Has religion helped or hindered human advancement?
It helps those in power keep control over people. Religion keeps people distracted from reality, and often unable to even begin to understand reality.Consider the differences of methodology between religion and philosophy.Religion teaches faith, with the religious texts and figures being the sole arbiters of what is “true.” Philosophy teaches critical thought with the tool of reason being open to all to examine, and in which truth is determined by correspondence to reality, again something open to all.Naturally the former methodology works to the advantage of those in power for they can decree themselves the authority of all things true and right, so that then the people must just mindlessly follow those leaders and their dictates. In this way the belief in government works exactly the same.A society which promoted critical thought and wisdom would not tolerate such charlatans, whether in formal religions like christianity, or in the worship of government.This denial of reason and truth, along with the mindless obedience and distraction means that are a race we grow more slowly. Faith in general slows human development as it requires us to at best ignore what is true in favor of some decreed belief.
What is the relationship between religion and humanity?
I may be wrong but I don’t think there is any relation between humanity and religion. ‘Religion’ is a highly western construct which got imposed on the rest of the world because of imperialism.I wouldn't want the answer to this question become a political discourse, however a little background won’t hurt. ‘Religion’ in a modern sense are highly organised faiths (Christianity, Islam). Most of the modern day Religions have been formed with an eye for power. No wonder there are all kinds of activities which get labeled as ‘harvesting the souls’ in the upliftment of poor and downtrodden. Likewise there used to be crusades run by certain religious groups just a few centuries back.That brings me to Humanity. Conversions in Africa and Asia are being carried out under the garb of humanitarian agenda. So in essence there is no relationship between humanity and religion. There cannot be. As long as the underlying objective is to increase the number of followers. The two largest religions in the world wield a significant power in the geopolitics of the world today.At the same time, large sections of many religious societies do play an active role in humanitarian causes. All religions have had spiritually oriented saints who have focused less on power dynamics and more on the upliftment of human race. Although Hinduism is a religion when you look at it from a western lens, but essentially it is an organic entity, an amalgamation of multiple faiths and belief systems who have symbiotically co-existed for the better part of last 10–12 millennia. Countless spiritual gurus in India over the last 2–3 millennia have tirelessly worked in societal reforms and helping design a more pluralistic society. I am told, there have been highly regarded Saints in Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism who have made immense contribution towards the betterment of the world. But again these are individuals. Religion has no bearing on the humanitarian streak of individuals. Religion does teach empathy but a little foray into religious history will reflect the opposite.
What important thing can you find in the book of revelation that you cannot find elsewhere in the Holy Bible?
Thank you for this question. The truth is found in the scriptures.The truth is that all the scriptures are one mind, one spirit. There is nothing “important” that you can find in the book of revelation that you cannot find elsewhere in the Holy Bible. the simple reason is that not one scripture is of it’s own interpretation.2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,That means, you can’t just take one scripture and make a doctrine of it. The whole bible is the word of God. Where two or three scriptures are together…Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”All the scriptures are of one mind, one spirit. The mind of Christ.Phil 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,Jesus Christ spoke spiritual words. All God’s word including Revelation is spiritual….John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.In reality, anything you find important in Revelation (it’s all important) is going to have another scripture referenced in the old /new testament.Mat 13:52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”I hope this has answered your question via the scriptures. If you have any comments or questions, please leave a comment.
Will all religions die one day?
There is a cycle to universal affairs.Satya yuga, Treta yuga, Dwarpa yuga, and Kali yuga.These four ages taken together are like the seasons in a year except that combined they last for 4,320,000 years. When a thousand of these combine it is the equivalent to one day of Brahma who lives for 100 years of such days.In Satya yuga everyone is spiritually inclined. This period last for 1,728,000 years. Treta yuga follows and there is a decline in spirituality, this period lasts for 1,296,000 years, Dwarpa yuga is 864,000 years and Kali yuga is 432,000 years. As time goes past in each yuga the consciousness of the inhabitants on earth degrades. Now in Kali yuga there is very little genuine spirituality and a mass of religions. Only approx 5,000 years of Kali yuga has passed and so even the religiosity that we have will decline more and more, and people will take irreligion to be religion.At the end of Kali yuga there is practically no religion left, but then Satya yuga starts again and everything is reset to a heavenly condition with almost negligible sinful activity and the cycle continues. Kali yuga is like winter when the leaves that start to fall in Autumn all but disappear, but then spring comes again and new leaves grow.So religion is constantly in a state of deterioration and then is renewed when it hits rock bottom every 4,320,000 years.This is all according to the master plan of Krishna. During this time Krishna steps in when necessary:Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion -- at that time I descend Myself. Bhagavad gita 4.7So religions will run down and become bizarre and meaningless, and then religious principles will be reestablished and the process begins again.
