I believe religion is an invention of the human beings.
In my opinion, the thought of religion being an invention, does not make religion bad or fake. Religion in my view is within the same category of many others of our inventions, let's put one as comparison: Science.
Science is an invention of humans to explain, interpret and mainly predict the world. The difference of science is that when a new model predicts the world better than the old one, it simple adopts the new model and re-adapts. Science is an invention for us to understand the world and predict it. And we invented it because we needed to solve those issues.
In the same way, I believe we (as humanity) invented religion because we needed to solve some issues. We needed to explain creation and death, we needed to give hope to the desperate ones, we needed to organize society, to control reproduction, diseases and other health and economic issues. Those needs are that universal that all societies found and documented have had religion. (take care, the fact that nowadays we have better ways to solve those issues does not denies the origin of religion as an invention to solve real-life problems)
Now, let me believe that I made myself clear explaining that Science and Religion are both inventions of human beings to solve real problems of humanity.
In that sense, I believe none of them are bad, evil, stupid or wrong, nor it is to believe on any of them. Not because we've used religion to kill people we can state religion is bad. It would be the same to say that science is bad, evil, stupid and wrong because we created the atomic bomb thanks to it. Religion has rescued people from suicide, depression and has given hope, energies and sense of life to people in deep existence problems. In the same sense science has saved lives through medicine just to put an example.
So none of them are bad in itself, the problem is in the subject who uses the invention.
I am not against religion, as I believe everyone has the right to believe in something, as I believe everyone has the right to choose how to orientate its political and sexual life.
But during my trip to the Holy Land (and a bit in India too), I realized something is wrong in how religion is lived: It is very sad that religions (or religious people) tend to worship objects (such a wall-the wailing wall-, a rock-the temple of the rock-, or a "grave"-the holy sepulcre-) instead of worshiping the greatest creation of those gods: Us, the Human Beings! And that twisted view, of worshiping objects instead of humanity has led us to humiliate, dominate, torture and kill each other, it has led us to kill the greatest creation of those gods. That's ironic, wicked and dam sad!!
Holy Sepulchre Church - People worshiping a stone
Heavily armed Jewish settler in Hebron worshiping a wall
unarmed Jew worshiping the wailing wall
Poorly armed Muslim protecting the Temple of the Rock, where muslims worship a rock
Discussion: I still have parts of my vision that I haven't clarified yet. One of them is regarding the symbolic nature of the human beings. One could say that they are not worshiping objects but symbols, which as humans, makes us unique. I still have to thing about it.
So far my only conclusion, is that religions should worship the human being and nature as a whole, rather than particular human beings and particular objects from the nature.
I don't see why science is an invention. There is nothing made-up about it. It is something we do. We observe and try to find patterns. That is science.
ReplyDeleteNow, religion is also something we do (we meet and pray etc) but is based on something made-up/invented: God.
And I am wondering.. 'greatest creation'???? Are you serious? I can see your religious upbringing in these words, but I suggest that you logically think about it. First of all, what creation? And then, why great, what is so greater than every other form of life? I don't see it, I don't believe it.
About the second part:
Delete* why I call it creation? because I am talking about those religions who believed in creation.
* why greatest? because I am talking about those religions who see Human Being as the son of their god.
* You've got a point there, any form of life is great. let's say the "greatest creation" of those gods is nature itself.
Now, about the first part.
don't confuse the origin of the object-of-discussion (science and religion) with the ways to use them.
A pen and a cup are used in very different ways, although both are inventions. Science and Religion are used and implemented in very different ways, but both were invented by us. Just put it like this, with no human beings there is no religion, nor knowledge to be collected and organized, nor hypothesis to be tested, nor models to be described. Humans created god and science, without us, non of those existed.
none of those would exist.*
DeleteIn that sense everything is an invention. Cooking, taking a walk, discussing, all is invented by us.
Deleteto walk is not an invention in itself, in my opinion.
Deleteto cook, yes. that is an invention.
and yes. almost everything is an invention in my opinion.
Esto está para hablarlo largo y tendido.. pero me quedo con dos opiniones:
ReplyDelete1. Estoy de acuerdo en que todos tenemos derecho a creer lo que queramos, pero teniendo esto en cuenta:
"the fact that nowadays we have better ways to solve those issues does not denies the origin of religion as an invention to solve real-life problems" creo que si hay que tomar decisiones políticas, que en su naturaleza nos afectan a todos los ciudadanos del mundo, deberíamos sacar la influencia de la religión y la opinión de la iglesia en la toma de estas decisiones. Muchos países ya lo hacen y Colombia se supone que es un país laico, pero estamos LEJOS de que sea una realidad.
2. Sobre tu propuesta "...religions should worship the human being and nature as a whole, rather than particular human beings and particular objects from the nature" creo que ellos no están adorando los objetos en sí, sino que los usan como un medio de comunicación o de conexión con lo que realmente adoran que es el dios (dioses). Como cuando uno se aferra a una foto o a una cosa por el recuerdo de otra persona.
Pero si tu propuesta es que en vez de usar esos objetos de comunicación (y por ende no adorar al dios), deberíamos impresionarnos con nosotros mismos, valorarnos como la mejor creación de esos dioses, ver el dios en el otro o en uno mismo, estoy de acuerdo. Pero te cuento como anécdota que cuando le conté a mi familia que pensaba que podía vivir una vida tranquila, feliz y ser una buena persona sin creer en Dios lo que más les preocupó fue mi falta de humildad al confiar solo en mis capacidades humanas y no necesitar de las sobrenaturales. Creerme mi propio Dios. Así que tu propuesta de adorarnos los unos a los otros tal vez sea un poco controversial y polémica. (Si es que sí la entendí bien. Si no la entendí, no es controversial ni polémica sino confusa ;)).
-Ani
respecto a 2. sí, de acuerdo contigo. por eso al final digo que aun tengo que aclarar unas posturas respecto a la Naturaleza Simbolica del Hombre. que se refiere a eso que dice.
DeleteIn the end, what is your point? You want a religion that worships humans so that... what? You think problems will be solved? Respect will appear? Abuse will end? Replace worshiping symbols by worshiping humans.. why is that even necessary?
ReplyDeleteLiving together in peace and respect is the important part. If some people feel better by taking strength from a stone, that is not a problem. Religion is there to help us and it is not the one responsible for all the killings etc. Even those without a religion can be cruel to each other.
Elpi, I am not proposing a new/better religion, I am not trying to solve the problems of humanity nor inventing the way of infinite respect, of end of abuse.
DeleteI am just sharing my view about how focusing on worshiping material stuff leads to the humiliation of entire communities as I saw in Israel and Palestine.
As you say Religion is not responsible for all the killings. That is precisely what i am trying to say in my post. Religion is not bad in itself.
I am just saying that taking strength from a particular stone leads those who take strength from it, to wall it, to protect it, to put guns outside it and to kill human beings to avoid some else to touch the stone.
take a look, I just say it's sad that "religions (or religious people) tend to worship objects"
I agree, even someone without religion can be crue to each other. But that point is out of my scope, and I am not saying that religion is cruel. My scope was just that worshiping objects has been a great excuse to do sad things to other human beings.
So, u r saying that if they were worshiping something alive (eg human) there would be no cruelty?
Deletenot at all. that is not what I am saying.
DeleteWhat I believe is that there would be less excuses to humiliate and exclude communities.
and i am not talking about worshiping "A Human", what I say is about worshiping "the human beings" just as an example
Great thoughts! You got me thinking:)
ReplyDeleteYou are making a really good point and I really enjoyed this post!