Post by Athans on Dec 14, 2015 14:50:44 GMT -6
I came across an interesting blog about religion vs. Jesus, how religion becomes organized and how that leads to problems...
blog.loukavar.com/2012/01/19/religion-vs-jesus/
Here was my response to their blog...
As a Religious Studies major, and non-believer, I think this is a very good read for atheists and believers alike. Rarely do I ever hear an atheist criticize the teachings attributed to Jesus (though some deny his existence of an actual person,) rather they criticize that Christians do not follow the teachings of Jesus. I have always been a fan of Jesus and my children are being raised loosely as liberal Christians (they are still quite young.)
I think you really hit the nail on the head about organized religion. Many atheists, or religious people for that matter, express issues with organized religion, not necessarily the idea of believing in a god. I tend to agree but you bring up some interesting points, mainly the need of community for like-minded individuals. Being a non-believer that often criticizes atheists, I find myself in a lonely place wishing I could find like-minded people. If I could find them I would certainly meet with them. What you really highlight is why these gatherings and organizations turn into institutions. It is what one could call an unintended consequence, a result of needing money.
I hope that atheists, especially, realize this as they are creating more and more groups and organizations. They start to display the exact traits they hate about religion, which I think says a lot about the phenomenon of religion itself and how it is an evolved trait in human biology, the need to gather and be social.
I hope they can realize this and learn from it. I think what will be more interesting to watch is how social media, things like Youtube and Twitter, will play a roll. Like-minded people do not need buildings to gather anymore. I would prefer a physical location to go to, but maybe social media is enough. It will be interesting to see how things change over the next decades.
blog.loukavar.com/2012/01/19/religion-vs-jesus/
Here was my response to their blog...
As a Religious Studies major, and non-believer, I think this is a very good read for atheists and believers alike. Rarely do I ever hear an atheist criticize the teachings attributed to Jesus (though some deny his existence of an actual person,) rather they criticize that Christians do not follow the teachings of Jesus. I have always been a fan of Jesus and my children are being raised loosely as liberal Christians (they are still quite young.)
I think you really hit the nail on the head about organized religion. Many atheists, or religious people for that matter, express issues with organized religion, not necessarily the idea of believing in a god. I tend to agree but you bring up some interesting points, mainly the need of community for like-minded individuals. Being a non-believer that often criticizes atheists, I find myself in a lonely place wishing I could find like-minded people. If I could find them I would certainly meet with them. What you really highlight is why these gatherings and organizations turn into institutions. It is what one could call an unintended consequence, a result of needing money.
I hope that atheists, especially, realize this as they are creating more and more groups and organizations. They start to display the exact traits they hate about religion, which I think says a lot about the phenomenon of religion itself and how it is an evolved trait in human biology, the need to gather and be social.
I hope they can realize this and learn from it. I think what will be more interesting to watch is how social media, things like Youtube and Twitter, will play a roll. Like-minded people do not need buildings to gather anymore. I would prefer a physical location to go to, but maybe social media is enough. It will be interesting to see how things change over the next decades.