future of Religion ?
In YOUR estimation, how will religion evolve in the next 50 to 100 years? Will religion as we know it completely disappear? Will the NONES (people who have no religious denomination) increase? Will spirituality take the place of religion? Will religion evolve into a new form?I believe in the future there will be pockets of people who have religious beliefs but overall I believe the road of mankind is walking is filled with hate, distrust, and we have become self-centered. Just like the Romans were mandated to put down the Christians I see a revisiting of that strategy so I believe those who are of faith base will eventually move out of the public view.
That's odd, the Romans haven't been ruling these past many centuries, you Christians have been ruling much of the world, which could be why "mankind is walking is filled with hate, distrust, and we have become self-centered."
Maybe that was a really bad move to begin with...
Seeing how some nonbelievers have been strutting around like peacocks but I see no evidence of them bringing harmony and peace to the planet. With all their chest pounding and military weaponry I see no diminished capacity of murdering and killing by these faithless groups.
The believer, whose religions are at stake here, are forced to fabricate lies in favor of defending their ancient myths and superstitions, which without, might leave them stranded in the middle of nowhere since they haven't spent the time to learn anything about the world around them and have only wallowed in selfish denial.
This kind of behavior will be a welcome sight to see going the way of the dodo.Funny. Last I checked, it's always religious zealots (and the occasional egomaniacal warlord) who start the most gruesome and bloodiest wars, not to mention wreak terror at home.
The Crusades, anyone? The Inquisitions? Holy wars? Witch-burnings? The rack? Hot pokers in the eye sockets? Castrations? Each and every single one representing merely a fraction of the peaceful Christian religion alone, and that's not even touching the mind-boggling atrocities committed by Judaism and Islam.
Naturally, as education progresses ignorance will recede from public view.
It would certainly appear Christianity has become increasingly irrelevant and will probably become a well known myth in the next few hundred years, with Islam and Judaism following close behind.
As people become more educated, evolved, and enlightened, they will see how atavistic organized religions are. They will discard such artificiality and evolve into true spirituality without the confines of religion.
There is and has always been one God. However, there are thousandssss of concepts as to who or what this God is. Just because we can not comprehend who or what something is does not mean it does not exist.
people can not all agree as to what exist means, SOoo how do we expect to agree on much else. No matter what kind of statement is made ... someone is going to argue with it!
Yin can not exist without yang. ... Where would Zig be without Zag?What is that?
So what do you mean by "god"? Or are you saying that you do not know what it is that you say exist but simply making an assertion, to go with the flow?Is that a question in responce to my question (?) or is it an answer?
people can not all agree as to what exist means, SOoo how do we expect to agree on much else. No matter what kind of statement is made ... someone is going to argue with it!
Yin can not exist without yang. ... Where would Zig be without Zag?
or are you just argueing with a statement that you do not understand ... cause I don't understand your answer (or is that a question?It's very simple, What do "you" mean by "god " and "exist" [Let us forget about others]? You should mean something, em!!??
"Yin can not exist without yang"
What is that?As I said in the other post ... "No matter what kind of statement is made ... someone is going to argue with it!" It seems to be our nature just as it is their nature when two goats are standing in the pasture, they are going to butt heads. It doesn't matter the subject matter, any time a statement is made; someone is going to want to butt heads. yin (goat # 1) and Yang (goat # 2) require the other in order to remain within their own nature.
Though we may blame anything for it, It is this basic nature which causes all the conflict in this world.
it is oposition between positive and negative forces which causes an electric motor to turn as it is also what makes the world and everything in it to turn.That is baloney, Jerami. The conflict comes when believers tell us what we are supposed to believe and how we are supposed to behave, even when they themselves never follow their own demands.
So you do not know what you mean when you say "god exists" but is simply parroting your priest or is rambling?
So you do not know what you mean when you say "god exists" but is simply parroting your priest or is rambling?
I've seen long arguements as to what "exist" means. SOoo I'm not going to do that again. I know how I feel about the meaning of exist. I don't know how you feel about it, No matter how you try to explain what you think, everyone else can only speculate as to what you mean (as it relates th them). And surely someone is going to argue with how you expressed yourself. As my first post indicated.
If something IS, does that mean that it exists? Not necessarily. yes and No! Kinda sorta. Yep ..but !
No matter what anyone says ... somebody is going to disagree!I was asking about "god", your meaning of god [as you rightly said it is different for different person].
So you do not know what 'exist' is, but is using it?
For exist, this might help, if you have the willingness to use your intelligence
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/existYou seem to Not understand the point I was making while not capable of seeing that you are proving it to be true.
EXIST definitions which you directed for me to read.
