Is Religion Necessary?

[Rastus]

Is Religion necessary?

Is there anything in life that can only be achieved through Religion?

Is there anything in life that can not be achieved through Religion?

Please define 'Religion' in your responce, as it can be an ambigious term when things are assumed.

[Tonyamendola]

My Answer is NO absolutely not

Religion to me is mostly fear based
It is a person of a group of persons trying to induce belief in others with theology
Theology cannot explain the divine


The divine can only be expereinced
So words are pretty much a waste of time as is theology


Teach only Love
Dont need words theology or dogma for that

[spiritual78]

may peace be on all of you

religion is a "guideline" or a "map" according to me you folow the path and reach the destiny ...... for me the destiny is a heaven in the eternal life , for this life is transient and can end any time

we cannot achieve everything we want in this world , wether we follow any religion or not , these are the limits we are born with . we may struggle non stop to achieve a thing , but the divine forces working in our life do help to achieve it or prevent it from becoming ours, some call it fate , some will of God

but one thing religion does get a person is "inner Peace" , Nothing in the world, money ,food , luxury or drugs can purchase inner peace
and inner peace is the only wealth if one understands




i believe there is no God but Allah and Mohammed PBUH is the final messenger of Allah

[sendy47]

I find it interesting of late that we all seem to talk like we are going somewhere...we act as if there is something to get to....not sure that seems correct...we are...were doing it...this is it...it is what we make it....ya think...oh...it is clear it is not known...and we continue to least find the most peacful way to be....i do think the answer is in love...not as we grew up thinking it to be i think....dunno...but in the end..i see it as all being good...

[arthra]

Originally Posted by Rastus

Is Religion necessary?

Is there anything in life that can only be achieved through Religion?

Is there anything in life that can not be achieved through Religion?

Please define 'Religion' in your responce, as it can be an ambigious term when things are assumed.

Well thanks for the post..!

I think some of the things that can be achieved through religion are the unity and solidarity that religion can give.. that is, it provides an emotional and spiritual bond that is important for us and this can be true in a microcosm of society such as the family as well as for the larger society as a whole.

The various accomplishments of humanity in the material sphere can be impressive and esential to physical life.. I suppose life though is more than a physical existence for many of us, that is we have a spiritual need that can sometimes transcend the mere physical and material needs say for food, shelter and clothing.

A definition of religion for me goes back to the root meaning of the word and can be found in the Latin:

religio, ligo, "to bind together"

so religion has a way of uniting people with each other and with the purposes of the Ineffable.

Religion also historically is related in my opinion to an experience of revelation or mystical experience and this you can find in the major religions as the core experience that became an impetus for it's growth and acceptance.

- Art

[octavius]

Religion is merely the practice of one's faith. Based on that, your questions are...well...moot.

[vivamis123]

Octavius,
If religion were the practice of one's faith (not saying it is or it isn't) then anything from brushing our teeth to setting the alarm clock at night, could be considered religion.

I think your explaination is lacking something. Maybe purpose? Is the practice of religion not to get closer to/find/follow God? Religion is a path.

[shaw-n]

Theology is the study of god or the divine, whatever that may prove out to be.
Unfortunately it has been the study of superstitions and has perpetuated oppressive religions.
Religions are like a club or a gang or a family or a cult.
They can be oppressive and stifling or liberating and enlightening.
They provide people with a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves, like a country.
Consider Russia which turned the state into the god and religion and all the people worshipped (worked for) the Motherland.
A cult magnified to the dominant position becomes the cult-ure.

[evangelicalhumanist]

So far I think Art comes closest, Octavius in place position.

Religion is not the same thing as faith, and neither faith nor religion are the same thing as belief in thta which is beyond or apart from human existence. For want of a better word, let's call this last "god belief.' Faith, then, would seem to be the notion that there is something about god belief that can be depended upon, and religion might be the concommittent notion that in order to depended upon, something is required from us.

So, the original question, "is religion necessary," is a bit nebulous unless we know which definition we're talking about.

I think that "god belief" is not necessary, but is an almost inevitable part of the makeup of the human psyche. The way in which we perceive the world, and our ability to abstract principles from our observations, generalize on them, and then extrapolate from them, makes god belief almost inevitable. Thus, in another definition of the word "necessary," a necessary part of human thinking.

Faith and religion are then built up from there. That is why I have often said, though I have no faith and no religion, I strongly doubt that either will be going away anytime soon.

[Astreja]

As I see it, the problem with "religion" is that it's rather like fast food or a TV dinner. You obtain it in ready-to-eat form, without having much input into its construction, and essentially all you have to do is say yes or no to the whole package.

Me, I would much rather cook up my own spiritual food from scratch.