why does a religion have to be ancient for people to follow it?

[kloth]

because at one point all religions were new obviously.
so how old does a religion have to be to follow it for your standards?
or do you follow according to how popular the religion is already?

would you still follow the religion you follow now if it had just been brought to the worlds attention most recently? hypothetically speaking.
who's to say a higher being or whatever isn't starting a movement now? or next week?

i appreciate any feed back on this subject, especially if it's in my favor for wanting to join my religion...if i decide to start one. thanks.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

because at one point all religions were new obviously.
so how old does a religion have to be to follow it for your standards?
or do you follow according to how popular the religion is already?

would you still follow the religion you follow now if it had just been brought to the worlds attention most recently? hypothetically speaking.
who's to say a higher being or whatever isn't starting a movement now? or next week?

i appreciate any feed back on this subject, especially if it's in my favor for wanting to join my religion...if i decide to start one. thanks.

There are plenty of people who follow new religions. These new religions are generally derided by the old religions. When the old religions were new religions, they were generally derided by the ancient religions, etc.

I think to say there are no new religions with followers is false. And the level of followers religion have now does not equate in any sense to those they might have had in their formative years.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

because at one point all religions were new obviously.

Ancient religions convinced less people in the past, and it slowly grows as generations go on, some do not survive.

Modernly, many people go for older religions as they feel they're more in touch with the origins as they are more closer in chronological order to the beginning of time. The problem with that is, how I like to put it:

"The reason we cannot know the first religion in existence is because the religion that worships diseases is the first to be wiped out."

so how old does a religion have to be to follow it for your standards?

Age does not matter to me, as long as it's logical.

or do you follow according to how popular the religion is already?

Not that either.

would you still follow the religion you follow now if it had just been brought to the worlds attention most recently? hypothetically speaking.

Probably not, if it were recently brought to the world's attention, it obviously has little to no distortion or logical fallacies compared to modern logic.

who's to say a higher being or whatever isn't starting a movement now? or next week?

There probably is.

 

[dgirl1986]

I personally am just more drawn to the type of things that ancestors wouldve placed value in, I am not sure why.

It doesnt have to be old to be followed though, there are always new religions.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I personally am just more drawn to the type of things that ancestors wouldve placed value in, I am not sure why.

It doesnt have to be old to be followed though, there are always new religions.

Do you think it adds respectability whereas new religions feel...I dunno...either cultish or simply not genuine? Man-made, perhaps?

 

[dgirl1986]

Do you think it adds respectability whereas new religions feel...I dunno...either cultish or simply not genuine? Man-made, perhaps?

I think it is just more set in stone whereas new religions are still kinda finding their place. I dont think they feel cultish but probably feel like they have to prove they are genuine.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I think it is just more set in stone whereas new religions are still kinda finding their place. I dont think they feel cultish but probably feel like they have to prove they are genuine.

Fair enough. This'll sound weird, given I'm an atheist, but even to me it feels that way (sorta). Must be something about human nature trusting things that have stood the test of time.

 

[kloth]

I personally am just more drawn to the type of things that ancestors wouldve placed value in, I am not sure why.

It doesn't have to be old to be followed though, there are always new religions.

i would think i would have to know why before i am even drawn to it.
as i don't believe everything we hear and see is neccesarily valid because it has a nice look and sounds good.

 

[Quintessence]

Well, seeing as how I'm a Neopagan... *chuckles*

It's a curious thing, really. When Neopaganism was first getting off the ground as a new religious movement, the largest subsection made quite a big deal about claiming antiquated roots. When when modern scholarship debunked that idea, there was quite the fiasco within the community. No doubt some became disillusioned with the religion when they realized Wicca wasn't really ancient, pre-Christian Pagan Witchcraft. There is a magic to something having been done before: it speaks of the reliable and the tried and true. The issue with the history of Wicca wasn't about that, I don't think, but neither here nor there.

To me, religion is... my religion is contemporary. I think that any religion that fails to be contemporary fails to be relevant. The age of any relevant religion should be right now. If it fossilizes and dates itself, it stagnates. You could say I reinvent my path every time I practice it. I don't find it useful to try and describe it - or other religious paths - on a time scale. Does it work right now?

 

[Erebus]

I'm something of a scavenger myself, take what works from whichever religion and make it your own. Doesn't matter if an idea is ancient, new or even fictional (a good example of which would be the use of the chaos star in some occult practices). What matters is that it's in some way useful to you, even if that usefulness is something as minor as an aesthetic you appreciate.

Oddly enough one thing that doesn't sway me towards a religion are promises/threats regarding an afterlife, which is something frequently cited as a reason why people are religious (often by non-religious people mind you). To me at least, there has to be something on offer in this life. Whether that's a new idea, a good story, an appealing aesthetic or a philosophy I agree with, I'm quite happy to take it and absorb it into my own personal religion.

