Philosophers, what do you think of religion?

Question

Is it the best think to happen to mankind , or is it a catastrophe that has crippled human expression, and thought?

Answer 1

Religion is that peculiar, human endeavor which concretizes, explains, and expresses the relationship of the human to the divine, the natural to the supernatural and the temporal to the eternal. It serves as a source of social cohesion, inspiration for art and literature, a basis for human inquiry, and provides a system of convictions about the meaning of human existence. Like anything in this world, the goodness of religion can be mitigated by the narrowness and wickedness of humanity. As far as the truth claims of religion, these are particulars which must be considered in terms with particular cases.

Answer 2

Religion is having a fear of God. It is one of the best that happened in mankind but not the best. Science is very much important to mankind. There are so many beliefs before that science has disputed it very well. Like the earth is not square as what as people believed but turned out by science as global. Religion alone cannot stand without science.

Answer 3

Religion is such a personal, spiritual thing, that it's hard to say. In some ways, it is one of the best things for mankind, it gives many people reasons to be nice, and to believe and have hope in things, that they otherwise wouldn't have hope or faith in.

On the other hand, there have been MANY people that have taken religion the wrong way, and have tried to PROVE their point, in many different ways, and it has given religion a bad name, and a false face.

Religion to me, is in my heart, and soul, and mind. MINE. not yours, not my family's, but mine. What I chose to beleive in is a personal decision and relationship between me and my creator. I do'nt let other people's ideas or words change my religion. It's people that have no faith (or maybe too much faith) that have let religion ruin some things in their life, and affect others to cause them to ask such quesions. (wink wink... lol)

At the very least, religion has been around in one form or another since the begining of time. Humans have created their religions. (I personally am christian, and believe everything from the burning bush to the dead sea scrolls... And I still say that humans have created their own religion, because humans could have decided not to write down what did/didn't happen, and could have {and probably have} changed 'history' since). ;)

but I see where yo'ure coming from... this question in and of itself, is begging for answers to cause more argument and blame. ;) gotta love it.

What other than religion has caused so much turmoil? :P

Good question!!!! Good luck! :)

Answer 4

i think there is a big difference between spirituality and religion, for alot of people, religion is a man-made thing, and like almost anything, can be good or bad, it should represent how you practice your spirituality, and it serves a good purpose for people of like beliefs to have a community in which they can share with others, it serves a bad purpose when used to try to tell people what they should do or how they should define their own spirituality, and if used to promote a "better than" or more holy attitude
so religion is only what each person makes it

Answer 5

I think religion has too many different roles and nuances for a snappy answer to do it justice. Whatever it is, it seems to be a basic form of human behavior which is found in all societies that we know anything about.

Answer 6

Religion is simply a step in the evolution of philosophy. To give religion its' due, it once represented cutting edge thinking but has since been obsoleted by reason, logic science etc...

Philosophy essentially means, 'way of thinking'...

Answer 7

"Religion" hinges everything on one "undeterminable" supposition...and this is it...

There exists a bodiless, cosmically fantastigorical "Super-Mind/Consiousness" that created everything, including us, and has been watching over our "souls" ever since the beginning of time, and this "Super-Mind" exists in a realm of "reality" that is completely hidden from us, with the occasional exception of a rare few individuals throughout history who claim to "see" this realm, and have "first-hand" knowledge of it...

Makes sense to me...(NOT)!

Sounds highly improbable, highly implausible, and smacks of primitive beliefs in the forces of Mother Nature (hurricanes, earthquakes, larger-than-normal flodding, locust swarms, sand storms, roving armies of conquering super-powers, etc...forces our primitive ancestors considered "supernatural" because they didn't have a friggin' clue about the world around them (even the fact they were living on a globular planet in a solar system, and they had no clue what the stars were, and they would have been astounded to realize the earth spins around the sun, not the other way around as it appears from our vantage point...) They didn't know squat...so they guessed...and they probably guessed wrong...but...

This world is pretty strange...self-awareness IS kinda' "weirdly undescrible in words" when you think about it logically...I've never read anything that comes close to describing what it feels like to "me" to "exist..."....

So "Religion's" Grand Supposition is not "impossible..."

Just highly "improbable..."

So I refuse to take a stand either way until more information becomes available...and I highly suspect "more information" about THAT topic might not be magically appearing anytime soon...

Answer 8

GOD didn't create religion ---- man did and in his confused state of mind (after all he has been screwed ever since EVE ) he has wandered planet earth making war on everthing and anyone who disagrees with him all in the name of one religion or the other. He just got too busy and forgot we are all GOD'S PEOPLE. BEWARE he that lives by the sword shall die by the sword

Answer 9

I think a persons relationship with God is their most personal choice. I think blanket faiths are useless because 1 size never fits all in this realm. I think my relationship and definition of God are mine and you can't have them. I think they would be useless to you if you could. I think there are as many paths to God as there are travellers. I think I need to find another way to start a sentence.