Are Religious Beliefs True?

Are the beliefs of any religions true?

I have to say no. First of all, when we call cults absurd because they kill themselves so aliens on the moon can take their soul or something, isn't our own religion also abusrd considering we believe in something that may or may not exist? Hence we believe, not know.*
Also, we can make a religion out of anything. I can start a religion where my chair is the God of the Underworld, my lamp is the Sun God, my desk is the God of Judegement, and my computer is the God of Knowledge. and I could pray to these "Gods" and create a holy book about it all, make a temple dedicated to them, etc.
Bottom line, religion is a myth created to explain our reason for existence, what happens after we die, and what is right and what is wrong.

 

Um, yeah. That's exactly what religion is...and that's why many people (including myself) believe in it. That's what religion is based on: BELIEF, not fact. You can't prove religion, but people who believe you don't have to.
Also, nobody would worship their, say, paper shredder, because it's there. It's not mystical or anything. You can prove it's not divine, but you can't prove their isn't a god.

 

Religion is not meant to be true. Religion is meant to give people who need or want the feeling that someone is watching after them, caring for them, and loving them. It's sole existance is to explain things that we can't explain, and to give comfort to the masses, who need it.

 

we'll i see, i'm the first to say it is true. there is no reason i should be alive. i have a horrible heart problem. there is no reason why i have it. i should have died like 14 years ago (i'm 15). there is no medical explination in how i'm alive either. also i was hit with a sof ball on my head when i was a baby. i'm lucky i survived. so yeah, i believe in god.

 

Religion is based on Faith. If you don't have faith, you don't believe. That's simple.

 

well....it's a matter of faith. if you believe in it, it exists, if not, then no.

 

Well, like everyone else said, it all boils down to your Faith and Beliefs. And sure, you can worship anything and call it a god and then make a book about it, but thats different from other major religions. Other religions are based on things that happened long time ago. Maybe jesus didnt rise again from his grave, maybe the sea wasnt parted by moses, and maybe Siddhartha didnt meditate for 49 days straight, but the main thing is that there was a person that helped many others have a better life, whether it be freedom from prosecution or just mentally. So having belief in that person is no different than wishing that your grandma is looking down on you and helping you out. People just need something to believe in.

 

Well as others say, it depends on whether you choose to believe it or not. It's really more of mankind's way to deal with death, or our own personal fears of death. I myself am catholic, It's nice to believe that I'll go to heaven and not simply fade out of existence completely when I die

 

:D This is stated in the Satanic Bible. :D

Religions are myths and stories created in order for the people to enforce their laws and good will. It's something to keep us in line and in check. It's US that created a --GOD--, not GOD himself. Religion are here to tell the difference from right from wrong, and the good from evil. The right and wrong sure, anyone can decipher between the two... but religion also tells us from good and evil... what is good and what is evil? We look at the definition of good and evil from what the good books say, and we follow that when it really is matter of point of view.

"Evil is a point of view." -Anne Rice [this quote has meaning, and it's stuck to me since I've read it]

As I said, the mere goal of Religions are to keep the people in line and in fear. All the Good Books state only one thing, PEACE and GOOD WILL & LIVING. Yeah... not so much... <_< All the good books state that, and yet, those are the first things we all break. But back on topic, however, RELIGIONS... it IS a means of explanation of our existence, it IS an explanation of what happens after death, and it IS an explanation of RIGHT & WRONG/GOOD & EVIL.


Btw, believing that (what サキ アマミヤ has said, and I quoted), doesn't make you SATANIC... so anyone who is freaking out, CHILL.

 

Hmm well, plain and simply, no. They're just not true.

When you analyze natural phenomenon, understanding how life works isn't nearly as abstract as most religions describe.

 

?hmmmmmmmmmmmm

This is a mockery. True, some indiginous( didn't spell that right...sorry) groups of people do treat VERY materialitic things as Gods, such as a tree or the ocean, but no, you cannot make a god out of a chair, like i said before, mockery.

Very good. The thing is, God doesn't reveal himself as "normally" as in the past, when the world was first made. Therefore, through time, the belief in God has dissappeared with him. It not that its gone, many religions still exist, but people worship God for a different reason, its not that they actually believe in him, they just wish him to be a giant teddy bear they can hug every once and a while.

true, but not true. Thats an extremist view of what i said before, but the sole purpose is much, much different. Remember:"never trust in man, trust in God."
What i mean is, don't trust in people like the pope, or even your pastor. Thats one of the reasons i can't go to church any more, its because i get so annoyed about when he forgives you of your sins, HE HAS NO POWER OVER ANY OF US!!!
Only God has the power, that and his evil brother.

