40 replies to this topic

[platypus]

 

Can we consider someone who belive in the omega point theory a relious person ?

 

Yes, IMO. 

[shadowhawk]

Buddhism is a religion and is a cult of Hinduism if Hinduism can have a cult.   It leaves many things out that other religions address like creation and even some branches, God.  On the other hand it has teachings about reality, meditation, ethics missions, and one can be both a jew and a Buddhist.  It has the Buddhist Way of living.  It is concerned primarly with the nature of human suffering and liberation from that suffering.  For those who say it is not a religion, it acts like a religion even down to its rich demonology.  It is definitely spiritual.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_mythology#Heavens
http://www.jstor.org...=21104342541633
https://www.google.c...iw=1120&bih=593

There are many sects of Buddhism, thousands of them.  http://en.wikipedia....ols_of_Buddhism

The main ones all differ.  During Buddhism's 2,500 year history, several thriving sects have emerged, each with a unique take on the teachings of Buddha and daily practice.  So even in this they are like orther religions.  Some believe Buddha was more than just human.
http://buddhism.abou...Of-Buddhism.htm

The scriptures of Buddhism.  Around four centuries after the Buddha's death, a new school of Buddhist thought began to develop that expanded on this concept that the Buddha taught different things to different people. Called the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, these new ideas were presented in a proliferation of new writings. It was claimed that these new sutras (scriptures) had been hidden away until the time was right to share them more widely, and that they contained truths that the Buddha had taught secretly to those few who were ready to hear them.  It reminds one of Dan Brown.

There are secreit oral aad writings in Tibetan Buddhism as well.  Many thousands of the teachings of Buddha have never yet been translated.  
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No body believes completely in their story religious or not.  By the way, the Big Bang does fit the Jewish, Christian and Islamic creation story.  Pluralism disproves nothing.

The Omega point theory can and does fit with many religious views but is not one itself any more than tne Big Bang, is a religious view.

 

 

[serp777]

Shadowhawk your arguments by popularity do not show belief in religiobis reasonable.

Shifter, it's not that strange-- conditioning can make anyone unreasonable, like those people in NK. Those beliefs that kim is a God emperor are completely unreasonable, so i think you're supporting my argument if anything. Kim being a God emperor is just as reasonable as any other religion since there is equally no good evidence for any

[shadowhawk]

Is the above reasonable?  It is an example of conditioning

[serp777]

Buddhism is a religion and is a cult of Hinduism if Hinduism can have a cult.   It leaves many things out that other religions address like creation and even some branches, God.  On the other hand it has teachings about reality, meditation, ethics missions, and one can be both a jew and a Buddhist.  It has the Buddhist Way of living.  It is concerned primarly with the nature of human suffering and liberation from that suffering.  For those who say it is not a religion, it acts like a religion even down to its rich demonology.  It is definitely spiritual.  http://en.wikipedia....thology#Heavens
http://www.jstor.org...=21104342541633
https://www.google.c...iw=1120&bih=593

There are many sects of Buddhism, thousands of them.  http://en.wikipedia....ols_of_Buddhism

The main ones all differ.  During Buddhism's 2,500 year history, several thriving sects have emerged, each with a unique take on the teachings of Buddha and daily practice.  So even in this they are like orther religions.  Some believe Buddha was more than just human.
http://buddhism.abou...Of-Buddhism.htm

The scriptures of Buddhism.  Around four centuries after the Buddha's death, a new school of Buddhist thought began to develop that expanded on this concept that the Buddha taught different things to different people. Called the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, these new ideas were presented in a proliferation of new writings. It was claimed that these new sutras (scriptures) had been hidden away until the time was right to share them more widely, and that they contained truths that the Buddha had taught secretly to those few who were ready to hear them.  It reminds one of Dan Brown.

There are secreit oral aad writings in Tibetan Buddhism as well.  Many thousands of the teachings of Buddha have never yet been translated.  
------------------------------------------------------
No body believes completely in their story religious or not.  By the way, the Big Bang does fit the Jewish, Christian and Islamic creation story.  Pluralism disproves nothing.

The Omega point theory can and does fit with many religious views but is not one itself any more than tne Big Bang, is a religious view.

 

 

Actually thousands of religions prove that humans invent a variety of God's and supernatural explanations. Thousands of religions prove that Christianity has a low probability of being correct, by a function of 1/(the number of religions)

[cats_lover]

I believe in God but I have a very agnostic nature. There are many things of organized religions I do not like; especially how people affect their way of reasoning using pre-established concepts. My belief in God is much more abstract than most people.

 The question of this thread was "How can anyone reasonably believe in a particular religion?", I think that deep reasoning should make anyone doubt about his religion, and maybe that's why religious people avoid these issues; have doubts about your religion is a sin and it should be punished, then they must always defend their religion.