1. To have actual being; be real.
2. To have life; live: one of the worst actors that ever existed.
3. To live at a minimal level; subsist: barely enough income on which to exist.
4. To continue to be; persist: old customs that still exist in rural areas.
5. To be present under certain circumstances or in a specified place; occur:
= - =-
First off, ALL of our answers can not be found in a dictionary
1 OK what is real?
2 something can exist having no life within.
3 And it doesn't have to have an income in order to exist.
4 If a custom can exist so can an Idea or belief
5 So ...to exist means to be present, seen or unseen
Thank you very much in helping me to understand exactly what existing means.
Without your help I would never have seen the light.First of all it is NOT exist that I am asking about, but your definition of GOD.
Secondly, I asked you to use your intelligence to make out an objective definition for exist. You understand the word 'definition', do you?Sorry I can't ever spend much time here on forrums,can't help that.
my first sratement was that it seems human nature to argue. About everything!
I've seen threads, long threads, of people argueing about what exist means. Exist, to be at some place some where. And we don't have to see it for it to exist. Customs of a people can exist, SOoo I would think that ideas also exist. It seems easy to fall under the worlds definition of "exist"I'll type slowly that you can understand. I am asking what you (first person singular) mean when you say "god(especially god )" and "exist". What others mean I will ask them, so don't be their spokesman.
I am going to answer "VERY Slowly" that you might understand, ... "I Dont know" everything there is to know concerning what this " person place or thing is" that people have placed this lable of "God" upon. I just know that there is a higher plane of existence than the one I reside. In my opinion it is very closed minded and prideful to think that humanity is the highest form of inteligent being. "Kinda like" that ant colony living in my back yard being unaware how much power I have over its existence. They may or may not have many false assumptions about who or what I am.
It is my belief that I am a resident of another plane of existence who is now temporarily visiting this physical reality.
God is that authority which resides over that other plane of existence and this one. I don't think God micromanages all of the activities which goes on. However God does intervein when he/she chooses.
I can not define what God is any more than you can define what God isn't. To make the attempt to do so would come from pure vanity. God is at least just a little bit more than humanity could ever hope to evolve into. Try to imagine what humanity might evolve into over the next 10,000 or 100,000 years. Why is it so hard for you to believe that another race has already evolved to or beyond that point?So you are only rambling without any understanding! !
By your comments it seems to me that you are the one who is not understanding! Yet ramble on and on about something that has nothing to do with my post which you were responding to.
I said ... humanity (such as yourself) has it in their nature to argue at every opportunity,
Are you trying to prove my point on purpose, avoiding the topic of my statement ARGUEING about something which has no answer which you can find acceptable...
it seems you are ramblingThat is false, Jerami. You will find arguments when folks start making ridiculously outrageous claims, especially the claims from believers. No ridiculous claims, no arguments. Simple, really.
I asked you only one thing, what do you mean when you say "god exist"? I didn't ask about anybody else or asked anything about arguing.
You do not know what exist is, yet you know there are 'planes of existence',
You do not know what god is, yet you say 'god exists',
You do not know what evolution is, yet you know there is a more evolved creature,
So if you are not rambling, then are you parroting?You ask me only one thing which was answered in the post you were replying to.
Here it is again
There is and has always been one God. However, there are thousandssss of concepts as to who or what this God is. Just because we can not comprehend who or what something is does not mean it does not exist.
We or “I” can not comprehend what a thing (GOD) is …
I personally can not comprehend how a television works, yet I know that it does.
I might be looking at only one leaf from a tree and can tell you it came from an Oak tree while knowing nothing else about the tree the leaf came from, how tall it is , how old, or where it is, or how it came to be. But you have every right to attempt to argue with me as to how I know it came from an oak tree.
It is OK for you to follow your nature to argue about anything that you want to argue about.It's not a matter of comprehension, it's a matter of evidence for which gods have none.
But, there are a lot of people who do comprehend how a television works. Your analogy fails.
But, it is a simple matter of reference to find out. Your analogy fails, once again.So - you don't understand it at all and have no evidence for it, but choose to believe in it anyway. Because it is like a television? Except you can't see it and it doesn't exist. And you don't understand that you making these claims is the basis for the argument. But - as always - it is the other guy, not you. LOL
You do not know what the term "god" means, yet you say there is thing that denotes that term and it exists. So what is this thing that you call "god". Where is it?
So what is your "concept" of 'god'? And any intelligent person knows that a concept is conceived, by a being.
You do not know what 'exist' means, so in what meaning are you using the term?
If you cannot comprehend, that is your problem but then why are arguing about something that you do not understand? That is either rambling or parroting. So which is it?
But I hope you know what a television is before trying to comprehend how it works. Your analogy television= god, so you are not saying that you do not know how television works but is saying that you do not know what television is. So what is "god"?
