Adam007 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I was wondering what you guys think will become of religion. Do you think it's human nature to need a god, and therefore we will always have religion? I've asked teachers I've had to try to name me Godless societies but none have been able to. Yet in this day and age it seems like the growing trend is towards atheism. As we progress more and more scientifically, and we assume science continues to disprove and clash with elements of religion, can it be inevitable that religion through the centuries may one day just not be needed by society? I know of no precedent, and it might be so ingrained in human nature to create gods (not referring to current religions because those are exceptions obviously so don't tear this sentence apart), like all societies through time have done to satisfy a basic human need. My question, to sum it up, is basically this. Do you think eventually people won't feel a need for religion anymore? Can it ever be disproved in this sense scientifically? Or is it so ingrained in people of a hope of an afterlife that only religion can promise? Do you guys think there could ever be a time where religion ceases to be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agunimon979 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I think Religion will take over the world, ya know, more than it has now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Erm, have they ever heard of Soviet Russia or Communism? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaquierming Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Well, Religion is basically needed to answer the questions the we cannot answer ourselves so if we were to find answers to those questions somehow, maybe? Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam007 Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 Erm, have they ever heard of Soviet Russia or Communism? Wasn't that forced though? I'm referring specifically to a type of society that acknowledges the possibility of a god but chooses to reject organized religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 It seems you're still talking about some sort of state religion though. It might happen if there was only one religion, but there's five, not counting the various cults or other major religions over the years. Even if there was only one religion, I doubt that everyone would accept atheism, but the majority might. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam007 Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 It seems you're still talking about some sort of state religion though. It might happen if there was only one religion, but there's five, not counting the various cults or other major religions over the years. Even if there was only one religion, I doubt that everyone would accept atheism, but the majority might. Not the "is atheism a religion?" argument again. I don't consider a lack of religion to be a religion. I'm referring to a godless society here. That does not infer a state of religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I meant you were talking about how a government had a state religion, but then rejected it or something, not that atheism is a religion. Like I said, it'd be hard for a society, assuming you're talking about a country here, to throw off religion because there is such a diversity of religion. Maybe if there was only one religion though, it could happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korskin Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I believe religion will always be a part of human life, as there is a God. Just look at religious threads on this forum. They usually end up as the biggest threads. So the interest for religion is not fading even though atheism might be more present in the first world than it used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viktorkrum77 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I see no decline in Eastern Religions, Animist, or Islam for that matter, just Christianity because it has infiltrated the Western World. Me doing staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Islam isn't so much a religion as a fundamentalistismnessthinger... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viktorkrum77 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Islam isn't so much a religion as a fundamentalistismnessthinger... You should not say that, it is not true. Have you seen the UAE? The Middle Eastern Gulf countries are becoming more and more westernized, and with that their "fundamentalistismnessthinger" declines, though traditions are still important. Me doing staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I was going to debate about this, but I know nothing about Islam, so I won't. :-$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warri0r45 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 My bet would be that organised religions will be phased out in much the same way that greek and roman religions were. I'm expecting to see more of a swing towards a more personal spiritulaity and nothing that requires 'followers.' Why? People will always have those inkling (sp?) questions, yet we will get smarter and start to realise that in many religious texts there seems to be less of an influence then there sould be on love and mateship. If I were a theist, I'd have a personal spirituality where there is one god whose love is perfect and eternal and who demands nothing, especially not worship. He sees us and him as equal, like good mates. Everyone goes to heavan where all of the questions that we ever had are revealed instantly and there would be no such thing as hell. Hell would be an imagination drempt up by those fevered egos who want your money and try to spred thier seed of hate and fear throughout the world. We were puposefully made to be imperfect and naieve to some extend purely for a basis of comparison for what will be the inevitable perfect end in Nirvana. ... if I were a theist. I know it's not the truth, just a comforting though for an afterlife, perhaps. My bet is that more and more people will form thier own personal spirituality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam007 Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 I meant you were talking about how a government had a state religion, but then rejected it or something, not that atheism is a religion. Like I said, it'd be hard for a society, assuming you're talking about a country here, to throw off religion because there is such a diversity of religion. Maybe if there was only one religion though, it could happen. I'm not really talking about one religion just being overthrown. I mean more of a gradual trend over a few centuries where somehow the hole everyone has and fills with religion no longer exists for whatever reason, maybe from a scientific find or something, and people just no longer feel a need for a higher power. My bet would be that organised religions will be phased out in much the same way that greek and roman religions were. I'm expecting to see more of a swing towards a more personal spiritulaity and nothing that requires 'followers.' Why? People will always have those inkling (sp?) questions, yet we will get smarter and start to realise that in many religious texts there seems to be less of an influence then there sould be on love and mateship. If I were a theist, I'd have a personal spirituality where there is one god whose love is perfect and eternal and who demands nothing, especially not worship. He sees us and him as equal, like good mates. Everyone goes to heavan where all of the questions that we ever had are revealed instantly and there would be no such thing as hell. Hell would be an imagination drempt up by those fevered egos who want your money and try to spred thier seed of hate and fear throughout the world. We were puposefully made to be imperfect and naieve to some extend purely for a basis of comparison for what will be the inevitable perfect end in Nirvana. ... if I were a theist. I know it's not the truth, just a comforting though for an afterlife, perhaps. My bet is that more and more people will form thier own personal spirituality. That's very similar to reform Judaism. We're not 'demanded' to worship, although there are a few holidays where we're supposed to. I mean it is a religion. But one principal is to be "partners with God," which I always liked the idea