Can you convince me that religion is authentic and not a method devised by the few to control the many?

Question

Reference to religious/spiritual texts (i.e., the Bible) are not helpful since I have no proof/reason to believe they're of divine origin, unless a foundation for believing otherwise is presented first.

Mere statements of look at the miracle of _____(birth, life, the universe, etc...) are also unconvincing unless proved to be solely possible through divine acts.

Answer 1

Well, seeing as to you've already stated the obvious, I don't think you'll get any logical Answers here.

I wonder if Amu Abdallah and his other Moslem friends will do their usual copy and pastes of inane quotes to answer you with. God, these "Religious" people can get quite droll.

Here's wishing you a Happy New Year!!!

Answer 2

It's funny that you should say that...

Just 8 months ago, a man that was born without pupils was healed at church and can see again. His eyes were completely white and he was permanently blind. The doctors said he would never see and there was no treatment. This man was 45 years old and came to church just to praise God. He has been in this area all his life and had been a member of the church of more than 500 members for 10 years. His mother and grandmother both still live here and have since the miracle been converted to Christianity. After being in church at the altar for 20 minutes, his eyes were healed. He got pupils and all. Right now, doctors have examined him some of everywhere and written him off as a miracle. He will soon be appearing on talk shows. I, myself, was there to witness this and this is only one miracle that I've personally seen. That's not to speak of a miracle I received myself.

Outside of that, the Bible isn't the only book in which Jesus and God are mentioned. As a matter of fact, more than 3000 various sources verify that the Bible is authentic. Then, when you look at the prophetic nature of the Bible, there is no way it can be a fraud and be anything but divine in nature.

Every single thing in nature is controlled by something. I look at it like this... why not obey what is written when it is good for all mankind? It doesn't hurt to obey the Bible. It is the only real source for peace on Earth. There are too many eyewitness accounts of provable miracles to write it off as a scam... a scam that's lasted more than 6000 years. Do your research? You decide.

Answer 3

religion is just as you say it is- devised by a few for the control of many.
Spirituality on the otherhand is completely personal and ponder that no matter what you call water- in whatever language you use- it is still water. Same with God or Spirit or however you reference your Source- if you believe you have one.

I am open and curious as to the religious beliefs of people throughout history and love, Love, LOVE Deepak Chopra on the subject. Very open and lets you draw your own conclusion.

We are all born into this world alone and it is an individual quest for the divine. No one can convince you but you so keep looking within and read Deepak Chopra's book "The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire"- great, great book.

Good Luck and hope this helps!

Answer 4

There are many means where a few control the many.

Parental upbringing.
Peer pressure.
School.
Politics.
Work-place chain of authority.
Marketing and advertizing.
Media.
Et Cetera - you get the picture.

Some means of control or influence are Benign.

Some are beneficial to the individual and to society.

Some means of control aim to benefit the controller's interests, with a view to a mutual exchange of benefits.

Some are negative, and influence the individual to the detriment of society and the individual.

Religion seeks to socialize people in positive ways so they will get along better, live happier, and learn wisdom.

It seeks to save people who have failed in some way, a second chance. A way to wipe the past clean, and move on --- forgiven.

In this way, those who would control others by convicting over and over again with guilt from past mistakes are thwarted. If God forgives you, who can put the guilt trip back on you ? No-one !!
In this way, there is FREEDOM, not control !!!

How can you knock teaching like Galations 5:22-23 ? This is not control. It is just social teaching.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
.

Answer 5

It is not for man to convince you of any thing. I now what it is that you seek; you are looking for some one to tell or show you something that is not so obvious, that something that will spark the fire in your soul. I know this because I wanted the same thing. I shot down everything that was presented to me. Like I said it is not for a person to convince you of the Most High. When you decide to search you must do so with an open mind, try to push aside all of the things you have been programed to believe, act like a child that has begun to explore a new world. This is just the advice that I give because I have found that which I seek. I bid you success in your journey.

