Reality and Religion

[Muffled]

I find the decline is proving the reality as found in the Bible as accurate.
Religious 'waters' (people) are drying up spiritually before mankind will see divine involvement in mankind's affairs.

I believe the number of public shootings is a result of a lack of religion. With a lack of religion there is only a public standard against murder and all one can suffer is prison or death but with God one might find himself in Hell for eternity.

 

[Muffled]

reminds me of an einstein quote.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” - Einstein

I believe I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the Theory of Relativity. No doubt it is mathematically real but I am not sure if they have measured it yet or not.

 

[Muffled]

What is designated as reality for the purposes of this question? What characterizes its increase?

What is understood to be decline of religion and faith? Number of adherents, perhaps?

I believe my church has fewer members but the one across the street has more. Perhaps the idea of a decline is perceptual.

 

[Muffled]

Religion and/or the belief in a religion has absolutely no effect on reality. So I don't understand the question.

I believe you are substituting existence for reality. A person realizes electric lights because there are electric lights. However if a person chooses to close his eyes and hide in a closet he could pretend the world is without light.

 

[Valjean]

I believe the number of public shootings is a result of a lack of religion. With a lack of religion there is only a public standard against murder and all one can suffer is prison or death but with God one might find himself in Hell for eternity.

I believe a lack of an internalized morality and civic responsibility contributes to a widespread anomie.
Religion's system of do's and don'ts is an easy way of avoiding the trouble of actually thinking about moral principles and developing an internalized moral code. It's a simplified code of do's and don'ts that enables people to function socially without the need of personal morals or ethics.
Religious morality is a crutch that supports the morally crippled.

Freethinkers and the non-religious have to take the trouble of developing a personal, internalized moral code. This is much stronger and more stable than the external moral crutches typical of the religious.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Does reality increase with the decline of religion and faith, and vice versa?

No I think reality is a constant. There's reality of interpretation through actuality.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

matthew 10:22 and the "name" refers to the All in all and exodus 3:14. the term christian wasn't used until after Jesus' crucifixion at antioch. acts 11:26
a prophet was sent in the "name"
exodus 19:6
you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

I find just as Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21 have both a minor and a MAJOR fulfillment, so does Exodus 19:6 because since Pentecost the ' Israel of God ' is now Not fleshly Israel, but a 'spiritual Israel' or a spiritual nation with No borders nor boundaries found located on any map as per 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 2:4; Colossians 3:11.
Jerusalem 'above' is now mother according to Galatians 4:26.
Since earthly Jerusalem was the seat of government, then since Pentecost heavenly Jerusalem is now the seat of government, and that government or kingdom is comprised of both kings and priests as per Revelation 5:9-10.
As Kings to take care of governmental duties for those living on Earth, as Priests taking care of spiritual duties toward those living on Earth who will be the humble meek people to inherit the Earth as per Psalms 37:9-11.
Jesus, as Messiah and High Priest is also King of God's kingdom government of Daniel 2:44, and through Jesus being king even enemy death will come to be No more on Earth as per 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I believe the number of public shootings is a result of a lack of religion. With a lack of religion there is only a public standard against murder and all one can suffer is prison or death but with God one might find himself in Hell for eternity.

To which ' hell' are you referring, to the biblical hell where Jesus went the day he died as per Acts 2:27,
or the non-biblical religious-myth hell of burning forever just taught as Scripture but is Not Scripture.
To me if Bible hell was a permanent-eternity hell then Jesus would still be in the Bible's hell.
Jesus, and the old Hebrew Scriptures I find teach un-conscious sleep in death Not pain:
- John 11:11-14; Psalms 115:17; Psalms 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5.

Biblical hell is temporary because according to Revelation 20:13-14 everyone in biblical hell is going to be ' delivered up ' (resurrected) out of hell before emptied-out hell is cast vacant into that symbolic 'second death' for vacated hell.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I believe the number of public shootings is a result of a lack of religion. .

I can agree there is a lack of the application of the Golden Rule.
If everyone on Earth lived by the Golden Rule there would Not be public shootings.
Also, Jesus' (his religion) teaches we should now have the same self-sacrificing love for others as he has as he taught at John 13:34-35.

False religion or terrorist-type religion is Not a lack of religion but a violent form of so-called religion.
The United Nations sees a hauntingly dangerous religious climate brewing in today's world.
With backing the U.N. can be strengthened to be God's 'arm of justice' to go up against troublesome religion.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Religious morality is a crutch that supports the morally crippled.
Freethinkers and the non-religious have to take the trouble of developing a personal, internalized moral code. This is much stronger and more stable than the external moral crutches typical of the religious.

Unless damaged, we all come equipped with an internal moral compass or conscience.
That is why even people of the nations have that built-in internalized moral code such as Murder is wrong, etc.
Biblical morality is more than a crutch, but a guide or a manual as Psalms 119:105 says that Scripture is a 'light' (flashlight) to our immediate steps, and a 'lamp' (high beams) to brightly light life's roadway ahead of us.
We don't have to be morally crippled to apply Jesus' new commandment (John 13:34-35) which is to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as he has.