 

[Trantorfuzz]

There really isn't any logic to the bias you describe. I think the bias comes the association between age and authenticity that we make with regard to relics and ruins. If a statue of some big-hipped goddess is twenty-thousand years old, it's authentically prehistoric.

Since our mental images of ancient civilizations, from the Babylonians to the Israelites to the Egyptians, is shaped by the relics and ruins that they've left behind, we imagine that their ideas, as well as their relics, must be somehow authentic as well.

But there is no logical connection between the authenticity of ancient relics and the soundness of ancient ideas. For example, ancient medicine is a long way from being as sound as modern medicine.

The ancient religions have the advantages of centuries of art, theology, and influence. However, their historical baggage is often embarrassing. This is especially true of the Abrahamic and Hindu religions, whose scriptures endorse everything from the subjection of women to the caste system.

That's where new religions come in. By all means construct one.

 

[Freedomelf]

My religion is "new" by some standards, and I have no problem with it. Everyone must follow their own heart, and if you believe you should start your own religion, then do so. As the Calyr say, "All roads require their travelers." You should forge your own road, if you cannot find a religion that suits you.

 

[kloth]

My religion is "new" by some standards, and I have no problem with it. Everyone must follow their own heart, and if you believe you should start your own religion, then do so. As the Calyr say, "All roads require their travelers." You should forge your own road, if you cannot find a religion that suits you.

what good is a starting your own religion if nobody follows it?

maybe it's like starting a business. you need money to get it going.

 

[AlisonRose222]

What a good question I have not thought of.
Buddhism is "hip" where I live, and many people have designed their kind of create-your-own Buddhist style of religion.
Now, this ancient religion had a Messenger and a book of teachings that prescribed a Way to follow.
Now, bring in a new religion, one that I follow, that has a Messenger and a book of teachings that is for this time that we live in, facing our current global and universal issues.
But it is not acceptable! Why? I think it is because messengers are only acceptable once they are no longer in the world. It is hard to accept this phenomenon now, in the flesh.

 

[kloth]

What a good question I have not thought of.
Buddhism is "hip" where I live, and many people have designed their kind of create-your-own Buddhist style of religion.
Now, this ancient religion had a Messenger and a book of teachings that prescribed a Way to follow.
Now, bring in a new religion, one that I follow, that has a Messenger and a book of teachings that is for this time that we live in, facing our current global and universal issues.
But it is not acceptable! Why? I think it is because messengers are only acceptable once they are no longer in the world. It is hard to accept this phenomenon now, in the flesh.

it's like when a rock star dies. once he or she is dead then they become a god.

 

[Luke Morningstar]

because at one point all religions were new obviously.

All religions are new at every moment. Christianity in America now is unlike it in past centuries, and very much unlike it in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

The history doesn't matter to me. But it matters to most people because there is safety in numbers. If you worship Gary the Deathbringer, it's a lot easier to kidnap the sacrifices when you have a few people in your club. If you worship Jesus, it's a lot easier to believe Jesus supports war when your entire church agrees.

When you're alone, you have to figure it out for yourself. I think that's the truest path, but it is also the hardest.

What I don't get is why people follow religions, like older humans had it all figured out. It's much better to lead religions with the introduction of new ideas and new adaptations and deeper insights.

 

[Sand Dancer]

because at one point all religions were new obviously.
so how old does a religion have to be to follow it for your standards?
or do you follow according to how popular the religion is already?

would you still follow the religion you follow now if it had just been brought to the worlds attention most recently? hypothetically speaking.
who's to say a higher being or whatever isn't starting a movement now? or next week?

i appreciate any feed back on this subject, especially if it's in my favor for wanting to join my religion...if i decide to start one. thanks.

I figure there must be some similarities between the way God manifested Himself back then and the way He does today. That's why I value the ancient ways of worship. (Well, not all of them.) Baha'i is okay because even though it's new, it accepts revelation from ancient days through today.

If your religion has cookies, I want to join.

 

[nazz]

I have no interest in following any religion. I don't think God has any part in starting religions. That is man's doing.

I guess one of the reasons people follow well established religions is that they have stood the test of time. Sometimes new religions end up being flashes in the pan.

 

[kloth]

I have no interest in following any religion. I don't think God has any part in starting religions. That is man's doing.

I guess one of the reasons people follow well established religions is that they have stood the test of time. Sometimes new religions end up being flashes in the pan.

so what's your reason for being on a religious forums? just curious.

 

[kloth]

I figure there must be some similarities between the way God manifested Himself back then and the way He does today. That's why I value the ancient ways of worship. (Well, not all of them.) Baha'i is okay because even though it's new, it accepts revelation from ancient days through today.

If your religion has cookies, I want to join.

there might be hashish cookies. :beach: