When I begin to think about religion and why there are certain rules and guidelines I start to think about the creation of religion and the purpose that it serves to human kind. No matter where you live in the world be it in a large city or secluded jungle all people have some form of religion. It is almost as if we as humans are built to have a need to believe in something more than just us. It is as if we are programmed to believe in a God or gods, and with that belief comes the belief in the supernatural world and supernatural power.
Human kind was also programmed with a need to control and understand their environments. The creation or rather existence of religion is a way that humans can feel a sense of control and understanding in a world of chaos and uncertainty. So I find it only natural to wonder whether or not religion was just a man made creation. I wonder whether or not man just created a God and rules from this God to benefit themselves and try to exercise control over people and their environments. There are so many religions in this day and age that cater just about every want and need that a human might experience. Humans have molded and bent different religions into what they find to be ideal for them. What rules from one religion are best for their life style mixed with some ideals from another.
So I’m left thinking whether religion created by God and then dulled down by man or whether it created by man and just further evolved it to what best served them during whatever point in time they are living?
In my last post I touch on this issue a little. I think that maybe along with being an explanation of the world religion also provides a connection to the world. I think wanting to be a part of or connected to something is also an innate human feeling. The point you raise about how many different religions there are and how they are built to fit certain societies to me seems to indicate that religion is man made or has a strong man made element. I write about how religion changes characteristics in different societies in my last post also. I think it goes well with what you're saying.
ReplyDeleteI am only musing here, but I think that the occurance of religion has a strong foundation in our need to feel that we are not all that there is. To be more clear, humans seem to wonder, about the stars, inner earth, spirit worlds, an omnipotent being etc. Whether a god created this wonder or we did goes far beyond my paygrade, but it appears that deeper thoughts and religious tendancies are fuled by the fear that we are it, not that we are the only beings in the universe, but that this one life, what we see and percieve is all there is. Religion seems to be a search for, or a creation of, something more.
ReplyDeleteI was actually having a conversation with our friend Masud;) today about the differnt versions of the bible. There is the lutheran version, the king james version and a bunch of others.The bible has,in some sense, been dominated by man.Personally, i feel like all these differnt versions do not include the same teachings as the original....but which one is THE orginal? Hmmm....
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