Mankind's Need for Religions

Mankind's need for religion stems from his own conscious.

Religion is born out of the very nature of what it means to be human, our gift of self-consciousness. The human psyche is suspended, as it were, between a constantly changing natural world out of which we have emerged, and the appeal of an unchanging reality that we have the ability to imagine and to which we believe we belong. Without this sense of being related to a transcendence, that we normally call God, human life faces the trauma of meaninglessness. We become no different from the animals going through the cycles of birth, maturation, mating, reproducing and dying. Animals tolerate that meaningless cycle because they are not self-conscious and do not live in the medium of time and thus do not know mortality. That is however, not a possibility for self-conscious human lives whose minds remember the past and plan for a future that includes their deaths. Self-consciousness is thus the source of the human drive to connect with something eternal, something not bound! by time and space. That is what makes us religious beings. Our images of God are, however, never static. When human life changes, our religious understandings must also change or they become either irrelevant or unbelievable. That is the moment when our god images die and the anxiety present in the human soul becomes palpable. A brief look at religious history makes this obvious.

Read Full Article here:
A History and Understanding of Religion

Human Origins | Creation and Evolution

Very good points. But you forgot to mention religion as: ways to pass down knowledge and the rememberance of heroes past that in time were diefied. Agree fully.

- FallenOne

Religion....is a divider.
Dividing the connection of God and Man which was simple at first...until one day religion.

Wisdumb. Perhaps you should learn the very definition of religion. Stemming from the greek word 'Religio', meaning to bring together, etc. (as in 'bringing together' a bunch of people, or anithing else). Anything and everything can be a religion, as long as a group of people 'believe' it, be it the sky is blue or that we all eventually die, that humans can spontaneously combust, or even that there are aliens (I will not say of which I subscribe, it's beside the point). There is no mention in a 'god' or division. it is the exact opposite, it 'connects' people.

I've seen you in other forums (can't remember which), and all you seem to do is slap on a half-arse argument containing 1-2 non-sensical sentences with no verification/proof/theory to support your claim. :bnghd:

Please read, educate yourself, and provide a reasnoble argument in these forums. It would help everyone.

- FallenOne

wisdumb, did you post by accident (no offense) it looks like you didnt complete the sentence....here let me help you....

then religion........ was created to control the masses yes. thats it. good point!

Originally posted by Wisdumb
Religion....is a divider.
Dividing the connection of God and Man which was simple at first...until one day religion.

In Hinduism (specifically Vedanta ) the whole point of life is to realize your own inherent divinity ----> That YOU ARE GOD. Humans and all things from animals, plants, to rocks are all merely projections of what is refered to as 'God'


btw: If you ever wondered why they picked the term 'God' ----> Generator Operator Destroyer -- This essentially is the fabric of all existance

Originally posted by whipnet
Mankind's need for religion stems from his own conscious.

Mankind does not, and never did need religion; what mankind needed and still needs is Jesus Christ. Religion is not enough to bring about true peace of mind forgiveness of sin and eternal life. There is only one way to heaven, Jesus Christ.

Deal with it!

Lightseeker

p.s. Jesus is not just a guy who lived 2,000 years ago and died; Jesus is alive today and just as ready, now as then, to forgive you, your sins and grant you peace, joy, and eternal fellowship with Him. Come on, you know you want to.

"The Sinners Prayer"
Heavenly Father:
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of
my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the
Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now
to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the
day's of my Life!. Because your word is truth, I confess
with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed
by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen.



[edit on 7/15/2005 by lightseeker]