The Limits of Religion

[Jeremiahcp]

I have heard people often refer to the limits of science. So that got me wondering: What are the limits of religion?

*Please do not ask me to define religion; I have confidence in your ability to share your own views.

 

[LuisDantas]

The question really needs a definition of religion to make any sense. Even if the definition is stated separately for each reply.

What are the limits of religion?

Defining religion as the discipline of contemplating and applying purpose and moral value, I would say that it is limited by the willingness of people to seek mutual understandings; by their ability to be rational; and by whatever levels of self-delusion one falls into.

 

[George-ananda]

I have heard people often refer to the limits of science. So that got me wondering: What are the limits of religion?

*Please do not ask me to define religion; I have confidence in your ability to share your own views.

I think religion has no limits and can explain everything. Science is limited to the realm of the physical senses and physical instruments.

 

[psychoslice]

I think religion has no limits and can explain everything. Science is limited to the realm of the physical senses and physical instruments.

And can explain everything, come on lol.

 

[loverofhumanity]

This is one of the Bahá'í Faith's definitions of religion which I think is how it should be.

“Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth to spirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act."

Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.

Excerpt From: Bahá, Abdu’l. “Paris Talks.”

 

[loverofhumanity]

So once religion ceases to exert a unifying force in the world, failing to bring people together, it has died and is no longer a religion although it may have 100's of millions of adherents and temples, churches and pagodas all over the world.

The purpose of a remedy is to cure an illness and the illness of this age is disunity which none of the religions are capable of addressing because they do not acknowledge the truth in any of the other religions so how can they unite others and have peace if they say all others but them are false??

The Bahá'í Faith on the other hand accepts all religions and thus is able to unite humankind because it accepts all the Prophets and Holy Books not just its own.

 

[George-ananda]

And can explain everything, come on lol.

why not?

One guru I respect says how spiritual knowledge is complete like the letter 'O'. Science is like the letter 'C'; theres's things it cannot investigate.

The OP allowed an open definition of religion. God/Brahman/Consciousness is One and the universe is a play/drama of God/Brahman/Consciousness. He separates Himself from Himself and returns Himself to Himself. The rest is details that can then be explained by physical and spiritual sciences.

 

[psychoslice]

why not?

One guru I respect says how spiritual knowledge is complete like the letter 'O'. Science is like the letter 'C'; theres's things it cannot investigate.

The OP allowed an open definition of religion. God/Brahman/Consciousness is One and the universe is a play/drama of God/Brahman/Consciousness. He separates Himself from Himself and returns Himself to Himself. The rest is details that can then be explained by physical and spiritual sciences.

Brahma, Consciousness is all there is, but it doesn't explain all there is, we do that, we divide all and label this and that, but that doesn't mean this and that is that which we believe it is.

 

[George-ananda]

Brahma, Consciousness is all there is, but it doesn't explain all there is, we do that, we divide all and label this and that, but that doesn't mean this and that is that which we believe it is.

Er, I was just saying how religion can theoretically explain everything.

 

[psychoslice]

Er, I was just saying how religion can theoretically explain everything.

But it can't, to say that is arrogant, one thing that science is not, it knows it doesn't know everything, theoretically or whatever.

 

[George-ananda]

But it can't, to say that is arrogant, one thing that science is not, it knows it doesn't know everything, theoretically or whatever.

You call it 'arrogance', I call it 'knowledge of the Source of reality'. Self-Realization.

 

[psychoslice]

You call it 'arrogance', I call it 'knowledge of the Source of reality'. Self-Realization.

Self-Realization isn't knowing everything, it is being everything, it is being One with all, not knowledge of all.

 

[George-ananda]

Self-Realization isn't knowing everything, it is being everything, it is being One with all, not knowledge of all.

A state of omniscience

 

[psychoslice]

A state of omniscience

Yes you could say that, but its not even that, because that is a concept, with is duality.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

I think one of the limits of religion is how subjective it is; the subjective nature of religion creates difficulties in reaching consensus. It also creates low standards for truth; in some cases all that is required for truth is simple belief. This makes it hard to actually establish anything as true, and it opens acceptances to any wackadoo 's claims to truth regardless of how they came to their conclusion.

 

[Sunstone]

I think religion has no limits and can explain everything. Science is limited to the realm of the physical senses and physical instruments.

Can you give us an example of a procedure or method of inquiry which is available to religion, but not to science, and which provides us with greater intersubjective verifiability than any method available to science?

 

[Robert Landbeck]

For all the claims of 'revelation' religious tradition, particularly the mono theisms, are human intellectual, theological constructs. They are human and unlike the limitations of science which are always being pushed to extend existing limits, religion, using tools of philosophical logic, without any defined goal of objective insight or secure knowledge to be discovered or realized, have always been self limiting. I can't imagine what they have to do with God, assuming there is a God?

 

[Windwalker]

I think one of the limits of religion is how subjective it is

But considering we are in fact all subjective beings looking out through our individual set of eyes, the subjective nature of religion is one of its greatest strengths. You don't know yourself by reading about yourself but by living yourself. Religion is about the living part of being human.

the subjective nature of religion creates difficulties in reaching consensus.

If that were at all true, you'd have no organized bodies of religion anywhere. Of course subjective truths find consensus all the time, in and outside of religion. What do you think cultures are? In reality, intersubjective truths become in effect objective truths and realities. And as such they provide foundational truths to those participating within them. This is one of the strengths of religion, to provide supporting structures for these.

It also creates low standards for truth

Religion's focus is primarily on Absolute Truth, the transcendent reality. I'm not sure how you consider that a "low standard".

in some cases all that is required for truth is simple belief.

In a sense, the transcendent Truth is "beyond belief" so yes, simply letting go is "simple". In fact that Absolute can and is described by many a mystic as "simplicity itself". It's the obviousness of it that makes it so absurd to our otherwise busily reasoning minds.

This makes it hard to actually establish anything as true, and it opens acceptances to any wackadoo 's claims to truth regardless of how they came to their conclusion.

If it did, then how can religion exist today in any form we see?

 

[allfoak]

I have heard people often refer to the limits of science. So that got me wondering: What are the limits of religion?

*Please do not ask me to define religion; I have confidence in your ability to share your own views.

If the two are used together, there are no limits.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I have heard people often refer to the limits of science. So that got me wondering: What are the limits of religion?

*Please do not ask me to define religion; I have confidence in your ability to share your own views.

Nothing, really. If a person finds his purpose or connection through what he does more than what he believes, then I find it uplifting the person to understand himself more by using his actions and natural environment to help him. He also, through religion, has a community and people of like-mind; and, that sense of community supports him and confirms his belief into fact.

Religion/practice of one's faith can be limiting if one is dogmatic about it without the sense of connection between what it means to be connected in relation not opposition to dogmatic views.

It could be limiting if taught incorrectly and/or imposed on other people. However, religion in and of itself dogmatic or not gives a sense of "I am doing this for .... or because ..... It makes me feel I am contributing to who I am and/or community thus humanity as a whole" It gives a bonding with people of like-mind as we are social people. It gives a person a sense of self when one defines religion that betters himself since religion is an action.

Religion uses verbs. (To connect. To do. To act. To practice. To reflect)

I don't know of any faith or religion that does not do these things as a whole or one or two or in part. Whether that person follows a religion by himself or with others.

It's only limited when it's unhealthy and one follows a set of actions that are not helping him in all senses of the word.