How Important is Perception with regards to Religion?

Question

I think this is the ultimate question in religion....

how do some people who believe in one deity observe their "presence"

while people who believe in another deity observe their "presence"

If you went back to the time when the puritans landed on plymouth rock, with an ipod, or a cell phone (assuming you brought the infrastructure, too)... do you think they would percieve it as "scientific" or just call it a shiny witchcraft stone, and burn you at the stake, and destroy the "stone possesed by loud demons"

ultimately: Does your religion affect your perception of reality?

Answer 1

Oh, absolutely. Religion in reference to your knowledge of the things you see.

You view things within the restraints of the religion you practice. How restraining your religion is determines the narrowness of your view.

Answer 2

Perception in regards to religion is important only if there truly is a God. i am not going to argue which religion is right and I'm not even going to argue whether there is a God or not, I am just going to say from a logic perspective that if there is infact a God, then that would be the ultimate reality, the ultimate truth, so perception would be important in regards to accuracy to that one singular absolute truth. the more accurate our perception of "God" the more "real" our life becomes. The more blurry our beliefs about God, the more useless, futile, and imaginary our lives become. So if there is a God, then obviously our perception is very important. Just because we all have different perceptions of reality does not mean that all of our perceptions are equal. Some perceptions have to be more accurate than others. Since we are talking about an all encompassing question it is impossible to have a solid answer in this area. However, we do have means to measure our perception in regards to religious accuracy. We have history, science, philosophy, and logic (all seperate, too often we have historians playing scientist, and scientist playing philosophy.) We also can just use common sense, and see if a religion is practical. For example, in the case of Christianity and our "perception" of Jesus, do we believe that the world would be better off if it followed Jesus in whatever sense. There is also the x factor that isn't in the realm of common sense, history, science, philosophy or other, and that is love, the virtue, the choice, the feeling that almost everyone values above all else. We take all of these categories, history, science, philosophy, logic, common sense, and above all love, and we ask ourselves what religion best fits the evidence of what we are, and what we live in. Does atheism, buddhism, islam, judaism, and christianity best represent what we are in the reality we live in? This is your choice in perceiving. One can not tell another how to believe. However, one truth is definitely more real than another. We must simply pick a door with the best evidence we can.

Answer 3

Perception is absolutely paramount in religious beliefs. Take, for example, Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort's banana theory. They perceive the banana to be so perfect that there *must* be a creator (regardless of the fact that the banana they use in the demonstration has been modified by man, to the point that it hardly resembles a "natural" banana).
To some of us, or even to sentient beings from elsewhere in the universe or other dimensions, a banana could look like anything *but* perfection. Same goes for anything in our world...just because we perceive it as supremely complex or "good," only makes that true within the confines or our perception.
What if the entire universe as we know it is actually just part of a quark, that's part of a cell that's part of a dingle-berry stuck to a dog's butt?
*That's* perception...

My beliefs as a Buddhist/atheist affect my perception of reality. I don't know if that could be avoided. Because of my beliefs, I tend to view the world as impermanent and ultimately unimportant....but in a surprisingly uplifting and happy way.

Good question, Mate.

Answer 4

Perception is 9/10 of the law.

Answer 5

Perception is the foundation of any Religion! It is perception that colors reality! We never are fully with what is happening because we are "thinking" about what is happening! Peace and Blessings....

Answer 6

the guy who changed into the founding father of microbiology. previous to the artwork he did human beings had no theory what changed into happening contained in the international on a microscopic factor. They idea it changed into devine will that issues putrefied and rotted. Then enter microbiology to describe issues ... to hair brained primitive cultists. Louis Pasteur ... being one which includes concepts. regardless of the reality that god receives credit for inventing scientists. Crap right here we go back. :D there have been countless folk who had theories previous to that .. yet he matches into your time body.They werent allowed to question or try by the church. till they were engaged on behalf of the churches hobbies. Or how about lots of the earliest examples of mechanical engineering ? They were used in religious temples predating xianity. To fool human beings into believing contained in the means of the gods. Statues with eyes that moved ( shifting parts ) etc.

Answer 7

of course it does. since religion is a perception and perception is reality.

Answer 8

lol very good I think your right the burning times would have started then

Answer 9

What we percieve is what we use to create our own "realities".