Is Religion A Crutch?

[pegan]

I require yes to a surprising number of those, dan.

~*Pegan*~

 

[Ardhanariswar]

Religion is a crutch to some. Many live life, accepting religion, not questioning it, but going to it for easy answers.

Religion, in my opinion only, of course, is only a crutch if you lean too heavily.

~*Pegan*~

i think the same.

i really really really wish people can think for themselves. i wish they can question thier religion and see if its a right path for them to take.


but people need hope. its in people's personalities to swallow anything.

and in some cases some push it down other people's throats.

sigh...

 

[Pah]

Do you require proof that your television is in fact a television?

Yes, otherwise I might not be able to display anything on my coumputer

Do you require proof that the sun will rise tomorrow?

No, becuase , in fact the sun does not rise but the earth turns

Do you require proof that the bread you bake will rise?

No, I don't bake bread

Do you require proof that you will go to bed tonight and wake up in the morning?

No, I'm prepared for my death at any time

Do you require proof that you do indeed have a heart beating inside your chest?

We've been over that

Do you require proof that your parents are (or were) indeed your parents?

Yes, and I have it in my genealogy research - it is the strart of my lineage to the Mayflower and soldiers of the American Revolution

Do you require proof that when you take a shower you become clean?

Nope, I just want to stop smelling foul.

Dan, you're beating a dead horse - let it rest in peace.

 

[pegan]

i think the same.

i really really really wish people can think for themselves. i wish they can question thier religion and see if its a right path for them to take.


but people need hope. its in people's personalities to swallow anything.

and in some cases some push it down other people's throats.

sigh...

That's the thing. People are comfortable with having the answers and not questioning "Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?" To them, it's there. Why? Because it is.

I couldn't live that way, but others are just fine with them, and I won't expect them to change, nor will I intrude unless given perfectly good reason.

~*Pegan*~

 

[Ronald]

I will be, what I will be/Hawyah hawyah/I am, that I am. A crutch, a bridge, a ship, a rod, a ladder! Whatever I need! He is. by all means!

 

[Yerda]

Religion can provide a great deal of comfort to those who subscribe to whatever -ism they so choose. The church, mosque or whatever could be like a communal home to people of strong faith, a place where there can exist a strong sense of belonging, a feeling of mutual beliefs and values. In this sense it sounds beneficial. But, these attributes also make religion a dangerous tool for heightening alienation with outsiders making holy wars appear not so much a violent struggle but a duty. The crutch that religion provides for many looks ominously like a sword.

 

[Ardhanariswar]

ya, thats why its good to let other people into your church. ive been into many hindu temples, and they allow anyone to take a peek. though there are a few indian temples where only hindus are allowed into the inner sactum of the statue because some people dont know how to respect and do the sacred rituals.

 

[pegan]

I'm a Wiccan...and it feels wonderful here, because I was invited to attend a church as a learning experience and not a conversion.

~*Pegan*~

 

[Ardhanariswar]

i live in the US too...

 

[dan]

Yes, otherwise I might not be able to display anything on my coumputer

And what is your proof?

No, becuase , in fact the sun does not rise but the earth turns

Where's your proof?

 

[pegan]

dan, to fight someone who believes, honestly, that those things can be questioned, is foolish. Not everyone takes what's thrown at them and swallows it.

~*Pegan*~

 

[Pah]

Dan, this is a discussion forum not for debate.

 

[Ceridwen018]

dan,

Also, the things that you are naming for people to prove and provide evidence for, are indeed very proveable. Pah could write you up a detailed analysis of what happens when he puts his hand on his chest to feel his heart. He could also provide you with reports of human dissections which show that the heart controls circulation. We could then logically conclude that because pah is human and his blood is circulating, he has a heart. If that still weren't enough we could cut him open (well...he probably wouldn't want 'we' to do it, haha) and see it for ourselves.

Bottom line, there is plenty of evidence for the things you describe, but god is still emptyhanded.

 

[dan]

He says that faith is to believe without proof. He says he does not live by faith, so I want to hear his proof. If he can prove these things to me I'll accept his argument and move on.

 

[Sunstone]

You can lead a horse to water, Dan, but you can't make him drink. If you refuse to listen to reason, no one can force you to. But the mere fact that you yourself refuse to listen to reason does not to my thinking turn Pah's reasoning into "faith".

Just an observation.

 

[(Q)]

Dan

There are two distinct definitions for faith - which one are you referring?

 

[dannyfrankszzz]

Yes, I would agree with this statement.

Speaking frankly, facing one's own nature can be overwhelming and depressing.

A conscious acknowledgement of the imperfection of one's own nature through religion, I think, helps to release one from a downward spiral of despair and depression.

I argue that an acknowledgement of man's bestial/irrational nature as a primary force in his make-up (a force that man seeks to control but is always at conflict with because IT IS) is surely positive.