Our generation is on the verge of another great religious evolution.
Why do people need religion in this century?
by sweetgrass 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
wizzstick
-
BluesBrother
If millions of people choose religion, and I suspect the majority of mankind, why shouldn't they?
A very arrogant person believes that what he thinks is the only way to look at life.
-
sweetgrass
Thanks for all your interesting and thought provoking posts. I thought the point about religion evolving is interesting too. I agree people should be able to make their own choices if it give them the 'opiate' feeling. :)
-
Believer
Our generation is on the verge of another great religious evolution.
Yes it is - the best evolution possible
The trend referred to in that article supports the point I was making. The misconception is that those who are turning away from religion are turning away from God. That is not often true. People are turning from old outdated religions and embarking on something new – spirituality, a personal relationship with God. And to many of them, myself included, ‘religion’ is simply the way we express our relationship with God, the things we do for our neighbors and fellows and reflect the effect of being a God-loving person.
The new group called “Nones” are simply not affiliated with a religion, but they continue to believe in an all powerful loving Creator God. Even the statistics about the number of atheists in the world are subject to the same misconception. ‘Nones’ are usually included in that group, yet Nones continue to believe in God. In fact, of the 22% of nonaffiliated people, only 3.1% are atheists and only 4% are agnostic
-
slimboyfat
Believe it or not some scholars argue religion is more popular than ever.
https://www.amazon.com/Triumph-Faith-World-More-Religious/dp/1610171381/
-
sweetgrass
Good article Believer, I have never heared of the Nones. So as I don't prescribe to any religion but am open to the idea of creation by a powerfull force, would that class as being one of the nones? Although I can't accept the 'loving' bit of a powerfull creating force. The bible does not shout 'loving creator' for me in any way.
-
sweetgrass
Slimboyfat......religion more popular than ever? I wonder why? It does not make sense but if the statistics are correct I am suprised.
-
punkofnice
It's a crutch. I prefer a crotch, but beggars can't be choosers.
If only people knew that religion gives you cooties.
-
slimboyfat
I have been reading Rodney Stark's new book Triumph of Faith, where he makes his argument afresh that religion is alive and well. In fact he says it's doing better than ever, and we are in the middle of a revival of faith.
"When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.”
Above is a particular quote he likes to use when refuting secularisation, or generally the idea that, as humankind progresses toward greater enlightenment and rationality, it is becoming steadily less religious. He claims that even people who don't go to church still believe in the spiritual. He uses the example of Iceland. On the one hand secularists can point to it as a very secular country, that's stopped going to church, stopped believing traditional Christian teaching, and has a relatively high number of atheists. On the other hand close to half the population of Iceland believe that trolls live in the land. So much so that when they plan a new building they first seek confirmation that they are not building on top of a troll settlement, which would bring terrible luck. Icelanders may have given up on the Christian God but the G K Chesterton rule seems to apply. How does that fit in with the idea that we are progressing toward secularity?
-
Believer
SweetGrass, said:
Good article Believer, I have never heared of the Nones. So as I don't prescribe to any religion but am open to the idea of creation by a powerfull force, would that class as being one of the nones? Although I can't accept the 'loving' bit of a powerfull creating force.
People who don’t subscribe to a particular religion, but still believe in God ARE the Nones. And like you, many who aren’t aware of that subgroup label themselves as agnostics or something along that line since they can’t subscribe wholly to atheism.
This new group of believers, myself included, are troublesome to true atheists. Since they cannot pigeonhole us into a particular religion, they are stumped. Atheists can’t reach us with their rhetoric. Most of their arguments are like striking the wind. It’s like I was saying to Liberator yesterday about the folly of atheists trying to force believers us to accept either the whole Bible or none of it. That’s a self-serving demand designed to set believers up for ‘the kill.’ But like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, "Nones" fly away unscathed!
The bible does not shout 'loving creator' for me in any way.
The Bible is an example of evolving religious thought. The OT describes God as primitive and crude, whereas Jesus in the NT describes God as being loving and benevolent. It’s not two different Gods, it’s a progression of understanding. As he said, he did not come to destroy, but to fulfill, finish and conclude the old way of thinking. Jesus did not view God as anthropomorphological. To Jesus, God was a benevolent Spirit. So while the OT may not scream loving creator, Jesus certainly did.
And btw, Jesus did not start a religion. Paul started Christianity. He founded it on Jesus’ teachings, but he added things that Jesus did not teach. There are a lot of “Nones” who follow Jesus but do not identify with traditional Christianity. I include myself in that group.