"To find yourself, think for yourself" so said Socrates... then how can religious people ever find themselves?

Question

Religions rarely encourage their followers to think for themselves at all.

Answer 1

o
behold
it
is
written
500 b.c. 'hold fast to the trueth, hold it high as a light to guide you, never let it go' Buddha, nepal
500 b.c. 'the best thing a man can do is lay down his life for another, conversly making the saved life worth living' Confucious, nepal
100 b.c. 'to be roman means to speak ones mind' histories of rome rome
100 A.D. 'it is strange days indeed that a roman fears to speak his mind and heart' Tacticus, rome

read
some
histories
HE
has
RISEN

Answer 2

They cannot because their main agenda is to convert and prosthelisize. Though Jesus most important messages was to love God and love your nieghboor as you would love yourselves. So appearently they do not love themselves and can stand on moral high ground because they have been saved and found God because he God was missing. I have had more hypocrit Christians do me wrong than regular earh people. I had go into a so called christians home because he paid some dumb f*ck to wire up his home fro 200.00 because he was so cheap and he got 200.00 dolllors worth of work which could have burned thier house down. I went in and removed the dry wall and the f*cked up wiring a no charge, rewired it the five rooms and he was only supposed to make me cabinets. I never got my cabinets and this speaking in tounges and idiot turned out to be a real *sshole. So when it comes to Christians I put little thought to thier so called belief in thier salvation, but I do like the teachings of Christ if they were to truly follow them. Not many of the Christians of this world actually do this, they want thier 10% and do very little for the poor, hungry, widowed and orphaned. Just take a look at alll the mega churches that are used a couple times a week. They never open thier doors to the homeless nor do they attempt to get these people any help to get into recovery or mental health help. Most homeless have these type of issues to contend with and let alone thier physical health need. 100% of the homeless have some type of health problem. But how many millions of dollors do all these mega churches have. So in saying the religious cannot find true spirituality because they do even know the question in order to take care of thier fellow persons spirit.

Answer 3

Wow! So you just quoted Socrates, but people on here have a problem with Christians quoting our GOD?! It get's pretty old with these comments. You really all think you are thinking for yourselves? You read some garbage from some atheistic person and wham! that's it! That's the answer you need to put down the Christians; yay! Aren't you the smart ones? (And I'm not saying Socrates was an atheist; have no idea) I accept wisdom from any source and that wisdom you receive of course gets you to thinking. Like I love Thoreau, esp. Walden's Pond and I quote from him when I can, too. What is your problem? THINK before you speak! You are allowing atheist people do your thinking for you! They tell you it is stupid to believe in God because our world is based on scientific facts; not an awesome Creator who actually cares for us! He may be invisible to many of you, but as a Christian, we feel His presence at all times. He is real and I'm sorry there are those that cannot comprehend such.

Answer 4

Religion is either true or it isn't. There either is a God who has contacted us through religion, or there is not.

If there is not, then religion is not all good -- but inarguably it has done amazing good to countless millions of individuals, as well as to society and mankind as a whole.

One service religion offers is guidance in what to invest your valuable time thinking about.

For example, it seems every religion includes the Golden Rule, which is basically "treat other people the way you want to be treated".

This guides followers to make many excellent decisions and goals that result in
1. other people being happier
2. increased happiness and mental health for the person following this Golden Rule
3. a stronger community and healthier climate for the government and other common undertakings
4. better businesses and economy
5. a better world for raising children

Answer 5

If you were being honest with yourself, you'd say, "How can ANYONE ever find themselves?"

I think it's hilarious that so many people call themselves "free thinkers" when most of their "free thought" is influenced by other people. There is no such thing as a "free thinker."

Religions DO encourage their followers to think for themselves. Or at least, I think for myself (as much as is possible), and I've never been told not to.

Answer 6

Only ignorance leads to believe that because we chose to THINK that God created us would make us not find ourselves. On the contrary, Plato said that all forms come from a superior being, what we think of forms was placed in our minds prior to our birth. Aristotle stated that there had to have been someone who started the motion of things who did not have to be moved himself. So if you are going to qoute great philosophers, don't do so selectively, think before typing.
Religion is the utmost thought process, because to believe you must think that there is something unknown greater than you and to recognize that mystery is not acheivable by those who think they have all the answers.

Answer 7

Your wrong about that not being encouraged to think for yourself part. My church does. We have many who teach in our church and all are encouraged to share incites and questions during and after the teachings. Books and references are used from many sources other than the Bible, to support the teachings of Christ. we are not expected to just accept someone Else's word or take we are expected to read learn and research so our faith is based on what we know not on what we are told by someone else is true. Knowledge and experience along with faith in Gods word. The fact that someone would find themselves seeking means they have discovered something missing within themselves.

Answer 8

You have to be willing to find out what is true on your own--you can listen to other people, but you must evaluate what they say according to your own study and contemplation.

You can't call something "My" faith, when it was just handed to you by someone else and you didn't put anything of yourself into the search.

You are right, though--most of the time, people are happy to be spoon fed what they are supposed to believe if they want to be a legitimate (insert label here).

Answer 9

That is entirelly false. Faith does encourage thinking for yourself, as conversion requires desire.

Socrates would attack the failed logic of your arguement. You should go back and re-read your arguement. Your application of Socrates is much more in line with Gorgias than it is with Socrates.

Socrates preached universal truth could be achieved by reason possessed by people of virtue. Through virtue and reason, truth would be passed from one generation to another, but unless the succeeding generation was also virtuous, they could not achieve Sophia of the Gnosis.

You really need to re-read your arguements, especially the Critto.

Answer 10

As Socrates was a religious man according to Plato's Apology, Crito and Euthyphro, AND was able to think for himself this argument is fallacious.

Answer 11

religious people will never find themselves or God.
Go beyond religion and find yourself by doing this:

Create Your Relationship with Our Creator
and have UnConditional Love and Peace in Your Life.