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Name: betty47 •
Title: What makes us believe? •
Date posted: 03/28/07 3:36
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Q: Look at this forum. It's amazing that people are so interested. Why do you think in 2007 we still believe in religion? It doesn't matter what your religion is, but so many people believe in something. Why do you think this is? What is about the human soul where we still need to believe?
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Name: Red •
Date: 03/28/07 3:55 |
A: You will get alot of diffrent answers to that question because everyone has a diffrent reason for believing what they do. Some people believe out of fear, some because that is what Their mom ,dad and Grandpa believed, and others will believe what they do simply because they havent the time to seek anything else.
This may all sound like my opinion but, there is some truth to it. Everyone has a diffrent requirement in life, and if anyone says diffrent, I would stay away from dealing with that dude. Why? because he requires a diffrent size pair of jeans . I cant fit into his, and he cant fit into mine.
These people that claim 'one size fit's all' in religion are showing arrogance of the highest order.
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Name: Anchorite •
Date: 03/28/07 15:21 |
A: Certainty is the unnamed emotion.
If "you can never be totally sure", you work hard and develop a science.
If certainty can be arbitrarily assigned, you may subscribe to a mythology.
The ever-evolving facts power science. This could lead to a global ideology.
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Name: sage •
Date: 03/28/07 15:56 |
A: According to psychology and anthropology, there are three reasons that people are religious or believe in a higher power. Please note these are fundamental reasons, and these reasons are not personal. This is the science of human behaviour.
Number one: Social connections. People gather with other people. Since interaction is a basic human need, gathering together in any way satisfies this primal need. Also religious gatherings tend to pull in the bigger groups, and most keep an active schedule of events.
Number two: A connection to a greater power (usually thought of as a divinity). The oldest and most frequently asked question is "what am I doing here" and maintaining a connection to those powers is comforting for many people.
Number three: A connection to their world. Instead of turning to the skies (usually divinites are considered 'up') some people turn to the planet and seek a connection with animals, plants and other things. This reason brings a belief that one is 'in tune' with the planet.
Humans seek answers and we are all ready with questions. Religion is an answer for many people's "WHY" questions. Everything in our lives is given importance by those involved. Nothing is sacred without the power of that person's belief.
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Name: Red •
Date: 03/28/07 16:43 |
A: Most people I know that get involved are not for those phsycological reasons. They all reveal the same reason, and that being FEAR. They fear Burning. 90% of Christains I know, (which are many) Claim the fear of Hell fire, and "not wanting to take the chance if Hell is true" as the initial draw. The need to belong, Social connections, activities ect,... are not primary reasons these folks become Christains.
They also claim the old " Well, if Im wrong, what Have i got to Lose?" bit. This thinking is fear operating, nothing else.
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Name: Elizabeth •
Date: 03/28/07 19:48 |
A: When I was younger, I would have considered myself an atheist. I worked in the science field and it was what was logical
and religion/spirituality illogical. The belief in God, Heaven- and certainly Hell seemed more of a myth. But my life changed literally over night. I had a near-death experience and spiritual experiences that followed. I felt the experience left me with insights, such as the knowledge of the "napkin." I'm of average mind and all things- a repented sinner. I was not one who believed without seeing, so I am appreciative.
Today I am a minister. And for me, the belief in Jesus Christ and life after death are a fact.
I would also like to add that I have believed, since my NDE, that it is the soul and spirit that ascends to Heaven, not one's flesh. Jesus said
he was the "resurrection and the life." There are claims of thousands of people having NDEs- in which they have left their physical bodies. So if it is so- then wouldn't Jesus be the example of that very thing he said he was? It is how John the Baptist was, indeed, Elijah. And although I believe in the entire Bible, including when Elijah ascended in flesh, I don't believe he remained in flesh. (I know this from my own experience.) Paul (Hebrews 9:27) was right when he said the flesh lives once. As in Genesis, we came from the Earth and to it we (our physical bodies) will return. John the Baptist did not know he was Elijah- because it was not the point, yet he understood his mission well and Jesus knew who he was. There is not much written concerning the wives during Jesus' ministry because they were not the point. It wasn't about them. They were servants, first, to the Christ. Jesus came to teach us directly what God expected from us and to save us from ourselves.
Blessings, Elizabeth Daniele, author of "Proof of God"
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Name: StaceyGayle •
Date: 03/28/07 20:24 |
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A: We all have a common thread...GOD If we only listened to our heart we would know our way to GOD. We dont need books scriptures or religious leaders to tell us about GOD hes right there deep down in all of our souls. The problem is that we have divided ourselves into groups all believing in the same ultimate thing, but all else that sorrounds it has been handed down by man through interpetation and through thousands of years not to mention so many different religions. No wonder everyone is still searching. STOP listen to you voice deep inside you know what to do.GOD gave himself to us as well as 10 rules. Why do we make it so hard on ourselves. Follow the 10 Commandments and you are doing what GOD asked of you. Organized religion makes us feel good because we are part of a group and it is human nature to find comfort in that. But the time has come to be 1 group that believes in GOD and thats it. No more differences, there not needed. All men are to be created equal. Stories of all our past are seperating us...interpetations of our past are seperating us. STOP it is time.
