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Will religion ever disappear?


Still Waters

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A growing number of people, millions worldwide, say they believe that life definitively ends at death - that there is no God, no afterlife and no divine plan. And it's an outlook that could be gaining momentum - despite its lack of cheer. In some countries, openly acknowledged atheism has never been more popular.

http://www.bbc.com/f...-ever-disappear

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The world could definitely do with less religion and more faith.

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I don't think Religion is going away, but it is changing. The Pagan circles and festivals I go to in the US are getting bigger every year.

Additionally, non-believers often lean on what could be interpreted as religious proxies – sports teams, yoga, professional institutions, Mother Nature and more – to guide their values in life. As a testament to this, witchcraft is gaining popularityin the US, and paganism seems to be the fastest growing religion in the UK.
Edited by GreenmansGod
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We can only hope that us pagans continue to gain strength and momentum, and continue to spread. :)

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Will religion ever disappear?

Nope! Only in a perfect world. Somebody or some group somewhere is always gonna believe in something outside their scope of reality. History proves that.

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A growing number of people, millions worldwide, say they believe that life definitively ends at death - that there is no God, no afterlife and no divine plan. And it's an outlook that could be gaining momentum - despite its lack of cheer. In some countries, openly acknowledged atheism has never been more popular.

http://www.bbc.com/f...-ever-disappear

I am cheerful ..... I enjoy life everyday .... even when I have a day of bad pain ... I am thankful just to be alive. It seems a lot with religion are not .

I think we will eventually grow out of it ... or adopt a global religion ..... or all kill each other if we dont choose either of the first two.

Actually, even the Son (of the prophet) and inheritor ( leader ) of our first global religion (Abdul Baha) said himself that religion could be the cause of growth and peace into a new age ... but if it isnt and becomes the opposite, then we should get rid of religion.

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Nope! Only in a perfect world. Somebody or some group somewhere is always gonna believe in something outside their scope of reality. History proves that.

but that doesnt define a religion.

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I think that the more adept and comfortable I have became with the idea that I can't know everything; I can't control anything, that life has great elements, and days that are hard (that includes suffering) and that fear is part of life, (that facing it brings about growth that is viable and useful too), and it is out of this place I am confident, competent, and capable of handling life, for me this understanding is of spirit. I have a great support system with my friends, life works. I don't claim that I am never afraid, or sad, or unsure, or uncertain,(or want to find a way that I will never be this way) as I have matured I see that it is part of life and that good/bad things run there course, this too shall pass, is wise. I am managing life on its terms very well, without religion. While at the same time, I commend the efforts of religion, in its way it offered a way to deal with life and its ups and downs, when there was nothing else.

But I think relgious dogma no longer has a stranglehold on culture as it once did, and it is becoming obvious that we are becoming better for it. Not to long ago if I had said I was an Athest, or a Buddhist, or an Agnostic, or a Muslim I would of been admonished for "getting it wrong." The underlying righteousness that fuelled religious teachings (being the only right one) is what is changing across the board. I think the gay rights movement showed that religion was wrong, therefore infallible and it will adapt, it has. Of course some religions are slower to catch up, but they will. I love the movement towards tolerance and that is the world I think we will have. I see the idea that there is only one way to spirtituality as evolving to the idea that there are many ways, whatever works for an Individual is the way. I am proud of my culture for taking a stand and I see it is for the better. Now instead of excluding each other for difference we are including each other and I for one am having a great time learning and sharing in all kinds of paths relgious or not.

My son is Catholic his lady is not and they discussed how they would incorporate these two different perspectives into a way that honored them both. And it is beautiful to see two people respect and honor the other for their journey. I worked hard at raising my kids away from the dogma of my upbringing and where I once dreamed of a place where religion didn't matter as a measure of ones worth, I now see this in the reality of the lives my kids are leading and as the next generation fills our spot we will see more of our efforts from those that dared to dream for a better way, not unlike the religious that walked before us and shared their idea as the better way for the time. I think the oppourtunity for humanity is we can work at getting better at letting go, adapting, applying and listening, to feedback.

Edited by Sherapy
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but that doesnt define a religion.

Alrighty then, let me correct that.

Somebody or some group somewhere will always have a religion.

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You know, I don't know how I would define myself. I know I am not a complete Atheist, I have a faith in something that can be totally spiritual. I may feel that there is a higher power. Or that the power itself, is that spiritual core that keeps me grounded. I reflect on what Sheri says about being more comfortable in knowing you control everything. I see that. I even feel that my feeling that I myself cant control everything, would make me more calm too. The thing is, I do have a belief, because I feel that there is more. I also feel that yes, I need my spirituality, my beliefs, and that I do depend on it too. Maybe relying on my beliefs more than my logic of what I can and cannot control. I will be honest, I do rely on my beliefs. I just think that my spirituality allows me to accept the logic of what I can and cannot control. I guess what I am saying, there are days that I depend on my spirituality to help me understand and cope with logic and reality, and other days I depend on my beliefs and spirituality for something more.

