Monotheism and other "desert" religious views?

Question

There are many scientific studies linking culture, ecology, violence and religious belief. The evidence suggests that the more full the landscape (jungles, etc.) the more likely the people are to feel connected and safe, thus producing polytheistic and inclusive belief systems. Monogamy is more prevalent, and women seen as equals, because they can produce from the rich landscape as well as the men, and there is lass emphasis on purely physical security. Monotheism is then seen as a product of people living in barren, exposed landscapes, with war and famine being common. God is often a vengeful, protective masculine figure in these systems. The technological advances of the modern world are creating a new mixture of isolation and connectivity; too many choices, not enough personal contact. Is this one reason why the old religions are not serving our current need? Do we need to move back to fundamental experiences and build our spirituality anew?

|Here are 2 links. The first is an anthropolgy article on religion and ecology, etc. The second is on choices and discomfort.

http://www.discover.com/issues/aug-05/features/desert-people/

http://www.godspy.com/culture/tyranny_of_choice.cfm

Note I said more likely. I recognize that killing (including cannibalism) have been part of every culture in the world.

Sorry Jim, eternally damning a child who cannot have done better is not loving.

Answer 1

It is no great mystery why religion born of suffering is more enduring than one born of abundance. Look to your own experience, when something is acquired though ease we value it less than when we acquire the same thing through hardship, it is a form of appreciation. A religion born of suffering explains the suffering and tells how to alleviate it (even if it is mysticism not fact) as opposed to a religion that has no doctrine to explain newly experienced harsh realities.

To answer you last question, no, it is a flawed plan to alter experience to fit religion. What needs to happen (and what I believe is happening) is religions needs to adapt to fit our experience. We can learn to narrow our choices and decrease depression NOT by having those choices taken away but by learning to get to know ourselves and what is important to us.

You hear over and over again throughout your life to just be yourself. The problem I had, the problem the vast majority of people have is, who exactly am I. I was taught to define myself by how other people react to me. I was given labels to apply to myself, Christian, nerdy, athletic, partier, bookish, brash, brazen, Muslim, Buddhist, biker, businessman, stockbroker, accountant, soldier, successful, broke, stable, etc… The problem arises in trying to find a label that is close to my interests because once a label is acquired we tend to try and live up to the definition we have chosen to define ourselves by.

Religion needs to change in a way that allows us to learn who we are without labels. It is written in the Bible and taught in Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Islam, etc… that all you need to do to find God is search within yourself. As you search within yourself you learn who you are and knowing who you truly are brings you closer to understanding your creator. As you begin to know yourself you also begin to grow in confidence because you start to understand what you need to choose in order to make yourself happy. Aligning your will with God, as the Christians put it, is nothing more than getting to know yourself and understanding what you truly want.

Accepting responsibility for your choices is another aspect of this. The devil made me do it is flawed. If the devil (which I do not believe exists) made you do anything you have just proven every religion wrong that claims there is free will. If you truly do not want to be fat then do NOT overeat, if you want people to like you then be someone who treats people well, if you want to be a good person then do not try to do good things, BE a good person.

Once you get to know yourself for who you truly are AND accept responsibility for being that person, you are well on your way to realizing that your beliefs define your existence. You can ONLY live what you truly believe. The choices you make are based on the results you believe those choices will bring. As your experience, observation, reason and common sense bring you new information about the reality of the consequences of different choices it is imperative that you learn to change your beliefs to fit the new information you have instead of ignoring the information and blaming circumstances or God.

We stand at the threshold of a new era in human existence. Never before has this large of a percentage of the human species been this educated and had this freedom of access to information. We have the opportunity to build upon all the spiritual Truths that every civilization has found by comparing them all side by side with an objective eye. Our other choice is to continue on doing what our ancestors have done and suffering the same consequences that they have suffered (with the exception of warfare, we have outstripped our predecessors to the point of being able to self destruct our very existence). The choice is ours as a species. Scientifically the question is: Does intelligence benefit a species long term survival. Spiritually the question is: What will mankind do with the gift of its own existence?

Answer 2

Wow! Wonderful question! I really feel like I have learned something very interesting today, thx to you.

Well, shortly: "bla bla bla: what do we need?"

According to my own beliefs: I only trust an exact science called "planetology" (studies any kind of planets) in this field.

I haven't any pragmatical proofs about this all yet (I definitely don't trust any data about ufo's, aliens and so on), but I believe there are lots of non-earthian life forms in the Universe.

And among them, I believe there are many "intelligent" life forms.
- but I haven't any idea about what they "look" like. Awaiting datat from planetologists.

I do acknowledge the fact that everyone needs to believe in something, whatever is the origin of this need.

I think I am an "agnostic" enthusiast fan of planetology - that's all.

Answer 3

the Mayas? The Incas? they didnt sound that peacable

of course the most violent group on record in history was from the jungles of South America .. the Widani tribe who were called the Aucas. They rarely lived long enough to become grandparents

they were the most violent people group on record spearing and being speared....untill ....they learned God's Son was speared for them and they declared to the other tribes who they previouly fought with that they would not spear back and homicides dropped 70%

Answer 4

You mentioned "God is often a vengeful, protective masculine figure" Nothing about being loving and forgiving. Seems you don't like those essential qualities of the christian God...Jim

Answer 5

how come then, that some ancient indigenous folks ritually killed their fellows, ie; South America ? I think Argentina or Peru. This is documented.

Answer 6

Thus why I do not believe in any God.

People should pull together for the better of Nature...

Answer 7

We need the Bene-Gesserit to help us with a new Missionaria.

Answer 8

interesting

Answer 9

interesting. Thanks for the info