament mentioned nothing of any such place. Just create one in your New Testament, then use it to cement loyalty and obedience.

The fastest way t ensure a constant laity is to proclaim every person is born with sins inherited as punishment for Adam's fall from grace. To purge that 'original sin' a person must submit to baptism, performed only by a priest ordained by the church. A failure to rid that sin dams the soul to to hell. To keep people dependent on the church for their entire lifetime, create more sacraments. Holy communion for children. Confirmation at puberty. Marriage for adults. Last rites on the dead. A womb-to-grave influence over every aspect of a person's life, each milestone dependent solely on adherence to church doctrine. Along the way the sacrament of confession allows a chance to purge oneself of sin and temporarily avoid hell--- that forgiveness, of course, coming from only one source.

The church.

 

[Gdjjr]

It's said, the streets of heaven are paved with gold- I prefer paved streets and dirt roads, so, would that be heaven to me?
It's said, angels will be playing harps. I prefer, guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, etc., so, would harps be heaven for me?

I like a line in a Willie Nelson song- heaven ain't walking streets paved with gold, hell ain't a mountain of fire, heaven is laying in my sweet baby's arms and hell is when baby's not there - my front tracks are headed for a cols water well, my back tracks are covered with snow, sometimes it's heaven, sometimes it's hell, and sometimes I don't even know-

 

[Meriweather]

First, establish a consistent doctrine called the New Testament with select gospels that speak to a universal belief, which was precisely what the bishops had done at Nicaea. Then decree that all other beliefs are heretical, unworthy of consideration, and all who don't believe will be excommunicated. To further enforce dogma, create the notion of sin, adding that if it's not forgiven, the soul will be sent to eternal damnation in flames. Never mind that the Old Testament mentioned nothing of any such place. Just create one in your New Testament, then use it to cement loyalty and obedience.

Of course, there is a great difference between a novel and history. Then there are differences between established groups. For example, what is a great heresy in the Jewish faith may not be seen as a heresy in the Christian faith. In other words, Christians do not have to worry about heresies in another faith, because they are not of that faith. And vice-versa. Jews have no concern about Christian heresies.

There is history--and there is histrionics. For example, in the Catholic faith, unless a person who is professing to be Catholic, and teaches that other Catholics may go against Catholic doctrine, excommunication is merely something does to oneself--not something the Church does to individuals. Second, because Dante was a Catholic, it appears non-Catholics have the idea that Dante's fictional work, The Divine Comedy is Catholic teaching about hell. Far from it. The Divine Comedy was a great work of satire--it was not Biblical.

History is much more tame than histrionics, which is why novels have to ramp things up, which they do in order to attract more readers than the number of readers who read history books--particularly history books that deal with primary sources.

 

[Gdjjr]

Of course, there is a great difference between a novel and history

Of course there is- I never said there wasn't, in fact, I have, many times said so- most good novelist, worth his salt, does a great deal of research on their subject- in fact, in the back of this particular novel the author points out what he made up vs what is real- the quote I used is the 'protagonist' opinion- it is however, an accurate description- and history as well as current feelings validate it.

 

[Meriweather]

Of course there is- I never said there wasn't, in fact, I have, many times said so- most good novelist, worth his salt, does a great deal of research on their subject- in fact, in the back of this particular novel the author points out what he made up vs what is real- the quote I used is the 'protagonist' opinion- it is however, an accurate description- and history as well as current feelings validate it.

The validation is not as spot on as might be imagined. Still, nothing in history is a cookie stamp all the way across the board. In specific areas and times, some truths would prove stranger than any fiction.