You believe things written thousands of years ago as inspired and yet these men were nothing but the same class of education as those back then that practiced medicine and not the level of knowledge today. You discard one and accept the other because it is religion and to do otherwise is to reject religion. Yet that is not really true, does medical changes discard medical research and make us discard all medical hope? No? My point is that the religious mind does not seem to grow beyond what was put to paper 2000 years ago or more and to question those thoughts is considered wrong. When in reality, logic tells us that those thoughts should be taken with as much seriousness as bleeding the ill was taken. Religion is often a anchor to the past, that does not allow one to move forward.
Why do you accept ancient religions?
by free2beme 25 Replies latest jw friends
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Amazing1914
Freetobe me,You did not address your response to me, but I will counter-respond anyway.
You stated:
"You believe things written thousands of years ago as inspired and yet these men were nothing but the same class of education as those back then that practiced medicine and not the level of knowledge today."
I never stated what I believe.
"You discard one and accept the other because it is religion and to do otherwise is to reject religion."
I never stated what I accepted or rejected.
"Yet that is not really true, does medical changes discard medical research and make us discard all medical hope? No?"
I am a person of science, having practiced research science and engineering for 25-years. Your comment is really irrelevant to my point.
"My point is that the religious mind does not seem to grow beyond what was put to paper 2000 years ago or more and to question those thoughts is considered wrong. When in reality, logic tells us that those thoughts should be taken with as much seriousness as bleeding the ill was taken. Religion is often a anchor to the past, that does not allow one to move forward."
Now, I can add that not only is your premise flawed, but your assumptions are stereotypical and flawed. Logic tells us no such things. On what basis do you make such assumptions? Historically, what religion did and what the Christian faith was (and is) about, were often two different things. Your premise and logic is more akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Jim W.
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free2beme
So I summize that you are Christian in name only and reject everything else, right? As your thought do not support the true faith and would require your own sect of religion to be true. You need to realize what kind of an impression your thoughts leave and from them, I do not see a true Christian (as the world defines Christian). Although you might label yourself that anyway. We can all label ourselves what ever we want though, that is the one freedom in life that can not be taken away. So more power to you!
Now, to get back to my thought. The time has come for people to start learning new things about religion, and stop being stuck in the mud of thoughts that are outdated. Religion should be about the same thing as other parts of culture, growth of knowledge. Warping one thought here and there to try and say it is, is just a sect's or individuals way of thinking. Not religion! Also, it is not all about Christianity! This is true with ALL religions.
PS : I do not flame war, if I see that happening or feel a discussion is getting to heated and angry. I take the bigger step of just not responding and letting the other person feel they have won. Often because I see two people with no ability to see a winner. As I do not debate to win, I debate to learn how others see issues, and compare them with how I see them. More often then not, I see they see things different and I respect that. Although, on many occasions, I feel they are wrong.
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Carmel
"The nations and religions are steeped in blind and bigoted imitations. A man is a Jew because his father was a Jew. The Muhammadan follows implicitly the footsteps of his ancestors in belief and observance. The Buddhist is true to his heredity as a Buddhist. That is to say they profess religious belief blindly and without investigation, making unity and agreement impossible. It is evident therefore that this condition will not be remedied without a reformation in the world of religion. In other words the fundamental reality of the divine religions must be renewed, reformed, revoiced to mankind."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 225)
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tetrapod.sapien
free2bme,
this is the best question you have ever asked:
Why?
it will lead you to the place you need to go. the only place. that only you can go. no one else can do it for you. you won't find it in any books, and logic may fail you, but it's still the best question.
ts
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Qcmbr
If it wasn't true then then it isn't true now
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rebel8
Because fear of the unknown is one of the biggest motivators for humans. This is instinctual--survival in the wild depends upon understanding the environment, its characteristics, and its risks. Though most of us don't have to live in the woods and fend for ourselves any more, we've carried with us fear of the unknown.
If we were still in the wild, we'd have a need to understand risks quickly rather than using logical deduction or patience. For example, we'd have to learn quick that all wild canines were dangerous so we'd know to avoid all of them. If we waited to get to know each wild dog, put the effort into getting to know each as an individual, and used that info to determine if we'd behave fearfully around each, we'd be dead. No time for that, just assume all are dangerous or just accept what your parents told you. Sadly, most ppl surrender to instinct rather than using their brains!