of. Not fear him or whatever. Also Jews do believe everyone goes to a type of heaven, and that there isn't a hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Oh, then no. I believe new religions will just keep popping up. We're bound to have another Jesus-figure sometime. Well, then again, look at the Mormons and Brigham Young. New, fast-growing religion right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam007 Posted March 30, 2007 Author Share Posted March 30, 2007 Oh, then no. I believe new religions will just keep popping up. We're bound to have another Jesus-figure sometime. Well, then again, look at the Mormons and Brigham Young. New, fast-growing religion right there. But we're still in a society that fosters religion to grow. I'm referring to how society can change. I'm questioning if one day we'll have enough scientific 'answers' that religion used to be able to answer, so there is no longer a psychological need for religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Continuum Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Well yeah, of course society is going to change. Religion, however, hasn't changed much since monotheism became popular, nor the power it still holds over the people. While Christianity certainly doesn't control and governments anymore (unless they're keeping it a secret), Islam definitely is. Nah, unless religion changes radically, like polytheism to monotheism, I'm not seeing a move towards widespread atheism coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwarfdude3 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I think its likely that Christianity and other major religions will eventually become 'extinct' but that does not mean spirituality will leave the Earth. People will always need some sort of spiritual motivation to do good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flametrooper Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Certain religious practices, dogmas, and traditions come and go, like the Greek gods and the Egyptian gods, but there's always some sort of spiritual belief, some kind of God in peoples' minds. This is in fact one of the reasons why I believe in God ( or a god, which but not in religion, or in dogmas and ceremonies and texts. My beliefs sort of coincide with what Warrior said. (I may be wrong and there may be no god at all, but hey, there's no harm in being wrong in this case, especially if it is impossible to know what's "right" at the time the decision was made. Pascal's Wager, hmm?) I do think that religion, and dogmas, especially when interperted literally or fundamentally, is one of the largest causes of harm to society; but that it can be a great help to it as well. Basically I'm strongly against fundamentalists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Religion won't disappear. People look to religion for that "something greater". Science can't give that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flametrooper Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Yes, but as has been said, the "something greater" could possibly be replaced with an individual, spiritual sort of thing, as opposed to an organized religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianofrieak2 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I don't religion will ever disappear from the Earth. I'm very strong in favor of spirituality, but I also think that, from personal experience, spirituality means nothing unless it is being fostered with others in an organized way. Hence, we need religion to be spiritual! Now you can say "Well, I'm spiritual and I don't go to church," but if you really mean that, then how often do you pray or tithe or do anything related to your spirituality? If you think being spiritual means believing in a higher power, then I would question that. And even if I conceded that believing in a higher power means you're spiritual, you're not doing anything with that. It's like me believing in unicorns...it doesn't change my life. Besides, I know some really "good" atheists, so it would be silly to claim that being spiritual makes you a better person. It may, but if you believing in a higher power makes you a better person, then would you be a terrible person if you didn't believe in a higher power? As a result, I don't believe that spirituality will ever bring about a radical change in someone's life (though there are a few exceptions but very few). Religion is necessary for spirituality since it comes with discipline and like-minded people who can encourage you in your spirituality. My bet would be that organised religions will be phased out in much the same way that greek and roman religions were. I'm expecting to see more of a swing towards a more personal spiritulaity and nothing that requires 'followers.' Why? People will always have those inkling (sp?) questions, yet we will get smarter and start to realise that in many religious texts there seems to be less of an influence then there sould be on love and mateship. If I were a theist, I'd have a personal spirituality where there is one god whose love is perfect and eternal and who demands nothing, especially not worship. He sees us and him as equal, like good mates. Everyone goes to heaven where all of the questions that we ever had are revealed instantly and there would be no such thing as hell. Hell would be an imagination dreamt up by those fevered egos who want your money and try to spread their seed of hate and fear throughout the world. We were purposefully made to be imperfect and naive to some extend purely for a basis of comparison for what will be the inevitable perfect end in Nirvana. ... if I were a theist. I know it's not the truth, just a comforting though for an afterlife, perhaps. My bet is that more and more people will form their own personal spirituality. Lol these posts are always so funny. I'm not going to give an in-depth argument for why God cannot not have hell. At least you said that you know it's not the truth, but God, being just, cannot just "forget" your sin without violating His very nature. God's justice and love are equally present. Thus, there must be a place where you atone for your sins and are kept from His presence. Your sin is your only stumbling block; unfortunately, it's a big one. And since no work will eliminate your sin, then I'm afraid that there must simply be an eternal hell, a place of separation from God. If you want more information on the topic, or if you want to find out how Jesus paid for your sins, just pm me. I'm currently transitioning from a Wizard to a Mage and a Priest to an Archpriest. Lol both are nonexistant in the top 25. Hopefully I can change that. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celt23 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 I don't think that religion will be as big as it is now in the future thanks to better understanding of the universe, but religion is in fact human nature and may go on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_star67 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 We've been discussing the same thing in Ancient History. Ancient people needed religion to explain the unexplainable or things that couldn't be explained without modern science. Like why did people suddenly die? Why did their crops fail this year? Why is it raining so much? This issue about not knowing why things were happening frankly scared people, so they created these "gods". These deities were responsible for all the good and bad things that couldn't be explained by the ancient peoples limited knowledge (Compared to science and medicine in 2007) As scientific advances have been made (Space exploration, electricity so on), things that have been previously unexplainable (Like heart attacks) have now been explained without the function of a god. And as a result, man can be more and more independant of god/s. However, there are certain things that no science or medicine can provide answers for. This is what religion is for. To provide answers that cannot be answered by any given man-made article. So in response to the first post. Yes there will always be a presence felt by religion, but as time goes on and we understand more about things previously not, as a whole we shall become further and further independant of religon ~Blue Trying to get a new sig... Idea's anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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