by TechMage » Aug 9, 2002 @ 1:34pm
Hey Moose here's some food for thought. I have been studying religions for a few years, and this is really interesting. Every religion has there own otherworldly beings. What is weird is that some believers of these religions have seen all of these beings through different rituals (praying, chants, intense belief, magical rituals, ect.). Christian's fast or pray or speak in tounges and see or feel God, Jesus, Mary, ect. Hindu's do the same thing and see or feel their gods. Other religions do the same thing and see or feel their God or gods. Even made up modern religions can see or feel beings that were admittly made up by a guy.
Some people can even see or feel beings from fantasy books. But the key to all of these, is that the believers believe not only conciously in these beings, but also unconciously. It's like people when they are babies are like a new PC. They have no operating system, they just have a BIOS which is instinct. As they experience and are taught different things in their life, they begin to build their own operating system which is their core beliefs and morals. Alot of us have no controll in how our operating system is built because we are naive children when the kernel (personality) for our OS is formed.
If we are taught that their is an all powerfull God when we are young then most likely that belief will never change, because everthing that happens in our life we will weigh against that belief and strengthen it. Occasionaly a experience will happen in our life and instead of strengthening that core belief, it will weaken it. If this weaking process happens enough we will do one of two things. We will either deny the problem that is weakening our core belief or we will embrase it and let the core belief fall. Alot of people do the former and few do the latter. But the few that do the latter, it seems can change their OS (a least partially) with time if their willing.
Thats why someone who is born hindu can change to christian or someone who is jew can change to atheist. I was raised up as a Christian and I had a Christian OS for a long time. Lots of things in my life happened to change it and I bounced from one religion to the next. I finially found that being an atheist was the best (it made the most sence). Although don't get me wrong, my OS is not fully changed. Some Christian files and other religion's files still float around in my atheist OS like viri I can't get rid of. I finially found that I'm too open minded and I have too many other OS files in my head to be an atheist.
So now I'm a agnostic. I hate being agnostic, because you can't be certain about anything, but no matter how hard I try I can't be a Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Atheist or any other religion or non-religion I can't. Maybe some day I will get the answers I seek and be able to be one of these religions or non-religion. My point in all of this is that we all are brainwashed. Weither we do it to ourselves or others do it to us, were still brainwashed. Some people can be so brainwashed on one thing that they believe it with all their being and they totally deny logic which creates doubt. So if you believe hard enough in the boogy man, and you believe that saying his name five times every day will make him appear, after a while if you truely believe it, you will see the boogy man.
So the same thing could be applied to God. So if you want to be happy and never know or care if God is truely real, and if your tounge speaking is your unconcious, God, the Devil or Santa Clause, keep doing what your doing. But me, I'll take my unhappyness, and my doubt, because history has proved that man doesn't evolve (knowledge, wisdom, and moral wise) by blind faith, but by doubt and questioning.
Here is some quotes on doubt and truth I found that all people should live by but few can and do.
Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt.
Bergen Evans( 1812-1889) English Poet
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
Bertrand Russell
Neither in this world nor elsewhere is there any happiness in store for him who always doubts.
Bhagavad Gita( c. B.C. 400) Sanskrit Poem
Great doubts...deep wisdom. Small doubts... little wisdom.
Chinese ProverbProverb
Can that which is the greatest virtue in philosophy, doubt, be in religion what the priests term it, the greatest of sins?
Christian N. Bovee( 1820-1904) American Author and Editor
Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.
Clarence Darrow( 1857-1938) American Lawyer
If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.
Descartes( 1596-1650) French Philosopher and Scientist
Doubt is the father of invention.
Galileo( 1564-1642) Italian Astronomer and Mathematician
He that knows nothing doubts nothing.
George Herbert( 1593-1632) English Metaphysical Poet
Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom.
George Iles
We know accurately only when we know little; with knowledge doubt enters.
Johann W. von Goethe( 1749-1832) German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist, and Scientist
It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative.
John Burroughs( 1837-1921) American Naturalist and Author
Life is doubt, and faith without doubt is nothing but death.
Miguel de Unamuno( 1864-1936) Spanish Philosopher and Writer
Doubt is the vestibule through which all must pass before they can enter into the temple of wisdom.
Colton( 1780-1832) English Sportsman and Writer
Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Andre Gide
How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!
Alexander Pope( 1688-1744) English Poet, Critic, and Translator
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