Quote:
Originally posted by Parabola
I have been raised in a religous family but I myself do not believe in god. I also am willing to admit god does indeed exists but I just find it all a little hard to believe.
[...]
If someone can make up a religion and get millions of people to belive in it then how can you be sure your religion wasn't just made up by someone?
|
With humans, it is important to note that people in our culture tend be more concerned with having an illusion of safety and a net of external meaning to govern their lives. The Greeks had this figured out, they had two opposing gods, Dionysus and Apollo. Dionysus is the primordial god, the god of drinking, of existing and very much of the earth. Silenus, his eternal friend in the woods, was questioned about existence and after telling everyone that they didn't want to hear the truth he finally came out with it:
"The best thing would have been for you to have never been born. The next best thing would be to die as soon as possible."
Why? Because life is filled with suffering, because we feel alone, we know we're going to die, and the crushing weight of it all makes death a preferable option, but...
Silenus is not the only god with anything to say on the matter. Apollo, the god of images, takes the wisdom of Silenus and turns it on it's head:
"The worst thing would have been for you to have never been born. The next worst thing would be to die as soon as possible."
Why? Because we create meaning in our lives, we create a veil over the starkness of existence to make it tolerable, and even enjoyable - to make it <i>meaningful</i>.
So... when it comes to discussing religion, this little story brings it all down to a good representation of the choices. Choosing a religion is equivalent to picking a veil. I think organized religions of all sorts tend to be the easiest exits towards facing the Dionysian world. Personally, I think we need balance between experiencing both the veils and the real nature of existence, which I find to be lacking in religions which try cover existence in such a tight veil that really experiencing that other side of existence is discouraged and dogmatically so vehemently that it almost becomes a way to negate existing at all. Particularly putting an emphasis on an afterlife I find has the net effect of cancelling out the lives we lead now, which is the only thing we know we are guaranteed to have. All Apollo and no Dionysus is a totally abstract existence.
I could say more, but that covers the heart of it.