 

[Fool]

I find just as Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21 have both a minor and a MAJOR fulfillment, so does Exodus 19:6 because since Pentecost the ' Israel of God ' is now Not fleshly Israel, but a 'spiritual Israel' or a spiritual nation with No borders nor boundaries found located on any map as per 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 2:4; Colossians 3:11.
Jerusalem 'above' is now mother according to Galatians 4:26.
Since earthly Jerusalem was the seat of government, then since Pentecost heavenly Jerusalem is now the seat of government, and that government or kingdom is comprised of both kings and priests as per Revelation 5:9-10.
As Kings to take care of governmental duties for those living on Earth, as Priests taking care of spiritual duties toward those living on Earth who will be the humble meek people to inherit the Earth as per Psalms 37:9-11.
Jesus, as Messiah and High Priest is also King of God's kingdom government of Daniel 2:44, and through Jesus being king even enemy death will come to be No more on Earth as per 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8.

the new teaching(jeru) peace(salem), or love. with love comes peace. love of self, love of neighbor, love of enemy. you are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hid. man is a lump of clay, a city.


a man's body is his castle, a king of him self, to govern rightly himself. a man's spirit is the king of his own house. the light of the sun and moon are no longer needed when a man becomes enlightened by christ from within. there was nothing made that wasn't made of IT.


2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.


a

 

[Valjean]

Unless damaged, we all come equipped with an internal moral compass or conscience.
That is why even people of the nations have that built-in internalized moral code such as Murder is wrong, etc.
Biblical morality is more than a crutch, but a guide or a manual as Psalms 119:105 says that Scripture is a 'light' (flashlight) to our immediate steps, and a 'lamp' (high beams) to brightly light life's roadway ahead of us.
We don't have to be morally crippled to apply Jesus' new commandment (John 13:34-35) which is to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as he has.

I see little evidence of an innate aversion to killing outside one's own tribe. The extension of moral consideration to animals or to "the other," if natural, is a weak and easily extinguished quality, judging from history. Extratribal compassion probably conferred little selective advantage for most of our species' history.

I characterize scripturally mandated moral precepts as crutches largely because of the ease people seem to have in discarding them when they become cumbersome. An internalized morality is harder to overcome without pangs of conscience.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I see little evidence of an innate aversion to killing outside one's own tribe. The extension of moral consideration to animals or to "the other," if natural, is a weak and easily extinguished quality, judging from history. Extratribal compassion probably conferred little selective advantage for most of our species' history.
I characterize scripturally mandated moral precepts as crutches largely because of the ease people seem to have in discarding them when they become cumbersome. An internalized morality is harder to overcome without pangs of conscience.

I find people choose to either accept or reject 'unchanging' scriptural morals or standards.
People can change but Scripture does Not .
We can all choose to internalize biblical morality or standards, and when internalized it is harder to discard because of a having a Bible-trained conscience of right or wrong.

'killing outside of one's own tribe', so to speak, does characterize the selfish distorted form of love as described in these last days of badness on Earth as found at 2 Timothy 3:1-5,13; Jeremiah 25:31-33 which is in sharp contrast to the definition of Christ-like love as defined at 1 Corinthians 13:4-6. Such killing is against Jesus' NEW commandment of John 13:34-35 to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as Jesus has for us. This is Not a crutch but essential for us in order to face the coming great tribulation of Revelation 7:14 with confidence in Christ.

 

[robocop (actually)]

Sadly, I think it is a well-established fact that the number of Gods decreases with a society's sophistication. We are very sophisticated and 10% of the world is atheist. Of course, there may have been previous civilizations more sophisticated than us, and we will have to look carefully at what they believe about deities.

 

[Valjean]

The Hebrews weren't very sophisticated, and they kind of invented monotheism.
Of course, it hinges on how you define sophistication.

 

[Looncall]

I find just as Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21 have both a minor and a MAJOR fulfillment, so does Exodus 19:6 because since Pentecost the ' Israel of God ' is now Not fleshly Israel, but a 'spiritual Israel' or a spiritual nation with No borders nor boundaries found located on any map as per 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 2:4; Colossians 3:11.
Jerusalem 'above' is now mother according to Galatians 4:26.
Since earthly Jerusalem was the seat of government, then since Pentecost heavenly Jerusalem is now the seat of government, and that government or kingdom is comprised of both kings and priests as per Revelation 5:9-10.
As Kings to take care of governmental duties for those living on Earth, as Priests taking care of spiritual duties toward those living on Earth who will be the humble meek people to inherit the Earth as per Psalms 37:9-11.
Jesus, as Messiah and High Priest is also King of God's kingdom government of Daniel 2:44, and through Jesus being king even enemy death will come to be No more on Earth as per 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8.

I find it curious that christians and muslims have such a passionate yearning for kings. Are they too lazy to take responsibility for their own lives?

 

[Valjean]

I find it curious that christians and muslims have such a passionate yearning for kings. Are they too lazy to take responsibility for their own lives?

Insecure people crave a strong father figure to tell them what to do.

 

[Martin]

What on earth is "reality"?

 

[Hawkins]

Does reality increase with the decline of religion and faith, and vice versa?

Religion is more of an advocate of after life and thus next reality. This reality has no bearing on that advocate. It's the brainwashing secular education since childhood which increases the decline of religion and faith.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I find it curious that christians and muslims have such a passionate yearning for kings. Are they too lazy to take responsibility for their own lives?

Mankind's history has proved Jeremiah's words to be true that man can't direct his step - Jeremiah 10:23.
We are all to take responsibility for one's life to either ' repent ' if we do Not want to ' perish ' (be destroyed ).
Just as in inventor gives us an owner's manual so we can be successful with his invention, God gives us His instruction manual (Psalms 119:105) so we can be successful in apply His Golden Rule and Jesus' New commandment to have self-sacrificing love for others as Jesus has as per John 13:34-35.

Today ( unless we live in England or the Kingdom of Jordan ) we don't think of kings but presidents.
Many are passionate about who is in office.
In Jesus' day the people wanted him to be ' king ' (president) on Earth as per John 6:15.
What country can you think of that does Not have a president or king or leader.
God placed Jesus as king (ruler) of God's kingdom of Daniel 2:44 for a thousand years, before Jesus hands back God's kingdom government to his God according to 1 Corinthians 15:24-26.