Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Neo
No, morality is a survival characteristic which was created through evolution. It's in our best interest not to kill others so we don't have to worry about them killing or hurting us. The ten commandments were a result of these tendencies, not the other way around.
|
I do not agree at all and honestly history doesn;t agree with you either. Look up the history of religions and morality and how they relate to one another. Look up how advanced man was before they were combined and advanced through religion. This idea that the morals that we hold dear today would exist without religion is a complete fabrication.
Quote:
|
More people have died because of religious hatred than for any other reason. How's that for value? I agree it is a book of moral parables, but that doesn't change the static nature of religion. And how am I hand-picking specifics? The things I mentioned are all CRITICAL aspects of religion and have not changed. What important aspects of religion do you think have changed over the years, other than those that have changed due to the pressure of rational scientific thinking? I'm not taunting here, I genuinely would like to know. Maybe you're right and I'm not being objective. I can admit that.
|
I think you aren't being objective and thats whats keeping you from seeing the big picture. I'm not here to absolve religion of any of its wrong-doings, but I'm not going to let those wrong-doings blind me the the mountain of benefits religion has blessed humanity with. And by benefits, I mean CIVILIZATION. Religion was the first ever tie that bound man together beyond family and immediate tribe. It allowed for people to relate to one another and create bonds. You claim how religion has killed so many people, I see how very likely most of us wouldn't be here without it. Also, your opinion that science has been the leading force in religious changes is rediculous. The leading force has always been assimillation. Catholics don't follow ritual because of physics. It was because they wanted to "save" other peoples.
I'm also shocked that you don't realize your own religious tendencies in your posts. Your absolute faith is science to answer all questions smacks more of religion that empiricism.
I'll leave you with this little idea. If you are going to continue with the argument that religion does not exist because of inconsistencies in its practice and dogma, then I'll make this absolute statement of fact:
Since the level changing of electrons in many atoms defies all scientific
laws that we know, and those laws are considered hard facts and we base all of atomic theory on them, the fact that they defy those laws means that the atom doesn't exist. There are no atoms now. But wait, don't there have to be atoms? Then what are we touching? Well, who knows, but we do know since atoms don't make any sense anymore because of a minor contradiction. They don't exist anymore. We don't exist. I'm not writing this right now.
Chew on it, its delicious.
Neo, you do not understand faith and its immense power for good as well as evil. All you see is evil because you've never cared to examine the good. Until you do, you will never understand religion or really understand why you are so angry at it.