Do you think I ruined my moms life?
15 year old teens are so much into drama, that's why people are on your case. Your statement that your life is ruined may feel real to you but it isn't real. Kids who have a parent or parents in the military (called military brats) move a heck of a lot more than you do and they survive. It's difficult moving all the time. That I understand. It just sounds dreadfully selfish. You didn't holler when you made the previous moves about your life being ruined it was only when you got a friend/s that it was life threatening. In reality, it's not the idea of making friends that is the problem, it's the moving all the time that is the problem. So you should have been upset by them all, not just this one. The best you've got is that your mom keeps moving you "for some reason." Is she on the run from the law, creditors, an ex-husband, is she unstable, on drugs, drinking? I mean there must be a reason why someone moves around that much. Have you ever sat down with her in a calm setting and just chatted with her? Have you said something like, "You know, I feel really bad for you. If I feel like my life is turned upside down every time we move then you must feel that way too. How do you cope? It's very very difficult for me." Without pointing fingers and blame, ask her what the reason is and see what she says. Maybe she doesn't have a clue what the moves are doing to you. There's very little we can do except offer suggestions like this one. I can tell you honestly that your life is not in ruins. Doesn't mean you have to like it but life will go on and hopefully it will get better. But I highly recommend that you chat with her and not make it about just you but the both of you. Try to make a connection with your mom and try to find out why this happens. Get a better reading on the situation. Best of luck!
How do scientists of faith reconcile science and religion?
A2A. Honestly, this answer will not be long enough to contain or link to everything I want to say about this matter. Part of the reason is that I haven't figured everything out yet, but the bigger part is that there are quite a few topics to address, and I'm slowly accumulating answers to many of these questions on my blog, The Christian Rationalist.Let me use this post to organize a few of the subjects here.1) Creation and evolution is always the first one brought up, but I unfortunately haven't found a good occasion to write about it on my blog. (If the Ken Ham - Bill Nye debate had been aired while I was actively blogging, I would definitely have lent some space to the subject.) The brief answer I'd give for now is that I've spent a lot of time in creationist circles but now essentially agree with BioLogos. I do have a lot to say about my experiences, the mistakes I've seen, and why I think my current view is fairly natural, but I don't have any blog post to point to yet.2) Miracles are a fascinating subject, definitely both form an indispensable component of the Christian story and conflict with a naturalistic framework that many scientists hold. I harbor vague hopes that miracles stories will be more widely disseminated so we can all discuss and debate them, because there are Christians on one side who seem completely certain that they have experienced miracles and atheists on the other side who seem completely certain that none have ever occurred.I've written a couple blog posts on this subject already:The Apologetic Value of Modern Day MiraclesWas this a miracle?3) Christianity and skepticism: Should Christians just have blind faith? My answer is no, and I defend this by addressing the question of faith as it's presented in the Bible. Here's the relevant post:Insufficiently Updating Thomas and the True Nature of Faith4) Can Christians be consequentialists? This might not come immediately to mind, but seems to actually form a substantial portion of various ethical hot topics today. I'm pretty convinced that consequentialism is the right way for Christians to reason ethically. I've also written a couple blog posts from this perspective:A Real-Life Trolley ProblemGays Should Be Allowed to MarryBesides creationism, I have a post planned on utilitarianism, as well as follow-up posts to some of the posts I linked above. If there are other areas of conflict between Christianity and science that you'd like to see me discuss, let me know!
Religion: How do I decide on religion or atheism?
A2A.Your first choice isn't between religion and atheism, but between theism (belief in a god) and atheism (lack of such a belief).Ask yourself this: do you believe that any gods exist? If your answer is "Yes" then by definition you are a theist. If the answer is "no" then by definition you are an atheist.Forget about the consequences of being wrong for now. The wise person proportions his or her belief to the available evidence. Look at the evidence for the existence of gods. I would argue that there is none, where there should be a huge amount if any gods were real. That is the case for atheism in a nutshell.Either way, you are either a theist or an atheist.If you are a theist, you choose either to join a theistic religion, if you believe the claims of any of them; or you can choose to be unaffiliated to any particular religion if you don't find any of them convincing. It comes down to what you believe.Then there's the other side of the argument: atheism.If you are an atheist, you still have the options of belonging to a religion or not. There are non-theistic religions (to one of which, namely Buddhism, I subscribe). One of those might be an option for you - again, if you find one of them convincing. Otherwise, you could choose simply to be a non-religious atheist and live your life without religion, as the majority of Western atheists do.The reason I said earlier that you should forget about the possible consequences of being wrong is that emotive issues like hell can cloud your judgement. Which world-view seems to fit the available evidence, and thus reality, most convincingly? That's the only question you should ask yourself. When I was a Christian (years ago), I was never worried about the consequences of not believing in Allah or Krishna, because I didn't believe they were real. Now I'm an atheist, I don't believe the Christian god is real either, so I'm not afraid of any consequences of not believing in him.Whatever way you currently lean, I would encourage you to read widely about different world-views, including those with which you disagree. Check out your options, and compare them to the available evidence.Good luck to you.