This seems irrational, isn't it?

On the other hand, if there is a god, science has no tools to test this, this is a "phenomenon" that can not be "quantified" with any tool.

If there is a god that created the physic of universe, we cannot disprove its existence because today we have more knowledge of this physical.
So citing the existence of science and its continuously advancing as an argument that refutes the existence of a god is not entirely rational too.

So:

• God exists, he created everything and science helps us to understand how everything works; and how to take advantage of it.
  or
• God does not exists, the origin of the universe is another and science helps us to understand how everything works; and how to take advantage of it.

There is no possible scientific answer to know if there is a god, but the role of science is the same regardless of the response.

 

What is irrational then?... Everything
 

 

 

[Blink]

Haha yes, in a way, everything seems irrational when trying to understand what reality really is. And I don't think it's even possible to understand the source of it all.

 

This is a nice quote:

Reality is beyond speech and thought. Only that which can be expressed in words is being said. But what cannot be put into language is indeed That which IS - Anandamayi Ma

 

To me it seems like many religions are more about hierarchies and authority than spirituality. It's a way of controlling people by exploiting their fear of death and the unknown. However there are also good things about religions, like community and a feeling of security by having something to believe in.

 

There are so many different definitions of god. Everyone has their own personal image of god, their own relationship with the concept of god. To me god is either everything or nothing. When I'm in a certain kind of mood I tend to see god as everything and everyone.

[cats_lover]

Haha yes, in a way, everything seems irrational when trying to understand what reality really is. And I don't think it's even possible to understand the source of it all.

 

This is a nice quote:

Reality is beyond speech and thought. Only that which can be expressed in words is being said. But what cannot be put into language is indeed That which IS - Anandamayi Ma

 

To me it seems like many religions are more about hierarchies and authority than spirituality. It's a way of controlling people by exploiting their fear of death and the unknown. However there are also good things about religions, like community and a feeling of security by having something to believe in.

 

There are so many different definitions of god. Everyone has their own personal image of god, their own relationship with the concept of god. To me god is either everything or nothing. When I'm in a certain kind of mood I tend to see god as everything and everyone.

 

Nice reflection.
 

Most organized religions are business that profits from the faith of the people. The biggest problem with organized religion is that they establish "rules" that can not be contradicted or changed, this does not allow people to think clearly; only accept something pre established without using reason, without questioning it using the reason.

It is possible that organized religions are responsible for a large percentage of atheists and antitheistic.

As you say, organized religion generate a structured, inflexible and artificial spirituality; even so this helps a lot of people, but it is not the best way.

Edited by cats_lover, 28 September 2014 - 01:18 PM.

[shadowhawk]

You can believe in something because some things are true while others are false.  Some things can be true while others are partly true.  This fits reality.

[platypus]

I believe in God but I have a very agnostic nature. 

Why do you believe? 

 

BTW do you think it's possible there are many gods instead of just 1 or zero?

[cats_lover]

 

I believe in God but I have a very agnostic nature. 

Why do you believe? 

 

BTW do you think it's possible there are many gods instead of just 1 or zero?

 

 

Early in my life i believed due to a cultural/family reason. When I started to study and work in research (applied physiology and sports sciences) my mindset changed radically I began to see the fallacies of people; the weak way most people reasoning.

 

Of course I began to question beliefs that were handled by tradition. But anyway, more time studying and working in research showed me the complexity of biological structures, and for my head/brain (to date) is impossible to believe that this complexity is not the product of intelligence. Then "religious" beliefs came into my life again, but with a very different view.

(This has been a brief summary of my beliefs throughout my life, I would like to develop in other words, but with my limited English it would take me a long time and may not understand well.)

 

By the way, in my country; most people who have a religious belief does not belong to an organized religion. That means that most religious people do not go to church, that belief is something more personal. You're from Italy (i dont know if you are atheist or theist), I think that in your country the belief in god is strongly linked to organized religion (Catholics in this case) and this separates theists from atheists (in the society). Also in USA for cultural reasons the belief in a god is linked to organized religions, and much of the population goes to church on Sundays, etc. I think that, in countries like these is easier than atheists turn into anti-theists, due to possible social pressure from religious people to these people who have no religious beliefs.

Mention this because I do not understand why atheistic people of these countries talk so much about God (maybe more that theistic people), and are continually trying to prove its nonexistence. If it is reasonable for you to believe in God, it is good to belive for you, and if it is not reasonable for you to believe, it's okay to not believe.
 

Finally, you ask me if i think it's possible there are many gods instead of just 1 or zero.

 

Belief in more than one god breaks with the abstract concept that I have of God, is only possible if i think in God as a person.At the moment I do not think in more than one.