Letting Go

[narrator]

Hi.. I'm new here, have been reading for a while and thought I'd talk about the journey we make towards our own truth. Perhaps you'd like to share yours too. There are many reasons people hang onto their version of the truth for the longest time, whether they are theistic, agnostic or atheistic beliefs. There are also many false arguments on all sides of the question.

 

My own "journey" (I'm beginning to dislike that expression.. lol) has taken me over a very long road. Having held to Christianity religiously for over 40 years, it slowly began to unravel for me in the last dozen years. When people change their own views on issues of this nature, they resist letting go and when they do, they often jump into the other camp with great prejudice to their previous beliefs. I can see several reasons why people might do this but as my mind began to open, I didn't want it becoming closed again.

 

The process for me began back in High School with a curriculum subject on theology, which included Christianity and other religions. (I had been more or less a creationist up until then.) It was there that I learned about the 2 creation stories, side by side in Genesis (Gen 1 to Gen 2:4 and Gen 2:4 on) which describes creation through 2 different versions. In the first, Man is created last, after the animals etc. In the second, Man is created first, before the animals.

 

There's a lot of genuine background to this, including the 2 stories being written with different purposes in mind. But for me, that made Creation vs Evolution argument a non-issue. Neither Genesis story is about history, which wasn't of importance back then, but about spiritual truths. (I could expand on this if anyone wishes.) So, for the time being, I could retain my beliefs and also agree with evolution and the big bang.

 

It would take me another 30 years to let go of Christianity. But having let go of it, I can still see possible validity in aspects of it, but not in the church's version.

 

I now have a multifaceted view of religion, beginning with the understanding that I could be wrong. I don't take the antagonistic view where science proves that God is dead, but I do hold antagonism towards much of the way religion is conducted.

 

On the flip side, I've come to see that a majority of people seem to need religion, and for good reason. I don't agree with Marx, that religion is the opiate of the masses - that suggests its main purpose is to dull the senses. In fact, I think many people need religion to give them a guide, principles and boundaries. A lot of people (even religious people) don't need this, but many do. Atheism and agnosticism is very much in the minority of our almost 7 billion population, which suggests there's a lot of people needing a framework which comes from a higher being.

 

There are many atheists in the West who are good people; as good and often better than some religious people. There are also people without religion who could do with a conscience transplant, and many religious people who interpret their religion for their own agendas. Not wishing to toss out the baby with the bathwater, I separate both religion and science from the existence of god question.

 

On the science side of things, there are religious aspects here too. Lay people quote science without understanding many of the concepts, blindly accepting that science has proven their point-of-view. For example, many people think of the big bang as a tiny hole in space that exploded and then spread out to form our universe. The expression the "big bang" was originally coined by a competitor, and is misleading. The actual theory suggests that, in simple terms, one moment there was nothing, and then the next moment the universe was there, everywhere, infinite in every direction. More like a "foop" (a'la Douglas Adams) than a "bang". There is also a variation that suggests the universe is finite.

 

When science talks about curved space, many lay people think the curve is either the outer rim of the universe or its imagined saucer-like shape. With the universe being everywhere in every direction, the curve is actually variations in spacetime (not space) at various places within the universe. When they talk about flat space, they mean it is uniform in all directions.

 

A quick definition of faith/religion: Believing in something that our eyes can't see, because someone with authority tells you it is true. It is the antipathy of forming your own truth.

 

Long story short, while science has proven many things about evolution and the cosmos, it still has many holes. I don't believe in the gods of religion, but I do believe many of the lovers of science are religiously prejudiced against the possibility that some sort of deity may have a hand in things. If such a being exists, then given the incredible yet elegant complexity of our universe, I think man's attempt to explain god is as likely as an ant's attempt to explain cosmology.

 

Cheers

[Moontanman]

Hi.. I'm new here, have been reading for a while and thought I'd talk about the journey we make towards our own truth. Perhaps you'd like to share yours too. There are many reasons people hang onto their version of the truth for the longest time, whether they are theistic, agnostic or atheistic beliefs. There are also many false arguments on all sides of the question.

 

 

False arguments on both sides? Like what? please elaborate...

 

 

It would take me another 30 years to let go of Christianity. But having let go of it, I can still see possible validity in aspects of it, but not in the church's version.

 

Some clarification would be nice at this point. What valid aspects?

 

I now have a multifaceted view of religion, beginning with the understanding that I could be wrong. I don't take the antagonistic view where science proves that God is dead, but I do hold antagonism towards much of the way religion is conducted.

 

In no way shape or form does science claim god is dead.

 

On the flip side, I've come to see that a majority of people seem to need religion, and for good reason. I don't agree with Marx, that religion is the opiate of the masses - that suggests its main purpose is to dull the senses. In fact, I think many people need religion to give them a guide, principles and boundaries. A lot of people (even religious people) don't need this, but many do. Atheism and agnosticism is very much in the minority of our almost 7 billion population, which suggests there's a lot of people needing a framework which comes from a higher being.

 

It could also suggest a lot of other things as well. You are assuming you know the minds of everyone who believes or does not believe.

 

There are many atheists in the West who are good people; as good and often better than some religious people.

 

Mighty white of you to say that.

 

There are also people without religion who could do with a conscience transplant, and many religious people who interpret their religion for their own agendas. Not wishing to toss out the baby with the bathwater, I separate both religion and science from the existence of god question.

 

This is an odd assertion can you tell us what you are talking about?

 

On the science side of things, there are religious aspects here too. Lay people quote science without understanding many of the concepts, blindly accepting that science has proven their point-of-view.

 

You would appear to be one of them.

 

For example, many people think of the big bang as a tiny hole in space that exploded and then spread out to form our universe.

 

No not if they know the "Big Bang Theory"...

 

The expression the "big bang" was originally coined by a competitor,

 

This is true

 

The actual theory suggests that, in simple terms, one moment there was nothing, and then the next moment the universe was there, everywhere, infinite in every direction. More like a "foop" (a'la Douglas Adams) than a "bang". There is also a variation that suggests the universe is finite.

 

No it doesn't

 

When science talks about curved space, many lay people think the curve is either the outer rim of the universe or its imagined saucer-like shape. With the universe being everywhere in every direction, the curve is actually variations in spacetime (not space) at various places within the universe. When they talk about flat space, they mean it is uniform in all directions.

 

Who says this?

 

A quick definition of faith/religion: Believing in something that our eyes can't see, because someone with authority tells you it is true. It is the antipathy of forming your own truth.

 

I can agree with this

 

 

Long story short, while science has proven many things about evolution and the cosmos, it still has many holes.

 

How could there not be holes? Science does not claim to explain everything.

 

I don't believe in the gods of religion, but I do believe many of the lovers of science are religiously prejudiced against the possibility that some sort of deity may have a hand in things.

 

Possibly some people do but real science simply says there is no evidence for god, if such evidence is seen then it will be looked at just like the evidence for anything would be.

 

 

If such a being exists, then given the incredible yet elegant complexity of our universe, I think man's attempt to explain god is as likely as an ant's attempt to explain cosmology.

 

Cheers

 

Religion is mans attmept to explain god, i agree religion has no real clue, only claims...