Does religion do more bad than it does good?
I honestly do not think so. Humans will fight wars with or without religion. Human will oppress others with or without religion.This is not to say that perverse interpretations of religions cannot be very nefarious. But religion in general and Christianity in particular have had such benefits for Western Civilization that I cannot in good conscience condemn them entirely.There are two things in particular that I will underline:The preservation of literacy in the West after the collapse of the Roman political order. This was the work of the Catholic Church. To be learned was to be a man of the church, so much so that clericus came to be a synonym for literate. Without the Catholic Church, there would have been no Bede, among other giants of the Western literary tradition. And the carolingian reforms would definitely not have been possible. I am convinced that literacy would have disappeared without the Church.In the United States, the impulse for abolitionism was decidedly a Protestant Christian one. I think these people overlooked the fact that the Bible actually condoned slavery in many places. But they saw the spirit of the message of Jesus as being anti-slavery. Abolitionism was a direct descendant of the Second Great Awakening. The life of Charles Grandison Finney was emblematic of this.This does not mean that I am ignorant of all the instances in which religion served to shackle rather than expand knowledge. But I think my fellow atheists underestimate its historical benefits.
Can you tell me some sad love songs about wanting someone that doesn't want you or that you can't have? I'm making a playlist.
Frank Ocean - Bad ReligionFrank Ocean initiates a makeshift therapy session in the backseat of a cab on this sorrowful track.The night channel orange was released on iTunes, Frank premiered this song on Jimmy Fallon. The performance and son[1] g were so well-received that Frank Ocean became a household name virtually overnight.LyricsTaxi driverBe my shrink for the hourLeave the meter runningIt's rush hourSo take the streets if you wannaJust outrun the demons, could youHe said "Allahu akbar", I told him don't curse meBo Bo, you need prayer, I guess it couldn't hurt meIf it brings me to my kneesIt's a bad religionThis unrequited loveTo me it's nothing but a one-man cultAnd cyanide in my Styrofoam cupI can never make him love meNever make him love meLove meLove meLove meLove meLove meLove meLoveTaxi driverI swear I've got three livesBalanced on my head like steak knivesI can't tell you the truth about my disguiseI can't trust no oneHe said "Allahu akbar", I told him don't curse meBo Bo, you need prayer, I guess it couldn't hurt meIf it brings me to my kneesIt's a bad religionThis unrequited loveTo me it's nothing but a one-man cultAnd cyanide in my Styrofoam cupI can never make him love meNever make him love meLove meLove meLove meLove meLove meLove meLoveIt's a bad religionTo be in love with someoneWho could never love youI knowOnly bad religionCould have me feeling the way I doFootnotes[1] Frank Ocean – Bad Religion
Do the dead (in Christ) ever think about us here on earth?
If you have to be grateful to your parents, wife and children, how much you should be grateful to God on the same basis of help done to you? Since you have not realized the help of God, you are less grateful to God. You have over estimated the help of your family and you are more grateful to the worldly bonds. God is helping you million times more than your family and His help is continuous for millions of births even though you are not grateful to Him. The help from your family is limited to this birth and if you analyze you will find that business is always hidden in your worldly bonds. Veda says that any soul loves you since you are the means of its happiness (Atmanah kamaya….). Hence, voting for God and rejecting worldly bonds is not violation of justice but it is based on the same very very justice only.Lack of deep knowledge and analysis makes it to appear as voting for God against justice. But in fact, it is only voting for highest justice and rejecting higher justice. When you reject prostitute before your wife, it is voting to higher justice against lower justice or injustice. Justice and injustice are only comparative terms. If a bachelor loves a prostitute and marries her as social reform, such love to the prostitute becomes justice only. Hence, justice becomes injustice and vice-versa in different contexts. It is only a relative concept. Therefore, establishment of justice means establishment of both Pravrutti and Nivrutti (identifying the present human form of God and selfless service to Him). You can identify the justice at every level through the torchlight of analytical knowledge. Therefore, if you cannot identify justice in Pravrutti, how can you identify justice in Nivrutti? If you cannot vote for your wife against a prostitute, how can you vote for God against your wife?Hence, analytical knowledge and voting for justice continue without any change in both Pravrutti and Nivrutti. Hence, Lord stressed on establishment of justice only and this covers both Pravrutti and Nivrutti. The high justice becomes injustice before higher justice.