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I agree. I love Joseph Campbell. He did a series on PBS that was very enjoyable.
I agree. I love Joseph Campbell. He did a series on PBS that was very enjoyable.
To me it is like common sense,. I have always felt, and this is just my opinion, that people that have the need to have religion in their lives,..has to be weak,..and afraid to face the truth.
I used to be very involved in religion. I don't look back on that time as a weak point in my life, although I know people who do use religion this way, I look at it as part of the learning process. I learned a lot of great things during my time in the church. I didn't want to be like a lot of folks were who left church and became bitter and even more self absorbed (just like the church said they would). Everything we go through is a learning process and to judge all christians or any other beliefs that are different than our own in a harsh way shows (to me) that we all have a bit more learning to do.
I used to be very involved in religion. I don't look back on that time as a weak point in my life, although I know people who do use religion this way, I look at it as part of the learning process. I learned a lot of great things during my time in the church. I didn't want to be like a lot of folks were who left church and became bitter and even more self absorbed (just like the church said they would). Everything we go through is a learning process and to judge all christians or any other beliefs that are different than our own in a harsh way shows (to me) that we all have a bit more learning to do.
People do NOT want to hear that they are no better than everything else on this earth. They WANT to feel entitled and they use religion to help them feel that way. I think humans are perhaps the only ARROGANT species
Not all religious folks feel superior to everything else on the planet. I know that the few groups we were discussing earlier can make it appear that way but the reality (in my experience anyway) is that most of these folks feel insecure about their own value/place in the universe and latch on to religion to help anchor them.
Some attend church for the social aspect alone and this is a valid human need. We are not meant to live in huge cities where we don't know most of our own neighbors. We come from a long history of living in small tribes where we knew everyone we saw on a daily basis and history shows that religion cropped up about the time that we started living in cities. Humans are pack animals and the separation of the "nuclear family" has taken its toll on our psychy. A lot of folks just want to feel like they belong again.
Not all religious folks feel superior to everything else on the planet. I know that the few groups we were discussing earlier can make it appear that way but the reality (in my experience anyway) is that most of these folks feel insecure about their own value/place in the universe and latch on to religion to help anchor them.
Some attend church for the social aspect alone and this is a valid human need. We are not meant to live in huge cities where we don't know most of our own neighbors. We come from a long history of living in small tribes where we knew everyone we saw on a daily basis and history shows that religion cropped up about the time that we started living in cities. Humans are pack animals and the separation of the "nuclear family" has taken its toll on our psychy. A lot of folks just want to feel like they belong again.
Sad to say... they get a big suprise when its that time.. that always makes me kinda sad for them..
Not sure why this is a problem either. Whatever you believe that brings comfort while living is fine by me. If we cease to exist or think when we die, how would it be sad that these people believed in an afterlife? They are not going to know that what they believed was wrong. They will have no sense of sadness or embarrassment. I'm not sure they are wrong. I think it would be arrogant of me to judge everyone else's beliefs, insisting that I have all the answers and they are all wrong!
I also think the term "source" is a valid one. It describes the earth's energy, or life's energy, quite well! It is not a notion that places us above any other species but rather it connects us to all life! Is this belief 100% correct and all other beliefs wrong? I seriously doubt it but if I derive some comfort from feeling connected to the rest of the universe why is this a problem? I tend to believe that there is some truth to many of the concepts that are considered "universal truths" on this planet. Why? Because it comforts me and that is enough for me at this point in my learning process.
Not sure why this is a problem either. Whatever you believe that brings comfort while living is fine by me. If we cease to exist or think when we die, how would it be sad that these people believed in an afterlife? They are not going to know that what they believed was wrong. They will have no sense of sadness or embarrassment. I'm not sure they are wrong. I think it would be arrogant of me to judge everyone else's beliefs, insisting that I have all the answers and they are all wrong!
I also think the term "source" is a valid one. It describes the earth's energy, or life's energy, quite well! It is not a notion that places us above any other species but rather it connects us to all life! Is this belief 100% correct and all other beliefs wrong? I seriously doubt it but if I derive some comfort from feeling connected to the rest of the universe why is this a problem? I tend to believe that there is some truth to many of the concepts that are considered "universal truths" on this planet. Why? Because it comforts me and that is enough for me at this point in my learning process.