2 things. I'm sorry, and good for you. I hear that kinda excuse for Athiest a lot, but your different. Don't give up, i have a friend with some heart troubles to, and they're coming out with a cure i think. Anyways, thanks for believing, and not giving up. SO MANY PEOLE DO?!?!

true. But a belief in Athism is a belief as well.

Satanic Bible. wow......
So if thats really from a Satanic Bible, do you see how they really want to drive us away from the truth?! I really want Athiests to see that and relize that Athiesm isn't Satanic, but they(Athiests) say the same thing.

 

I will state that this is a matter of opinion. To a religious person that believes and has faith in the religion, it is true to them. So, expect some people are going to say yes and others will say no. There just isn't a universal answer here.

Having said that, I believe there is -minor- truth to religions as they all seem to be designed as a way to control and uniform design the population of an area for a way of life. They are often part of a government system to tell people what is 'right' from 'wrong' and what is socially and privately acceptable versus what is going to get you in serious trouble. They also are status givers in a society. Some explain about spiritual things that can even be explained in science such as chi/ki.

Having said that now, anything else about religions I consider to pretty much be over exaggerations, stories, and ways to explain phenomenon that cannot be comprehended such as all of the miracles, explaining how trees grow, castles in the sky, the world's creation, deities that control people's destinies in the after life and do catastrophes on earth to punish humans for failing them, etc. This all I personally believe is hogwash and a way to control people to be what others who are the 'leaders' want them to be. These are fear tactics to put people in reins and with the occasional miracles that go on the side of humanity, we are expected to praise forces that have no proof in existing to me. I'm not a religious person at all, so my opinion is the vast religious tall tales, sins, forcing people to live in cast systems by design of a greater deity, and the deity's(deities') existences are not there. If there is a deity or there are deities out there, I do not believe any are as humans have described them and people have taken great advantage of them to make these societies designed 'around' them to give people control of others and keep the masses ignorant otherwise.

So, I leave certain phenomenon I cannot explain open and look for reasonings behind them such as ghosts, auras and such because though I can find some mystery out there, I believe sooner or later these things can be explained scientifically without all of the mumbo jumbo things attached that mean people should be dominated by others through manipulation of beliefs. There are things I cannot all just easily explain that I have seen, but some other mysteries I have gone and answered and believe if I can answer some, I can answer more as years progress. I get disappointed in religions that teach people you cannot live without them and also insist that people cannot be 'good' without a religion. People actually think this, which is rather disturbing.

So with evidence to the contrary in immense levels, most religions I believe cannot be 'true' but they are a social society creation. All through history, any religion originally began as a cult and caught on because it brought things to people and made them happy and oppressed at the same time. However, I do accept others believe in religions and put their hearts into it and so the things they get out of it to them are real enough to accept. I don't buy religions at all but do not hold it against those who do because if that is what helps someone feel he/she has more control in life and helps them be a better person, then so be it. I don't see a reason for this control but through self and law of society but it does in the end come down to if a person believes or not. I don't. Others do. If they believe, they will back it 100% that it is true even if admitting that some of the things are old fashioned now and written from points of view that were closed minded. I just choose to put my 'faith' in other more real things to me.

 

?hmmmmmmmmmmmm

uh......?!
Thats was long, but to tell you the truth, you seem really smart. Anyways, I think what you said was bascically if you believe, your a believer, if you don't then good for you, and if your inbetween your a Agnostic? (lol........o_O) ok, just kidding....but were'd you get all that castle in the sky stuff? Have you been watching to amny Hyomyazaki movies or something?!?! Just kidding again. I'd probably, on a serious note, have to disagree with you. your an inbetween, neither believer nor non believer, and you believe in both strongly to point of absolute confusion(?!?!?!?!!?!?!). The only thing i strongly agree with (i said strongly, not meaning i don't agree with the rest of it.....) is that it isn't a universal answer. The answer veries with each person, such that there will never be an answer. Even the person whom created this topic gave an answer, so really his question is a rhetorical one. the bloody hypocrit.

