Is religion a symbolic representation of truth and life?

Question

Thanks to all your answers. Have a great day!

Answer 1

During 1800s, Anthropologists had a problem as to
how to classify human beings. One researcher
proposed the expression "intelligent animal".
After advanced studies on monkeys, it was dropped.
Another researcher proposed "tool using animal".
After observing some animals making wooden tools
and sharpening them with knife like stones, it was
dropped. Another researcher proposed "weapon using
animal". A decade ago, a rare film was shot by an
amateur in an African forest. One short monkey was
hit very badly by a big monkey. The short monkey
prepared a wooden knife using stones and hid it on
the top of a tree. After some days, when the big
monkey came to attack the short monkey, it ran up
to the tree for the weapon it has hid and killed
the big monkey. The one thing that the
anthropologists found with any group of human
beings, even if they did not have contacts with
the out side world for thousands of years, has
spirituality with some form of religion. So, man
is a "spiritual animal" if you want to call him
that way.

The Upanishads say that "Manush" (human) was so
named because he has "Manas" a mind higher than
that of the animals which realizes the divinity in
creation. It was present since the creation of
human beings. Religion is the characteristic
feature of most of the human beings. It was not
attained through reasoning using mind. Illiterate
tribes located in inaccessible forests also have
religion. It is as eternal and and as unchanging
as the Almighty. Disbelief by a few will not
affect it.

"The percentage of atheists in the world is less
than 5%"

http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/s1990c48a.htm

"Atheists are all scientists" ?

http://www.non-religious.com/statistics.html

Religion is not a blind following. It is a sub-consciously driven
group ritual. It calms the 'collective unconscious' mind. The
religious culture brings unity and belongedness among the followers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious

" Are Atheists More Depressed than Religious People?

In recent years, the view that religious belief and
participation in religious acts of worship has a positive
effect upon the well-being of man..."

http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php

"Is a Belief in God Beneficial? Or, What's an Atheist to Do?

1) Religious attendance is correlated with longevity.
2) Religious belief has been associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms.
3) Religious beliefs may help with addiction.
4) Religious attendance is correlated with lower blood pressure.

http://jewishatheist.blogspot.com/2006/01/is-belief-in-god-beneficial-or-whats.html

Although most religions and spiritual beliefs are clearly
distinct from science on both a philosophical and methodological
level, the two are not generally considered to be mutually
exclusive. A majority of humans hold a mix of both scientific and
religious views. The distinction between philosophy and religion,
on the other hand, is at times less clear.

Answer 2

Semantically, that question doesn't make sense. If religion was merely a system of symbols for truth and life, than it could never be "true" or "life" in the same way that a stop sign is a symbol for stop, but is never actually "stop".

The bottom line is that truth and life is what you make of it, so, in a way, if you subscribe to a certain religion, then, yes, religion can be a driving force to your own personal definitions of truth and life. In religion, most times "truth" is avoided for the preferred "faith" since we have all pretty much come to the conclusion that there is no way to "prove" any one religion.

Although, I think whats interesting is all the people that think that religion is such a horrible thing. I don't think they realize that civilization wouldn't have survived this long without it. Now that we have all sorts of technological devices and advanced sciences, its easier for us to create a justification for the world outside of religion, but in ancient times, and even in our more recent history (as in hundreds of years ago) the church was one way that civilizations were kept together (I know, some of you may argue that this was based on fear... maybe so, but still an interesting situation.)

For the record, I am not a God-fearing individual.

Answer 3

It is proported to be, but in reality Religion is a product of the culture, and therefore undergirds the culture with a set of laws and ethical concerns.so religion can be a symbolic representation of what that culture perceives to be truth and life.
Religion is anthopological, in other wards it is a reach from people to God. It is important to realize that. If fact when a person says, " I am not religious, but I beleive in God" they have become aware that God is more then symbols, laws and ethnics.

People can put too much emphasis on the symbols and laws and frequently miss God.

Answer 4

Religion a symbolic representation of the fears of those who follow them.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 5

No. Religion isn't symbolic, its a means to symbols. What truth? What life?

Answer 6

I never thought of it like that before and I don't really think you have it on the nose but I can't think of any other way to describe it.

Answer 7

No. It is psychological metaphor explaining the intersection of psychology and physics.

Answer 8

An interpretation.

Answer 9

I used to believe it was supposed to be but i think it's more on human nature.

Answer 10

religeon is guadenc to the scared, and those who would other wise be very bad people if they werent afraid of eternal damnation