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Name: sage •
Date: 03/28/07 21:31 |
A: Stacey, you and I do not share GOD as a common thread. I don't believe in your god, you can have him. I believe we all share many common things, like the color of our blood, and the need for love and interaction. Why does religion have to be one of them?
I appreciate the differences in all of us.
Follow the ten commandments (or whatever rules you set for yourself) and be proud of who are, THAT is what life is about. Only my opinion of course.
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Name: jsm •
Date: 03/28/07 22:47 |
A: betty47,
"Why do you think in 2007 we still believe in religion?"
I believe because we as a human race, the smartest species in the world cannot replicate nature, we cannot create life, we cannot explain life, we cannot explain the elegances of biological features nor replicate them. So to believe this all happened by chance with NO intelligence involved in my opinion is absurd. I believe thats why the bible says he who does not believe in a creature god would be foolish.
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Name: sage •
Date: 03/29/07 0:44 |
A: We can't replicate people? Um, its called CLONING and what makes you think we can't do it?
And of course the bible would say whoever didn't believe in god would be foolish! Christianity is NOT a religion that supports others in their own beliefs; non believers are beaten down, harassed, shunned, ridiculed or killed. It certainly doesn't encourage people to think for themselves and believe in other possibilities.
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Name: jsm •
Date: 03/29/07 1:39 |
A: sage,
"We can't replicate people? Um, its called CLONING and what makes you think we can't do it?"
Sorry I was talking about creating life (replicating nature), taking what God produced and producing it ourselves from non organic elements. If you can create even something like a leaf from non organic elements then do it, you'll win a noble prize. But we cant do it, and never will be able to do it, thats why its a law. We can only take life to produce life, as what your calling cloning. In cloning the DNA is already there, its like hitting copy and past on a computer, but creating a program is something completely different.
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Name: jsm •
Date: 03/29/07 2:06 |
A: And while were on the topic of DNA, I find it interesting that we have found intact DNA in fossils. DNA takes 10,000 years to break down. DNA dating is very reliable since it runs off of hydrolysis which differs from carbon dating which is easily contaminated and since we have no idea of all changing carbon levels all throughout history. So the DR/DT is constant. DNA is constantly being repaired when the organism is alive, but as soon as the organism dies the DNA starts breaking down, since there are no molecular machines to repair the DNA.
"This means these compression fossils defy the prediction, from in vitro estimates of the rate of spontaneous hydrolysis, that no DNA would remain intact much beyond 10,000 years. What a good job not everybody knew that, grant reviewers included." - Bryan Sykes, in Nature, Vol. 352, August 1, 1991, p. 381.
It seems funny, that all the sudden were finding all these "soft" fossils, and fossils with DNA intact. Something so delicate that it constantly needs repaired would last intact for millions of years.
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Name: betty47 •
Date: 03/29/07 4:28 |
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A: These are fascinating answers. Thank you. I wonder if it has to do also with trying to find hope or make sense out of things we can't control, or with coming to terms with our own mortality.
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Name: betty47 •
Date: 03/29/07 4:59 |
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A: Also, where do people who see ghosts fit in? So many people have reported seeing them. Does anyone think they are real? Are they from another dimenstion we haven't figured out yet?
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Name: Red •
Date: 03/29/07 12:46 |
A: "we cant create life"--- That's Funny....... I suspect you have no children...
" we can not explain life"---- IF you do have children, I suspect you teach them nothing..
" We can not replicate nature"-- Cheplasporin in pill form.
Of course we cant we cant create a leaf from 'NON -ORGANIC ELEMENTS"! We cant drink whiskey from a bottle of wine iether. That's not a revelation....
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Name: Red •
Date: 03/29/07 12:49 |
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A: BTW, look up into sky sometime and watch all those airplanes flying around. That'a called understanding the physics of a bird in flight. and replicating their abilities. Planes have wings, a tail, (rudder) streamlined body, and our wheels even retract like Bird legs do....
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Name: jsm •
Date: 03/29/07 14:47 |
A: Red,
""we cant create life"--- That's Funny....... I suspect you have no children..."
Thats life from life Red... When someone makes a child were not creating life, were just replicating it.
"" we can not explain life"---- IF you do have children, I suspect you teach them nothing.."
Its the biggest question ever? What the hell are you talking about. haha you amaze me
"Of course we cant we cant create a leaf from 'NON -ORGANIC ELEMENTS"! We cant drink whiskey from a bottle of wine iether. That's not a revelation...."
Then why do you believe it happened without intelligence?
"BTW, look up into sky sometime and watch all those airplanes flying around. That's called understanding the physics of a bird in flight. and replicating their abilities. Planes have wings, a tail, (rudder) streamlined body, and our wheels even retract like Bird legs do...."