 

First off, the reason we call most cults absurd is because mass suicide is looked upon as crazy in this day and age. It was acceptable before (i.e. ancient times), but its taboo now, so their beliefs aren't necessarily any more or less valid than anyone else's.

Now the reason why this thread is pointless is because religions are based upon faith. Which means you're supposed to just believe without needing an explanation or conformation that what you're worshiping exists. That is what all religions are like.

 

This what i told my english teacher and shocked her to the core that i was so intellectual.I think it's all a case of perspective.People have different perspectives on what they believe to be true and what they believe are false.Everything is really just a convenient half truth.In the eye's of the religious of course it's true but to myself,I don't think they are true.The very moment someone who doesn't think i'm right comes to reply because they feel i'm wrong and they're right.This is an example of conflicting Perspectives, where they find that there persception of the truth is right and mine is wrong, Even though that is never the case.It's all conflict in a never ending cycle because of persception and perspective.

 

hmmmmmm?

Murder. So peole in older times could kill whom ever, and it was exceptable. This true, everyone knows it. But why is it not right now? Why aren't Murderers suffering the punishment they give to those un-needing? My point is, some people need to be murdered, people who let murder happen, and sweep it under the rug. The blacks had it rough for a very long time, so now that "political correctness" has become so popular, the Brits escaped their due Punishment. Whats up with that? So many civilizations brought down by them, isn't it due time that they fall? Why'd we have to help them in World War II? We could've just let Hitler take over Britain, and they'd have received there DUE PUNISHMENT! I'm sorry, i'm goinng to far. And don't call me a Nazi, i truelly think Hitler wasn't a threat at all, cause he never did beat the Brits. But i'm truelly going down the wrong path here, I just needed to get that out of my system.
(p.s.- sorry to those of you who are Brits. Its the British goverment i don't like, not the people. sorry.)
Anyways, back to the other thing advent said, religion can be explained in many ways. If you knew there was a superior being, would you not worship him? God left his people bcause they fell away, and when he does come back, it will most likely be on Judgemnet Day. I due believe God came to Earth once, and thats why things like the Bible came to be, the Koran, the Torah, the Avesta, the list goes on and on. They wrote it down for us, now for us, it is a matter of believing and not believing what they wrote. Some people don't trust it, others do. That descision should never be forced upon someone, people should decide for themselves.....eh? Sorry that was a bit long.

true. I feel that everyone should hear that on this site, that peoles opinions matter, and that no one is superior, unless it can be proven.

 

"Blesses are those who believe without seeing"(John 20:29) I am strongly Christian and I respect your argument but it's not just Faith, it's a way of life and I'm not afraid to fight for it but yes, Religion may seem to just be God(s) and a Holy book but that is one thing that makes it great. I do know what you mean a year ago I would have agreed completely but I think now that there is a God because I've felt his power working in me and through other people around me. I cried for God and I hear him. I know everyone doesn't follow a religion and I don't mind that, everyone thinks differently and I won't argue I'm just saying what I believe.

 

I don't mean to start any arguments with this but...

If you said: "It's all about faith," then proceeded to express "I'd be willing to fight for it," I don't think that fighting for a faith would make much sense, because as we've said, it's all about perspective and opinion. Therefore fighting over something that has no evidence would not be a fight at all. It would just be: "This is the way it is."

But regardless, I was just pointing this out, another reason--as stated earlier--this thread probably wouldn't do much in terms of collective evidence.

 

hmmmmmmmmm......?

good for you. I used to be a Christian , once upon a time. Now, I've found the truth, and can't decide whether its evil, or good. Non of you could guess what i mean by that, i'd have to show you in person, which'll never happen. Buta strong faith that your willing to fight for is a good thing, i just need to figure out if what your fighting for is good or not....^__^........o_O

what do you mean collective evidence? I could give you some, but that would expose my belief, the truth, and i don't thik someone like you would be ready for it.

 

well said.

although I believe religion is generally untrue...
I am not particularly religious, but the way I see religion (IMO) is a way to explain events that could be otherwise be proved scientifically (like a lightning strike, people a long time ago would think of Zeus, and then wonder if he was angry) or explain moral principles through stories. This isnt my full opinion though so dont flame me please, lol...=)_)

although i dont think everything can be proven by science. right now anyway.