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Posted by Shelly on 09/21/07 10:51
Well said. We are the most intelligent animal on this planet. We are the
first to know of our mortality almost from birth. I don't believe any
other animal realizes that they, too, will die someday in the future.
It is this knowledge of our own mortality that drove us to ask the question
"why are we here?". In answer to that, we formulated the concept of "god".
As we matured as civilizations, and our scientific understanding grew, a
"god" explanation was needed less and less and so the concept became more
and more sophisticated.
I believe, though, that there is an ultimate limit to our understanding
(even though I love science fiction). Let's call that "god". I believe we
formulated something that actually exists. That is where you, Steve, and I
differ. Does it change the way we live our lives? No. Does it make either
of us a bad person? No.
So, is there an afterlife? I doubt it, but cannot say with certainty. In
the meantime, I will live my life the best way I can, and be the best person
I can be. I will do it in ever increasing circles. First there is my
immediate family. Next it is my relatives and close friends. Next it is my
community, followed by my country. Finally it will encompass the entire
world. I will do it for its own reward of "feeling good about myself". If
there is an afterlife, then I will qualify simply by doing what I am doing
now. If not, I still gain the rewards that I have and continue to have. Do
I have to literally or figuratively "bow down" to some dead man and accept
him as "god" to get there if it exists? Absolutely not!
I am a practicing member of my religion because I (a) believe there is a God
and, (b) far more importantly, want to associate myself with the group of
people who are like me. I respect what religion has given me and take pride
in associating with it and passing it down to my children. Does that blind
me to other views and questioning? If it did, then I would lose that
wonderful essence of what being human is all about. It is why I pity people
like Herb and am disappointed in people like Jerry -- people who simply
cannot remove their blinders and step out of their comfort zone.
Steve, I disagree with you on atheism, but I fully understand your point of
view. It is more rational than mine, but I am willing to take that "leap of
faith", albeit from a point far, far futher down the road of logic that
those others. Also, and most important, it works for me.
Shelly
P.S. How is it that the spelling in this post of yours is about 1000% better
than most of your other posts? :-)
"Steve" <no.one@example.com> wrote in message
news:1HJIi.95$Sl1.81@newsfe06.lga...
> let me surprise you with this.
>
> far from dawkins and removed from the extremes of atheism, i think
> religion is the most profound expression of human-kind. science and logic
> are fine activities in which we find ourselves sometimes engaged, however
> they are not endeavors that speak to the more central, the more essential
> nature of man. man is inquisitive, yes, and science and reason help
> satisfy that vent. neither, though, speak more closely to that which
> defines us best and distinguishes us most from any other animal than does
> religion. it is the fulfilment of our most basic traits that have made us
> stand out like no other. those traits are our overwhelming desire and
> capacity to infer meaning and purpose.
>
> it is of no surprise that we, the tool makers, determine the best way to
> solve problems with solutions outside of ourselves. should it be any less
> of a revelation that we would in introspect look at ourselves to ask, what
> is our purpose? and to solve a problem, we must understand the causes and
> effects in which it occurs. we must know the nature of the problem; its
> meaning. it should only be expected that we too are no less grounded and
> that one should be afforded to us. bertrand russell once said that without
> god, there is no meaning to life. how ironic that he affirms religion in
> that statement. whether there is or is not meaning in life, it is
> irrelevant. it is the desire felt by all to have it that is! religion
> affords man the ability to affect his own meaning. religion, in fact, is
> more an expression of what we value most in life. that is, after we
> consider our purpose and have settled our meaning, we hope.
>
> being an atheist myself, it may be interesting for you to consider that i
> find at the core, the heart of religion, the grandest of hope and the
> aspirations that man can be liberated from himself and reach a more noble
> existence. i find in myself, the hope that man can actually become more
> than a noble savage. i see, oddly enough, that at the core of me is what i
> find at the heart of religion. i see that though the question of god's
> existence is irrelevant to me, religion is uniquely human. and, though not
> religious, i find myself with the same end desire i believe characterist
> of religion. it is not atheism that is correct. it is not religion that is
> correct. neither are as important as, that both for different reasons, are
> doing and thinking about the same things - at the heart of it, being
> human.
>
> truly, it doesn't matter from what source i think those terms are derived
> whether human or divine, for it is, either way, what i believe man does
> value most. i believe hope is most simply expressed through religion and
> impossible to describe through logical processes or scientific methods.
> man cannot with ease quantify hope or observe its nature.
>
> religion should not be condemed as passe. long after we have lost a need
> to 'say god did this, see his mark?', we will still have need to reason
> that our meaning is not limited to an era of existence on this planet, but
> that there is more. we will always hope. that is how we understand our
> purpose and on what our meaning is based. i believe russell did not
> consider human nature deeply enough. would he have, surely he would have
> said, without hope, there is no purpose for man and without purpose, there
> can be no meaning. for that would have spoken to the heart of us all, and
> to the hope within us all.
>
> cheers.
>
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