This same tendency causes prejudice. Think of what happened to Ryan White when ppl in his community found out he had HIV. They were unfamiliar with the disease and created an intense mythology about it, claiming he could transmit it to others by using the school drinking fountain, etc. They prefered the short cut of creating an explanation rather than patiently examining the matter and determining the real facts. Even after officials explained the truth about HIV transmission to them, they refused to abandon their false beliefs.
Even now ppl prefer to be "spoon fed" the facts rather than take the time to examine the facts and arrive at their own conclusion.
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Amazing1914
Freetobeme,
So I summize that you are Christian in name only and reject everything else, right? As your thought do not support the true faith and would require your own sect of religion to be true. You need to realize what kind of an impression your thoughts leave and from them, I do not see a true Christian (as the world defines Christian). Although you might label yourself that anyway. We can all label ourselves what ever we want though, that is the one freedom in life that can not be taken away. So more power to you!
Your response is irrelevant to the point that your premise is flawed. For example, the Muslim faith teaches peace, yet, for some reason, certain members have misused and misapplied that faith to declare Holy Jihad, and murder people. Then, if someone now suggests that Islam is all wrong because of these terrorists, their reasoning is flawed. Likewise, your argument is flawed regarding religion in general. And, so far, you have failed to respond to the challenge presented to you.
Now, to get back to my thought. The time has come for people to start learning new things about religion, and stop being stuck in the mud of thoughts that are outdated. Religion should be about the same thing as other parts of culture, growth of knowledge. Warping one thought here and there to try and say it is, is just a sect's or individuals way of thinking. Not religion! Also, it is not all about Christianity! This is true with ALL religions.
While this seems like a good assertion on your part, it utterly ignores what has been going on for over a hundred and fifty years ... since the great questioning period began in the mid-1800s where many new schools of thought emerged, along with numerous sects and cults, like the Adventists and Bible Students.
Also, your premise here ignores what is, and has been going on in Christianity for many decades. Christians have learned to decouple their faith from much stupidity. It is a growing process. The problem is not with the basis of the faith, but with human reasoning and flawed interpretation of events, misunderstadning God's actions or lack of actions.
Finally, I have not stated what I believe ... your repeated assertions demonstrate that you are not truly dealing with what I have challenged to you.
PS: Would you do me the kindness of addressing your posts to me when you intend for me to be sure that I am being addressed. Otherwise, I am left to guessing by the context, which is not always realiable.
Jim W.
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Sad emo
Back hundreds of years ago, people actually blamed illness on bad spirits and even believed in bleeding people to cure illnesses. People would also use leaches on people to get the blood out. Doctors on the battlefield did not do something as common as washing their hands between patients, to avoid spreading infection and disease. Would you want the knowledge these medical professionals of the past, to be what your doctored followed today when treating you or do you appreciate the fact that they have increased their knowledge and thus their skill with time?
Blaming illness on bad spirits - hmm well many in the medical profession do recognise the psychsomatic nature of physical symptoms in some patients and have a holistic approach to their treatment. Only a loose connection....
Use of leeches - making a comeback in medicine - the reason? They love rotting flesh!! So excellent for cleaning open, deep wounds and preventing gangrene and any secondary infections.
Battlefield medicine is a whole different matter - you have/had to do the best you can/could with what you have/had.
Don't forget that a lot of modern drugs are synthetic, stabilised forms of herbal drugs discovered and used as part of ancient tribal religious medicine rituals.
I think my probably very flimsy point here is similar to Amazing1914's post about Christianity developing - realising where the mistakes have been made , learning and moving forward. Not throwing out the baby with the bath water.
I probably fit into the 'too stupid to debate' category so I'll step back out of this one now.
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Narkissos
Perhaps a good deal of religion is just about relating to the past -- ancestors, tribal-national-cultural history, etc.
Religion changes, it never stops changing (as anything else). But each time through a new reading (re-legere) of ancient "texts" (written or otherwise). Nothing new can emerge or stand without relating to the old. Every "new religion" has to develop some dialectics of "old and new" (e.g. Christianity re: Judaism, Buddhism re: Hinduism, etc.).
Challenging "tradition" is a major feature of cults. (Not that they escape the problem though.)