To sum it up, I think my duality makes me think that it's understandable that a lack of beliefs is being shared by more of the populace these days. I think that the dependence and the peace of beliefs and faith and the religion behind it will still remind, if not just a remnent of what it was. I don't think it will die out soon.

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Alrighty then, let me correct that.

Somebody or some group somewhere will always have a religion.

Quiet possibly :yes: When Jung added the 4th principle to Freud's 3, he called it the 'religious instinct.' ... So, it could be with us for some time.

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You know, I don't know how I would define myself. I know I am not a complete Atheist, I have a faith in something that can be totally spiritual. I may feel that there is a higher power. Or that the power itself, is that spiritual core that keeps me grounded. I reflect on what Sheri says about being more comfortable in knowing you control everything. I see that. I even feel that my feeling that I myself cant control everything, would make me more calm too. The thing is, I do have a belief, because I feel that there is more. I also feel that yes, I need my spirituality, my beliefs, and that I do depend on it too. Maybe relying on my beliefs more than my logic of what I can and cannot control. I will be honest, I do rely on my beliefs. I just think that my spirituality allows me to accept the logic of what I can and cannot control. I guess what I am saying, there are days that I depend on my spirituality to help me understand and cope with logic and reality, and other days I depend on my beliefs and spirituality for something more.

To sum it up, I think my duality makes me think that it's understandable that a lack of beliefs is being shared by more of the populace these days. I think that the dependence and the peace of beliefs and faith and the religion behind it will still remind, if not just a remnent of what it was. I don't think it will die out soon.

Sharon, I honestly appreciate your thoughts here, I think there is a lot I don't know, and will never know. I have an intuitive sense (spiritual sense) that no matter what things will work out the way they are meant to and I get out of the way, let life be. For me, I think the driving force is in part maturity and accrued experience, (maybe more, as you I am open) where as, for you it is logic, beliefs, and spirituality, and that makes sense to me too. Our semantics are different yet we are saying similar things. A dear friend once told me there are a few ways people approach religion either you (generally speaking)are invested in the rightness needing it to be right , or you get there is no right and just share in the journey and look for the value, the oath won't matter. The latter, is where I am at theses days. When I was young and inexperienced I was heavily invested in the rightness of things, and as I have matured I have accrued enough experience to see there is another layer, way more then meets a youthful eye, (whatever that layer is though who knows). Thought provoking post, so fun to read!

Edited by Sherapy
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I would say that according to some definitions, "religion" has pretty much disappeared (effectively) for more than half the world today. Europeans take their religion lightly and most ignore the traditions, and more and more Americans (both North and South) are coming to be similar.

In much of the rest of the world the religion listed in the reference books is not really a religion, for one reason or another. For example in much of Africa, including the Muslim and Christian parts, it is more magic than religion -- ways to get God to do what you want. This happens in animism and Hinduism and many flavors of Buddhism and other Chinese religions, where you don't have "God," but "Heaven." I dunno -- is it okay to call belief in spirits inhabiting a local forest glen and giving these spirits a greeting when you come into it a real "religion?"

We have instincts that lead to expression via religion, such as our submission/dominance instincts, our altruistic instincts, our ability to love and to experience awe and of course our instinct to try to survive, leading to beliefs trying to avoid the reality of death, but none of these can be said to be explicitly a religion instinct. They are just instincts that sometimes find religious ways to come out.

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Sharon, I honestly appreciate your thoughts here, I think there is a lot I don't know, and will never know. I have an intuitive sense (spiritual sense) that no matter what things will work out the way they are meant to and I get out of the way, let life be.

You know, I think I have that too. Sometimes I think it's separate from my beliefs. I don't know if it's some self protecting thing, or I am getting the message it will be alright. I sometimes wonder loved ones who passed on are watching over us.
For me, I think the driving force is in part maturity and accrued experience, (maybe more, as you I am open) where as, for you it is logic, beliefs, and spirituality, and that makes sense to me too. Our semantics are different yet we are saying similar things. A dear friend once told me there are a few ways people approach religion either you (generally speaking)are invested in the rightness needing it to be right , or you get there is no right and just share in the journey and look for the value, the oath won't matter. The latter, is where I am at theses days.
I often feel that I am either do one and other times the other. That is where my duality comes in I guess. Maybe to some, that would probably wouldn't make sense.
When I was young and inexperienced I was heavily invested in the rightness of things, and as I have matured I have accrued enough experience to see there is another layer, way more then meets a youthful eye, (whatever that layer is though who knows). Thought provoking post, so fun to read!