That is exactly what you see when you look in a mirror. According to you yourself you do not what the term "god exists" means yet you are here arguing that 'god exists'!!As I said days ago ... it is your human nature to argue against ANYTHING I might say concerning my concepts of both God, and the term EXIST, or anything else that I might proclame. It seems to me that your concepts come straight from a dictionary. When you can't find any feelings described in these words from "Your" book of choice, you assume they do not exist.
Can you think outside the boundaries of your own mind? Can you think out side the boundaries of the mind of those that you choose to follow?
Your mind is not really limited within the boundaries which you have imposed, though you believe it is.
And you become arguementive when you think others are not following your example.
It seems that you (we all) become infected by the things we fight against.
When fighting against something it is possible to become worse than the thing we hate.
I'm not saying you don't ... but ... IF ,, you have no joy or peace in your life, it is difficult for you to believe that any one else has it in their life. You want them to "Prove" it to you. If I take the time and energy to attempt to prove anything to you, I will have taken my mind off of the things I normaly do in maintaining that thing which I "WAS" keeping.
The only way I can prove anything to you is through example, and you are not close enough to me in my enviroment to see the example that I attempt to show.Mind has boundaries? ? Do you want to say any more nonsense? And I see that you are avoiding the questions that are asked but simply rambling on and on
No, the arguments stem from the false claims about your God and the term 'exist'.
And, your concepts come from a book of myths and superstitions. A dictionary's purpose is to define words so we can communicate effectively.
Our "feelings" are irrelevant to the definition of words.
Yes, we are able to think, however it appears you have issues with that.
That makes no sense at all and only serves to show thinking is foreign to you.
Like the fighting you and other believers cause with your religious beliefs?A Troubled Man said to me
No, the arguments stem from the false claims about your God and the term 'exist'.
= - =
Me to ATM ...Are you SOooooo stupid as to think that every arguement in the world is about religion. You make it sound like it!
========================
ATM said to me ...And, your concepts come from a book of myths and superstitions. A dictionary's purpose is to define words so we can communicate effectively.
= - =
You have no idea as to what (but a fraction of ) my concepts are! You "act" as though you have majic powers seeing into the minds of everyone else in the world and they are "ALL" more stupid than you are. Well that is good for you, I am impressed. You are right, the dictionary is for the purpose of improving communication between two or more individuals. You can not find wisdom the definition of words in the dictionary any more than a believer can find wisdom from reading words in their bible.
======================
ATM said to me ...Our "feelings" are irrelevant to the definition of words.
= - =
Well I am glad I do not have to explain that to you. Cause unless you can understand the feelings represended by the words, you have gained nothing by understanding definitions.
==========================
Atm said to me ...
Yes, we are able to think, however it appears you have issues with that.
That makes no sense at all and only serves to show thinking is foreign to you.
Like the fighting you and other believers cause with your religious beliefs?
= - =
And what was the point you were making with these three scentences, Were you trying to make me cry?Well done, placing the word stupid in your post.
Yet, another well placed "stupid".
Much more than you have gained by not understanding definitions.
No, I was trying to get you to call me stupid. Did it work?
There are no arguments in regards to what exist means, except the ones you believers start and employ and never really gaining any understanding in the process, hence you continue to argue about it because you really, really, really wish your god existed.
It isn't so much about human nature as it is the ideology that drives good people to do bad things.
I have always believed organized religion causes much more harm than good. My hope for humanity is that as the years pass more and more people will begin to use their brains instead of a book to tell them what is good and what is bad. I think it is wonderful for people to have their own journeys that lead them to what makes them happy. However I think forcing it on children and others should never happen. So my hope is that in the future people will stop trying to force their own journey on others. I think this is already starting. More and more people are questioning what they were taught as a child. More and more people are growing to accept those that aren't just like them. It will be a wonderful day when religion no longer has any say in any government, sadly I am not sure that day will ever come.
I personally believe there will always be organized religion, because it is a useful instrument to control people, and hey, honestly, some people want to just follow something. It gives them comfort or allows them not to grapple with significant existential issues (death, the existence of suffering, the purpose of life, etc.).
That being said, I also believe people will continue to be interested in the "spiritual" dimension of life and we will increasingly see the growth of the "spiritual but not religious" and other forms of inclusive, new religions, or traditional religions adopting a lighter attitude towards dogma and belief. I think this perspective will take into account information from science, and particularly quantum physics, in attempts to create a kind of "unified theory of spirituality," one which can be expressed in various traditions and their theological language. However, as I stated in the paragraph above, I think this will be contested by those who will cling to more "conservative" views.The future of religion?
Probably will wind up the same way as astrology, a quarter page of mindless entertainment in a newspaper.
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