Good point, and it took intelligence to create a plane, so... no intelligence results in something better (a bird)? Its just my logic, and I believe most people would believe in the logic of it too, if they fully understood it.
But on a last note, I was talking about replicating life from a biological standpoint, I don't believe we have created birds that we fly on that never existed before. Understand what I'm saying.
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Name: Panluna •
Date: 03/29/07 22:24 |
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A: Faith in something greater than ourselves,someone that guides,protects comforts and brings inner peace and is there when we are alone in this world.It's always something intangable but real to the individual.I guess you would call it 'being in a good place".And having all the answers given to us by someone elses views and being satisfied by them.If you believe that you can question something already established with -out reprisals then you are the path to enlightenment and freedom of thought.Truest freedom is to free the mind and see things clearly.Beliefs are personal and up to the individual's mental maturity,education and home influence.Acceptance means weighing the pros and cons and considering all points taken.
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Name: Panluna •
Date: 03/30/07 0:34 |
A: I've seen ghosts,spirits and angels since I was a child.I've even seen the Virgin Mary.She appeared to me three times in my life.the reason and situations are personnel and recounting the stories would be too lengthy.
From my own actual experiences and no witnesses I can say I truely BELIEVE in the unexplainable.And they were not hallucinations.Why they appeared is a real mystery to me and where do they go when they dissappear.The monk's ghost that haunts this house even spoke to me.I still see him from time to time.
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Name: betty47 •
Date: 03/30/07 1:00 |
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A: That's incredible!
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Name: sage •
Date: 03/30/07 1:33 |
A: Of course ghosts, or spirits as I prefer to call them, are real! If they were not, I'd have to consider myself insane as I've had them around me since I was very young. I am whats called a beacon, they flock to me sometimes, altho I have yet to figure out how to help them tho. I see them in all sizes and colors and ages, with clothes, without clothes. Inside, outside, my house or your house. I also have animal guides, or totems as some call them.
I inherited these gifts from my grandfather, and while he was incredibly spiritual and travelled extensively spiritually, he was RC. He has told me many stories of meeting the demon he believed to be Satan, and he has visited with Mary many times. He had lengthy conversations with powerful and knowledgeable guides. He was a very wise man, and he is missed so dearly. Were it not for the fact that he travelled and therefore I know he wouldn't stick around to inhibit this plane, I'd call to him, to see him again and tell him how well he was loved. But I know that he won't be here anymore so I need help from some powerful friends to find him, which I will do.. one day.
There are many experiences I cannot explain, tho I believe fully in them. I am so blessed to have so many elders and teachers around me, walking beside me and learning together.
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Name: Panluna •
Date: 03/30/07 18:25 |
A: Sage,
Light a candle on his birthday and ask him to visit you.You can communicate telepathicly.It could take some time but meditation helps to align your body, mind and spirit.and a light hearted attitude helps.If you get too serious it will ground you.
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Name: QuebecIndieAnna •
Date: 08/19/13 3:58 |
A: .
Sunday August 18th 2013
Wow, this was an interesting page.
Never read it before.
Watched part 1 of a documentary tonight, on Churchill.
The episode ends as WWII begins.
Was thinking: Churchill marched off to South Africa and the Boer War because of his belief in the legitimacy of the British Empire.
Tonight, the news out of Cairo is grim.
Tonight, as I read the first post of this page (Why do people believe?), I was struck by the fact that often, mankind has moved right past that question and on to just plain "Fighting over various beliefs".
On the other hand, this morning, on the American TV channel CNN (which we get here in French Canada), the question was posed
"Why are Millennials leaving their churches?"
(Translation :
why are young people in the West less religious than their grand-parents were?)
Then my mind wanders back to the initial question of this page.
Why do human beings 'believe' (have faith) in something?
To feel whole. To feel part of a whole. To feel that we each matter.
But like the British Empire and Empires of old, religions seem to be duking it out still...
Ah! Watched also (recently) "Forks Over Knives".
It is a report on why we all should stop eating animal protein.
It reports that growing edible plants (instead of growing meat to eat), would do 2 things in one simple step :
- solve world food shortages
- reduce the healthcare bills by 90 %
...Oh my gosh! This documentary also reports that the US government spends 5 times more on healthcare than it does on DEFENSE !
Fell off my couch on that one.
Flipped to another channel on the TV :
- ranchers in the drought-ridden US are paying a fortune to bring in hay and corn to feed their cattle, in order to fatten them up so they can sell them for the meat.
- why not divert the Mississippi, irrigate, and sew edible plants?
They did that with the Jordan in Israel, no?
...Why do humans need to believe?
To believe in goodness?
I am having trouble believing in goodness these days.
I want to.
Answers are staring humanity in the eyeballs.
But everyone wants to be boss.
I am losing my faith that humanity will ever figure out a way for all to feel whole, for all to feel part of a whole, for each to feel like she or he matters.
Down in the dumps in the faith department.
Indie
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