Answer 6

There are some religions that are a method devised by the few to control the many. Of course. Religion can be an excellent tool for that.
However that does not mean all faith is that way. Politics is much more that way.
But to answer your question: "Can I convince you?" No, not here on this page. It would be very tiresome to put a whole speel of arguments on this page that might not even be adressing your doubts. We would need to have a real conversation, and it would take time. It's not like convincing you that the square of the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle is the sum of the two other sides squared.
We're talking about life and death, the creator, the Judge of all things. You couldn't even convince someone that plants grow in son, good fertilized warth and regular watering, on this page. If someone didn't believe it, this page would never be adequate to deal with that. And here we are dealing with something that has much higher stakes.

Answer 7

Can i convince you? No not if you don't want to be convinced.
The first Religions were Sun worshiping ones. Then came a mix of rain, air, fire ones. to help explain the things that were happening in the world. And yes some Bright people decided that this was a good way to make themselves the people in charge . At least until they had to many bad guesses and the People starved. Then the Ruler usually thought of as of divine origin. Were Killed.And another put in their place.

Answer 8

I think you are talking about capitalism! A system "devised by the few to control the many".

As far as religions are concerned, why don't you look at what they have common?

Most if not all serious religions teach that the "golden rule" is the right way to live by. Just Google for "compassion and forgiveness" in the various religions and you'll find that there is a common thread.

But I think that Jesus stated it most clearly while asking us to love our neighbours even those who don't agree with us.

Egotism, self-centeredness, greed are the root of all fear, hate and war.

Could you immagine, if all Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sihks, Hindus and others, who ALL have been given the teachings of compassion and forgiveness, would live up to that? There would be peace on earth!!

Why do we not live up to the best advise ever given to mankind??

Answer 9

Saul was a very religious man who persecuted many, many Christians. Saul cursed these Christians, and he mocked the idea of Jesus being God's son. Saul hated Jesus, and he especially hated these crazy Christians.

. . . One day, Saul was walking down a road, when a bright light threw him onto the ground, and a voice said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

You might know him as Paul the Apostle. Saul(Now known as Paul) changed his ways, and this former persecutor ended up writing half of the New Testament in the Bible.

SO HOW DO I KNOW THIS IS REAL???
Because something happened to Paul that made him change. How do I know that Paul was not interested in brainwashing people? Because for many years, he endured persecution and he was tortured. Would you be willing to be tortured and killed for your faith? If you made up your own religion, would you be willing to endure many years of persecution? Would you subject yourself to death, being beheaded as Paul was?

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

You ask for proof that you can see with your eyes. Though there are an overwhelming amount of evidence for Jesus, none of that proof matters more than faith. I recently became a Christian, and I can tell you that God is real. He's answered so many prayers in my life, you wouldn't even believe me if I told you all the things he's done for me.

Ask yourself, what if?

What if God is real?
What if all your questions never get answered?
What if you never find the proof you're looking for?
What if God loves you and wants to talk to you?
What if all religions seem the same, and all claim to be the true religion?

What if I tell you that I love you, and that your life is about to be changed dramatically?

WHAT IF THERE'S HOPE?

Answer 10

There is a concept in theological study called invincible ignorance. That's not meant as a slam, but it does describe people who are determined not to be convinced, not to learn, who do not approach questions of God with an open mind.

Forgive me if I misjudge, but you sound rather like you fall into that category.

The most powerful evidence for the value of religion - and the existence of God - is not religious texts, or anthropological study - although they are compelling for people with open minds. Science itself provides a number of instances where the existence of God is the only explanation for observable and recordable phenomena. But you would reject those as well.

No, the strongest evidence is personal experience, that over the centuries thousands and millions of people have prayed and found God, have sacrified their daily lives as well as their very human existence in support of those beliefs. Not just ignorant masses but highly educated men and women in all kinds of societies. The value of personal experience is that it is replicable - if you are willing to approach the experience of prayer, of communication with a Supreme Being, with an open mind, you too will possess that evidence.

But if you reject it out of hand - as I suspect you do and will - then the answer to your question would ultimately have to be no, I cannot convince you, nor do I think anyone could.

Which is really too bad.

Answer 11

From my experience with people, questions dealing with control and authority usually come from people who are authoritarian.

If your concern arises from the issues of controlling behavior, it is clear from my life as a believer; that I am free of many inhibiting factors this world's society. Unfortunately, it appears that you have not met anyone that has demonstrated to you what being a believer is really all about.

Discussing what a person does or does not do is the "milk" of God's Word. With study and guidance from the Holy Spirit, you would see really what the "meat" of the Word is......