I’ve been looking into a tradition for the last few years that died out nearly 1,500 years ago that has me wondering the opposite.
How in the present day with the clear trajectory of science and technology we are currently working on do we not realize this ancient and relatively well known text isn’t some mystical mumbo jumbo but is straight up dishing on the nature of our reality?
I think there’s a stubbornness of thought that exists among most humans regarding what they think they know about life which blinds both the religious and non-religious.
There are lots of reasons. Some people want answers for questions that we don’t have scientific answers for yet, or that science can’t possibly answer.
Some people want to use a framework to justify their behavior.
Some people are scared or disgusted by the implications of our knowledge, and they want it to be something different.
Some people want to manipulate others.
There are many religions because there are many reason why they exist.
questions that we don’t have scientific answers for yet, or that science can’t possibly answer
I’ll be the Devil’s advocate for this one and say that there are very few questions that science can’t legitimately answer to any degree, like what consciousness is. But for others like why the universe became what it is today and how it works, it’s just not a satisfying answer for someone who has no interest or hasn’t studied physics and chemistry to a reasonable degree. Like, the way that we can partly explain a lot of what goes on from the flow of energy or that life’s purpose is to reproduce in biology, what a let down of an answer that is for someone who was promised a grandiose explanation of everything.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I can see why people retreat back to religion for these answers. And tangentially, this is why I think we need more people like Carl Sagan who can genuinely paint our understanding of the natural world in a more awe-inspiring way for the average person without becoming a meme themselves like some of these other celebrities.
Science can’t answer any “why.” It can explain how and what, but it can’t give meaning. If someone thinks it does give meaning, they have turned it into a religion.
I’m well aware but I don’t mean why as in “why it is that it is”, but why as in how we got to where we are. “Why is the world round?” (spherical for the pedantics amongst us) is perfectly answerable by Science and it’s not an existential question.
One problem is trying to discern people who have truly religious beliefs, vs. people that are lazy lairs.
I think Trump supporters that talk of him being chosen by God are lazy lairs. They have a racist world view, can’t justify it, so bring God into the argument. They have no real interest into looking deeply at questions or reality; they laugh at those that do.
Is this a problem to my answer? It just seems like another explanation.
Frankly, it doesn’t matter if religious beliefs are truly held or not, the results are the same.
Trump supporters are fucking morons, I’d take 50/50 odds on there being a trump cult in the next 15 years that worship him as a second coming, and that would be valid as a religion.
Despite increasing knowledge, there is still a lot we don’t know. People will always use religion to fill the gaps in our knowledge. Especially the questions, “why is there something rather than nothing?” And “what do you experience when you die”, which imo are unknowable (although we’ve got pretty good evidence for the latter answer being “nothing”)
I believe in “at least one god” as a Thelemite and a Freemason. I wasn’t raised religious at all, in fact my secular parents actively discouraged me from taking part in faith-based activities with my friends. When I grew up, though, I realized this couldn’t be it and went on a Quest for the Truth.
God is Math. God is the Sun. God is NOT an imaginary friend, as they say, “hanging around up there”.
The sun gives light and life to the World. Every winter, it dies on the cross for three days and is thus resurrected. Since time immemorial people have worshipped the sun.
Math, on the other hand, is literally the reason our atoms hold together. It’s the reason the planets form. It’s ubiquitous and ineffable, tying together the universe in ways we do not understand.
Calling common things of nature “God” is just adding unnecessary complexity and trying to give purpose to what has none. Things don’t exist to serve us, we adapted to these things for us to exist.
About the “math god”, math doesn’t hold the atoms together, it just explains it.
The first religions worshipped the sun. The figureheads of most major religions are stand-ins for the sun, including Jesus Christ.
Additionally I’d argue that religion exists expressly to give purpose. Regardless of whether or not God exists, the fact that human beings look to God alone should be proof of that.
So you’re just redefining God. That’s fine, but it’s not helpful in a discussion where people assume by default you’re using a common definition of God.
Despite our advancements, there are still a multitude of questions that science simply doesn’t have a sufficient answer for, and possibly never will. Not knowing the answers to these profound and existential questions can cause anxiety and stress in some individuals, but if they fill that knowledge gap with religion, spirituality, mysticism, or superstition, it suddenly becomes a lot less painful on their psyche. In short, some people need religion because they are unable to cope without it.
Our species simply hasn’t had enough time to be subjected to the kinds of selection pressures that would filter out such individuals. The opposite is probably happening, considering the strong correlation between people who have multiple children and people who identify as belonging to a certain religious sect or group. Perhaps it will always be a flaw of the human race, to seek out knowledge that we can’t understand and ascribe meaning to it so that we might make ourselves feel more important than we truly are in a vast cold universe.
Religion isn’t just about evolution and how old the earth is, those are distractions from the big issues. All of the knowledge in the world won’t help you deal with the questions, “Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose? What is the point of it all?”, “Do we just die and disappear?” Knowing all the science in the world won’t make you feel at peace with these questions.
We are emotional creatures who are sadly aware of our mortality. Many need a parental figure to keep us in line, “God is watching”, and a companion for loneliness and hopelessness, “Jesus loves you” when no one else will or can help. It can feel like you have some protection against things overwise out of your control (disasters, wars, sudden deaths, accidents, illness, etc). Many people like the structure it brings their life and the comradery from being part of a like-minded group. Some join the military for this, some go into orthodox religions thick with rules and traditions, like Hassidic Jews. It can lead to a strong tribalism too, same with politics, where you instinctively distrust those who believe differently but feel you can trust those who do because you feel you understand what they feel and think.
Add comment