Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Typhoid
I dont know about you, but I've seen the chain of evolution. I can piece it together, I can see how it works and how it makes sense. I've never seen two people materialize out of thin air.
And I've never understood why there are so many religions. Surely, each God is the god, so why does the rest of the world not worship him/her/it/them as well?
Can a god not just "rule" a certain section of the planet? Much like a president.
In a sense what I'm trying to get across here would be like telling an army of ants that we cut the world up into sections and let a handful of people dictate that region, if you get what I'm saying.
|
You raise some important issues and good questions. Questions are always good, especially when it comes to religion. Afterall, how deep can one's faith be if it cannot withstand an objective analysis.
1) Evolution - Yes, it is accepted to be the leading theory, but it is still a theory, regardless of common sense related observation. The "missing link", as in man's missing link in the evolutionary chain, is not the only questionable area of evolution. The most controversial area in evolution is one of the earliest in the fossil record: The jump from bacteria and virulent organisms to that of single celled. Now that might not sound like a big jump, but in terms of bio-engineering they are worlds apart in both size and complexity. There is also no evidence of a beginning of evolution. Once again, it is accepted and probably theory, but still theory. Not fact and probably never will be.
2) Number fo Religions - Yes, there are many religions, but most of them are pretty similar. Even the religions that do not prescribe to a single god have other areas in common. EX. Many theologists separate modern religions from paganism is one important area: morals are not separate from the religion. Most early "pagan" belief structures treated morals independently from the religion. To give some kind of frame of reference let me say this: If Christianity was structured like a "pagan" religion, it would be possible to murder someone, cheat on your wife, etc. and still be considered a "good Christian" as long as you loved Christ above all others. Now Catholocism technically has the "get out of jail free card" of confession, I still doubt any Catholic would consider a murderer to be a good Christian regardless of confessional visits. Catholicism also had the habit of assimillating pagan rituals into their dogma and confession may have been a moral compromise to attract converts that had trouble living up to a Christian code of morals.
3) God as Governor - This one is easy to address. Any Christian would say that God gave man free will along with the teachings of the bible. It is up to man to live up to those teachings, not up to God to impose those teachings on them. Treating God as a parent who must eventually allow his children to make their own decisions/mistakes is a common theme that goes back to Adam and Eve. And as illustrated by Adam and Eve, there are consequences when man fails to live up to God's teachings. This all harkens back to the incorporation of morals into religion. I'm not sure if this is what you were referring to with you "ants" post, but its either this or a polytheist approach that is reminiscent of pagan views of multiple Gods that anyone can choose to prescribe to.