(July 12, 2016 at 5:15 pm)robvalue Wrote: We have loads of different theistic religions in the world right now. And every one of those claims to be the "real religion". They have it right, and everyone else has it wrong. They're worshipping the real god(s), in the correct way.
What would we expect to see from this? Let's pretend that one of these current religions is the real one.
Wouldn't it be absurdly obvious which one this is? Wouldn't those following the correct religion have some sort of noticable advantage? If God is doing anything at all in return for the worship it is receiving, wouldn't this be clear to all?
What I see is a bunch of people all claiming to have this amazing being on their side, yet none of them are any better off than any others because of it. I can only conclude that either none of them have it right, or God's blessings are so insignificant that I don't even notice them.
Religions are institutions. If anything had a claim on being the 'real religion' it would have to be something that isn't institutional to avoid the predicament you point out. Maybe a shaman could stake a claim to being involved with real religion, but then he wouldn't be handing on any institutional dogma.
