In most countries on Earth, most people are religious. But why? The main reason is that children assume the religion of their parents[SUB]7[/SUB] and they are unlikely to ever switch[SUB]8[/SUB], or, if they do convert, it will be to become a member of a different religion that is also popular where they live[SUB]9[/SUB]
Another arbitrary thread about arbitrariness !!
If one goes back before religion, one finds that Birth itself is arbitrary, one egg gets fertilized out of million drops or so of sperm.
Sex of the subject is arbitrary - the newborn had no choice whether to be born as male or female or neuter
The siblings of the subject are arbitrary - I do not get to choose my brother or sister or my cousins.
The time it takes for earth to revolve around itself is arbitrary and can at best be approximated to 24 hours.
The time taken by earth to revolve around the sun is also arbitrary.
One should admire the social scientists of JNU type who somehow or the other tie everything to religion or God or faith and keep on beating around the bush.
Religion was a medium for ancients to understand and reconcile with nature and to have a social cohesion for them to live with the least friction possible among the tribemates.
I do not see any problem in inherited faith because all faith teach only positive things. It is science and technology which has a deleterious effect by using a system of logic that is at best quackish in nature and in the worst case leading to dangerous knowledge. The fault mostly lies in the axioms and assumptions made.
You have to understand the difference between what the religions actually teach and what is actually practiced. Your example of a terrorists beliefs about religion as what the religions teach is totally off the mark.Do you really believe that all faiths teach the same thing?
I do not think so.
We have been fightings wars over religion.
I do not believe that there are 72 virgins waiting in heaven for each terrorist.
So let us not gloss the ugliness.
You have to understand the difference between what the religions actually teach and what is actually practiced. Your example of a terrorists beliefs about religion as what the religions teach is totally off the mark.
Yes, there are a lot more arbitrary things in life. But not all "arbitrary thing" is same, just as there are various shades of gray.
Secondly, our knowledge about anything and everything is just rudimentary, and not complete.
Mankind thought that The Sun revolves around the Earth, now we know better. So what we thought we knew has to change.
Similarly, according to Karma theory, our life on this earth is not arbitrary, it is based on our past karmas.
According to Christianity, life on this earth is by "intelligent design" and not arbitrary.
Elohim (the Hebrew generic word for God) creates the heavens and the earth in six days, then rests on, blesses and sanctifies the seventh.
So what seems arbitrary to some seems precious to others.
Just because a table has four legs and a cow has four legs, you can not say a table is a cow.
Meaning of any Word in any language is context driven and does not have a precious meaning.
When 98% of the world inherits "religion" arbitrarily, why do they wear it on their sleeve? People get passionate and carry out genocide in its name.
Maybe few of us in this group think they fall in that 2% category.
But the majority of people are in that larger group and do not realize it.
Simple question...can you give up your beliefs?
As far as I know you subscribe to Brahman concept...can you give that up cos that.too is inherited
None of us have original thought.
You have to understand the difference between what the religions actually teach and what is actually practiced. Your example of a terrorists beliefs about religion as what the religions teach is totally off the mark.
At your plane maybe it is the same.
The average person on the street follows his/her religion as they are indoctrinated. Don't tell that a terrorist who blows himself up in the name "GOD" is not religious.
Yes indeed at a higher plane they are the same. There are some who misuse it and seek advantage from it. but in their true essence , all religions teach only the positive. If you talk of misuse, even technology can be misused . In fact technology is more misused than properly used.
yes each religion asks one to put trust in its God. that is because the faith in god has to be very strong to develop positive feelings and allegiance to one God helps in doing that for an average person. If you go beyond the surface you see all teach love. No religion asks you to hate another, show anger towards another, be lustful or practice envy and greed.
Kindly think about this before making sweeping statements about religion.
yes each religion asks one to put trust in its God. that is because the faith in god has to be very strong to develop positive feelings and allegiance to one God helps in doing that for an average person. If you go beyond the surface you see all teach love. No religion asks you to hate another, show anger towards another, be lustful or practice envy and greed.
Kindly think about this before making sweeping statements about religion.
Well that is the problem with literal interpretations. God represents perfection . to the buddhists buddha represents that perfection. You need to believe in something supreme to whom you can always look up to. That fascination of and total belief in something perfect is something that every human does.
by the way does buddha teach anything fundamentally different other than love towards fellow human beings?