If you were ever a theist...

[MTL]

[quote pid='1163629' dateline='1452120108']
If He exists to be 'found' at all, the path to Him will be through real honest and real Truth,
...read, Science...not through Religious gobbledegook passed off as 'truth'.

It is ironic to me that for all Religion has opposed Science over the thousands of years,
it is through Science that we will likely find Him, if He is there to be found at all.

The problem with this is the fact that no god is any good to a believer without being also mysterious, and beyond human capacity for understanding. If it can be observed and studied, then no matter how great it may be it isn't a god, it can only be something great. Therefore, if there really is a person, persons, or some force of intelligence which is responsible for the origin of our universe, and the day comes that we can explain it, then on that day it will destroy all organized religions which have asserted the existence of a creator/designer. Even if mortal humans are able to meet Yahweh and Jesus, and they turn out to be exactly what the Xtians say they are, this will be bad for Xtianity when they are no longer mysterious, because you cannot apply faith to something which is or can be understood. Smart religious leaders have understood over the centuries that the more people learn through science, the less mystery it leaves them to exploit, therefore religion and science cannot truly be non-overlapping magisteria - they are by the nature of their existence anti-religion and anti-science.

From the Catholic liturgy: Let us proclaim the mystery of faith...

[/quote]

MTL wrote:

That simply means that finding God would destroy Religion in its current form
...and to that I say, so what?

It would be the height of hypocrisy for all the Theists of the world to talk about "finding God"
and one day residing in the House of their Father,
if they ultimately shy away from the moment of meeting,
simply because the Mystery is no more.

It sorta just underlines what I've always said:

Religion doesn't really serve God.

Religion serves Religion.

God is only of any use to Religion as long as He is a Mystery.

When He becomes Real, Religion has served its purpose
and we have evolved beyond the need of it,
like a prehensile tail that we no longer need,
because we no longer need to swing from the trees for our safety.

And, it underlines what we've already been discussing:

Religion only wants its own "truth".

The actual Truth about God/Origin of the Universe may actually be the exact opposite of what Religion wants.

It's like another analogy I've made to illustrate the difference between Religion and God:

God is like the authentic, high-end designer boutique, whose merchandise is genuine Truth.

Religion is the cheap knock-off tent set up around the corner, touting fake "truth" as the genuine article.

Not only is Religion not the real McCoy,
but it is actually working against it...
...siphoning off God's customer base.