Awwww shucks, thanks. Yeah, me too. I think I am waaaay to much of the idealistic individual even now, that sometimes I try to instinctly go the rightious path, that I often have to stop and reflect.

Thank you for your thoughts, Sheri. :)

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The sooner it disappears the sooner we can begin to deliver proper care to the millions of mentally ill people inflicted by it.

You mean billions right?

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The sooner it disappears the sooner we can begin to deliver proper care to the millions of mentally ill people inflicted by it.

Are you suggesting religion is a mental illness?
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I don't think it will ever disappear ,some people need it as a crutch against the realities of death,I think it is only the more fundamentalist type of religions that present a darker side .Your run of the mill religions do no harm and are a comfort for some and will probably endure ,unless some startling discovery is made which disproves the whole shebang,which is highly unlikely

fullywired

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I have to agree in some cases religion can be a mental illness. Face it fundamentalism is a mental illness. When you feel your religion is the only religion and everyone must be controlled by your religion or the world will fall into chaos or you feel the need to kill to force this religion on others, then you have a mental problem. Which seem to what is going on with fundamentalism in Islam at this time, but it has happened with other religions, too and could happen again. Which is the fear of those who wish to live with peaceful secular values.

Maybe we should just forget all the dogma and all the hoo woo nonsense and do what religion was to the ancient ancestors most likely started it out as, an excuse to get together, make music, tell stories and have a party.

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Are you suggesting religion is a mental illness?

No I think mental illness exists independent of religion. I just think that the religions prey on, exploit and victimize the weakest among us, including my fellow crazies. It takes a Man of God to convince a suicidal person that it will all be alright in the afterlife so long as they take a bunch of infidels with them. The proper treatment for schizophrenia is medication and therapy, not tying someone to a bed, depriving them of food and water and chanting prayers.

There is religion for well people and religion for sick people. The former is church festivals, bake sales, interdenominational prayer meetings, joy, peace and love, all that good stuff. The latter is pain, shame, sectional violence and scars that last a lifetime. Those who see the former side are blissfully unaware of the latter side.

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I think organized religion is going away but more of a universal "spiritualism" is increasing

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I would say that according to some definitions, "religion" has pretty much disappeared (effectively) for more than half the world today. Europeans take their religion lightly and most ignore the traditions, and more and more Americans (both North and South) are coming to be similar.

In much of the rest of the world the religion listed in the reference books is not really a religion, for one reason or another. For example in much of Africa, including the Muslim and Christian parts, it is more magic than religion -- ways to get God to do what you want. This happens in animism and Hinduism and many flavors of Buddhism and other Chinese religions, where you don't have "God," but "Heaven." I dunno -- is it okay to call belief in spirits inhabiting a local forest glen and giving these spirits a greeting when you come into it a real "religion?"

We have instincts that lead to expression via religion, such as our submission/dominance instincts, our altruistic instincts, our ability to love and to experience awe and of course our instinct to try to survive, leading to beliefs trying to avoid the reality of death, but none of these can be said to be explicitly a religion instinct. They are just instincts that sometimes find religious ways to come out.

Well, the word religion seems to be the exclusive property of those that have a specific sort of religion , but the issue may be bigger than that;

Analysing the word itself; Religion , respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods, obligation, the bond between man and the Gods is derived from the Latin religio, the ultimate origins of which are obscure. One possibility is derivation from le-ligare, "read", i.e. re (again) + lego in the sense of "choose", "go over again" or "consider carefully". Modern scholars such as Joseph Campbell favor the derivation from ligare "bind, connect", or … "to reconnect," which was made prominent by St. Augustine.

According to Max Müller, the root of the English word "religion", the Latin religio, was originally used to mean only "reverence for God or the gods, careful pondering of divine things, Müller characterized many other cultures around the world, including Egypt, Persia, and India, as having a similar power structure at this point in history.

What is called ancient religion today, they would have only called "law".

Many languages have words that can be translated as "religion", but they may use them in a very different way, and some have no word for religion at all. For example, the Sanskrit word dharma, sometimes translated as "religion", also means law.

There is no precise equivalent of "religion" in Hebrew, and Judaism does not distinguish clearly between religious, national, racial, or ethnic identities. One of its central concepts is "halakha", sometimes translated as "law"", which guides religious practice and belief and many aspects of daily life.

But what exactly IS religion?

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.

The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, Some religions have organized behaviors, clergy, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a god or gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture.

However, there are examples of religions for which some or many of these aspects of structure, belief, or practices are absent.

The development of religion has taken different forms in different cultures. Some religions place an emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. Some religions focus on the subjective experience of the religious individual, while others consider the activities of the religious community to be most important. Some religions claim to be universal, believing their laws and cosmology to be binding for everyone, while others are intended to be practiced only by a closely defined or localized group.

.... so , in the broader sense, it may never disappear.

Edited by back to earth
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