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This sounds nice , spiritual , and all, but isn't actually supported by any evidence . Almost every form of ancient religion, if not every form , was based on influencing invisible gods thought to affect human existence . From appeasement of angry gods who seemingly brought destruction through various natural disasters , to appeals to gods to affect things like crops or other aspects of daily life , everything stemmed from a desire to appease or appeal to the gods for favor . If this mindset is eliminated because modern man understands the scientific processes of nature , what becomes the impetus of religion?
because your understanding of what you think religion is, is superficial.
if you never go beyond the superficial, then you are stuck with a superficial limited understanding
that is your choice because this is a free will plane of existence
it would be here, just different. We have emotions and we have some of us that need rituals. Removing what we see as "religion" means there are no more humans. There would be no omni dude, but thats different.
So what would this be based on if a scientific understanding of nature prevented attributing the early causes of religion to invisible gods ? How do entire societies develop with no belief in the supernatural if somehow this is intrinsic to the human mind ?
There is no evidence in any society of a religion that developed solely to improve the human spirit that didn't develop first from the concept of invisible gods that affect nature around us .
That may be true. But I think there will always be a certain percentage of humans who will never accept their state of ultimate insignificance and unimportance in the universe. Their egos will not allow it.
So, some form of a supernatural belief systems will probably continue to be invented again and again to fulfill this need in humans. It is unclear whether the noble lie will ever completely die out.
I would agree with most of that, except the part about the ego. I'm sure there is an element of that in many religious people, but I don't think it's the primary factor. My impression (and it's nothing more than a gut feeling) is that for most people, it's a combination of two things - a search for answers, and a fear of the unknown. People are afraid to acknowledge that some of the most important aspects of their lives are completely beyond their control, and they instinctively seek answers that they think will explain the deepest mysteries of their life - is there a purpose to my existence, what will be my ultimate fate, is there more to my life and the world in which I live than meets the eye.
Many people are perfectly happy never even considering these questions; others wonder about them but are for the most part quite content accepting that if there is an answer, they'll never know it, and still others are are so concerned about it that they can not rest without some sort of an answer. If no answer presents itself in a logical form, their mind will invent answers that make them feel content and safe. This is where religion is born.
As long as there are human beings, there will always be some who are incapable of living their lives without the support and assurance they find in religion. I won't name any names, but look at some of the posters here, the ones who consistently make the most profoundly illogical and inherently contradictory arguments in the evolution threads. Does anyone really believe these people are capable of living without religion? If there is no prepackaged religion available for them to buy off the shelf, I think it's very likely they will invent one that works for them, and I suspect it would not be radically different than the one in which they already believe.
because your understanding of what you think religion is, is superficial.
if you never go beyond the superficial, then you are stuck with a superficial limited understanding
that is your choice because this is a free will plane of existence
This isn't about ME or MY lack of belief. It's about the concept I outlined in the OP, which is not a statement I came up with .
Are you able to address that without personal inferences about me, or not ?
. If this mindset is eliminated because modern man understands the scientific processes of nature , what becomes the impetus of religion?
The answer to that is as simple as it is obvious - not every "modern man" understands, or even wants to understand, the processes of nature. In fact, quite a few are completely incapable of it. Go read one of the evolution threads, and then come back and defend your sweeping generalization that "modern man understands the processes of nature." Or for that matter, pop over to Politics and read a couple of Trump threads, if you can stand it.
There are quite a few "modern men" who will never comprehend science at even a 4th grade level, no matter how many times it's explained to them. And that will be true no matter how long the human race endures, and how scientifically advanced it becomes. If they don't get it in this day and age, I see no reason to believe they ever will. I think you need to get out more.
All of this is pure speculation on your part . I'm not knocking it, or you for believing, but it's all subjective opinion without a shred of factual evidence behind it .
People assume religion would be reinvented , but would it if society had no knowledge of it to begin with and were advanced past the point of attributing physical phenomena to invisible gods due to a lack of scientific knowledge ? Those that claim this operate from a culturally biased mindset of accepting religion as valid . What if this mindset didn't exist , and the concept of invisible beings affecting humans lives was not known ? What then would be the impetus for creating a god ? If you understand that all natural phenomena have natural scientific explanations, what then becomes the root cause of creating a religion that does not yet exist ? Remember here, all memory of religion has been erased , and full scientific understanding, or as full as our understanding is today at any rate , informs us of all natural phenomena . In this case, what becomes the basis for believing in invisible supernatural beings ?
Sure there is evidence backing Tzaphs' claim.
Right now...people in this world that are highly educated, that were previously Atheist, and many being exposed to Religion for the first time, are adopting Religion by the millions.
By your logic...they would not do that. But they, in fact, are.
The answer to that is as simple as it is obvious - not every "modern man" understands, or even wants to understand, the processes of nature. In fact, quite a few are completely incapable of it. Go read one of the evolution threads, and then come back and defend your sweeping generalization that "modern man understands the processes of nature." Or for that matter, pop over to Politics and read a couple of Trump threads, if you can stand it.
There are quite a few "modern men" who will never comprehend science at even a 4th grade level, no matter how many times it's explained to them. And that will be true no matter how long the human race endures, and how scientifically advanced it becomes. If they don't get it in this day and age, I see no reason to believe they ever will. I think you need to get out more.
True enough today, but you leave out an important point . Much of the issue with those folks today, like creationists or Trump supporters , IS religion . Per the OP this influence has been eliminated , so we cant fall back on " look at all the stupid religious people alive today who don't get it ".
If a Stone Age tribe can manage to deal with nature without developing gods to explain things , or a medieval Asian culture , then most any society with a better understanding of science than a Stone Age culture would be even better equipped .
So we are back to the OP . IF religion is unknown, would it develop in a day in which anyone wondering why volcanos erupted or earthquakes happened or floods came would have those answers available through science , with no need to assign these actions to angry gods trying to communicate with humans ? Pat Robertson does, but he does so BECAUSE religion already exists .
Sure there is evidence backing Tzaphs' claim.
Right now...people in this world that are highly educated, that were previously Atheist, and many being exposed to Religion for the first time, are adopting Religion by the millions.
By your logic...they would not do that. But they, in fact, are.
Sorry , but this fact has nothing to do with it at all. These folks are trying to deal with whatever issues they have in their lives by turning to pre existing religions based on a cultural bias , or evangelism by others offering a solution to turn to these religions when all else fails .
Not at all the same as inventing something like invisible beings influencing your life in a time of modern science .
Sorry , but this fact has nothing to do with it at all. These folks are trying to deal with whatever issues they have in their lives by turning to pre existing religions based on a cultural bias to turn to these religions when all else fails .
Not at all the same as inventing something like invisible beings influencing your life in a time of modern science .
The educated that "understand the scientific explanations of natural phenomena" adopting Religion, when they were previously not Religious and being exposed to as a new concept...is exactly what you claim would not happen.
But it IS happening. Thus: Evidence you are wrong.
The educated that "understand the scientific explanations of natural phenomena" adopting Religion, when they were previously not Religious and being exposed to as a new concept...is exactly what you claim would not happen.
But it IS happening. Thus: Evidence you are wrong.
It is happening NOW because religion is NOW currently known and a cultural phenomena.
My OP addresses the issue on the basis that no such thing exists , which your responses fail to address . What happens now, in a time in which religion is highly prevalent , has no connection to what would happen if the concept were unknown in a time in which scientific knowledge were at present levels to explain things , and so would have to be invented in modern times with modern scientific knowledge .
Thus, you aren't addressing the actual premise of the OP.
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