will these religions ever come to an end?

[TruthWorthy]

Rhizo,

It's a similar situation to christian to buddhist; a sort of self identity crisis. The question should be, then, "How self absorbed is a person who lives for their self image, and never for growth and learning the new"?

[Rhizomorph13]

Theism to theism is not a significant step because it really only involves finding a religion that more closely matches your take on the world. Atheist and theism differ by a basic belief, not just rulesets regarding an existant belief in god. Your question, "How self absorbed is a person who lives for their self image, and never for growth and learning the new?" is hard for me to understand and sounds mostly like self-help material. What I mean by that is it is double speak to sell books. It could also be applied by either atheists concerning theists or theists concerning atheists.

If you spend a great deal of your time working for "growth and learning the new" it all depends on what that means to the individual as far as where it lands you on the "self-absorbed" spectrum. For example, if you look for personal growth and new ways to expand your mind through drug use it could be argued that you are a very self-absorbed person.

Rhizo

[chatpilot]

To answer the forum question in a nutshell the answer is an emphatic no. As long as there are gullible people out there too afraid to face reality and willing to place their fates at the feet of myths there will be religion and religious beliefs.

[TruthWorthy]

Theism to theism is not a significant step because it really only involves finding a religion that more closely matches your take on the world. Atheist and theism differ by a basic belief, not just rulesets regarding an existant belief in god. Your question, "How self absorbed is a person who lives for their self image, and never for growth and learning the new?" is hard for me to understand and sounds mostly like self-help material. What I mean by that is it is double speak to sell books. It could also be applied by either atheists concerning theists or theists concerning atheists.

If you spend a great deal of your time working for "growth and learning the new" it all depends on what that means to the individual as far as where it lands you on the "self-absorbed" spectrum. For example, if you look for personal growth and new ways to expand your mind through drug use it could be argued that you are a very self-absorbed person.

Rhizo

Maybe self absorbed vs. growth and learning was a poor representation. Maybe more precise is intraspection (within group members, ideals, knowledge) vs. searching external, outward, interrelational perspectives. Looking at own ideas as objectively as possible instead of the latter, absorbtion, brain washed, repetitiveness - hence never solution oriented but content with what's available to the point that which is available is never questioned only memorised - repeatedly, until it is second nature. That sort of ignorance is what I'm refering when I say self absorbed

[chatpilot]

I agree Rhizo in my view religion as we know it today is based on tradition. What I like to call mom and pops religion. They believe it because everyone else does and to disbelieve in god is to be a pariah or a social outcast.

[Rhizomorph13]

Dude, I swear that many of the people I went to church with were there only because they didn't want to lose the community. There is an undercurrent of screaming doubt that runs through my old church. It is like they all just agree to support each others ideas about God and Heaven because it would be impolite to let everyone in on the truth. It reminds me of how people get angry when you "ruin" Santa Claus for their children. I don't personally engage in such behaviors, just as I do not stand on a street corner bleating about an afterlife that consists of slowly turning back into the dirt from whence we came.

Fun fact: my pastor at the time didn't believe in hell because he didn't see how he could be happy knowing that people he tried to help were burning in hell. The story of Lazarus and the rich man made him think he would be able to see across the "chasm" as well so *POOF* no more hell in his reality.

How nice,
Rhizo

[Samson]

Religion will not die out, but will change just as every other mythological belief in our past has.

The question should be; will the future masses ever have a religion that has a better common ground with reality than what we have today......

[tackattack]

That's a good question. How would that look, could we postulate that?

[chatpilot]

Samson a religion that has more common ground to reality would cease to be a religion. I think you need the supernatural in religion and that is its general appeal to the populace. The idea of living forever in eternal bliss, engulfed in the presence of god, angels, and other supernatural creatures, never being sick, and living in a place where death is no more is what holds religion together. All your worries and fears of this life in the real world would be a thing of the past.

[tackattack]

CP what about the church of reality? an "open-source religion" based on reality. Definately not a traditional religion.. perhaps we should define religion?