Apr 29 2012: There have been some interesting posts on my question, and I thank everyone who took the time to write them. My opinion on my question is that religion as such, does not have any relevance today, as I think that science has led to a new way of understanding the world, and superstition belongs in the past.
I will leave the final word on religion to H L Mencken, which happens to be my favourite quote of all :-
"The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 revolutions per minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it.
Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride"
Apr 28 2012: If the best scientists in the world believe in god then they are not the best scientists in the world. Either you believe in science - or religion; you cannot believe in both. Here's a quote about religion from Desmond Morris, who's views agree with mine - "Like any good scientist I keep an open mind. But the concept of an omnipotent deity is so fatuous that even my open scientific mind finds it hard to take it seriously. It belongs with ghosts and gremlins and hobgoblins and things that go bump in the night. Something to frighten naughty children with- and a wonderful way for cunning holy men to exploit the gullible and the feeble-minded."
Apr 27 2012: As an atheist I look on the bible as a fairy story. It would be just as logical to believe that Grimms fairy tales are true. Just because something is written in a book does not mean it's true. No one can ever prove that Jesus existed.
Apr 21 2012: You say that God is relevant Edward. What is your concept of what God actually looks like ? Does he (or she )
exist in physical terms, or is he merely a spiritual being ?
Apr 17 2012: As Colleen has stated I believe that all religions are human constructs devised primarily to control the masses. As religions prove, humans are like sheep, and tend to follow the herd. They seldom question whether religious teaching is logical or not.
Apr 16 2012: I suppose that my idea of a religion would in involve a belief in an anthropomorphic deity, as in Christianity.This is a quote from anthroplogists John Monaghhan and Peter Just - "Many of the great world religions appear to have begun as revitalization movements of some sort, as the vision of a charismatic prophet fires the imaginations of people seeking a more comprehensive answer to their problems than they feel is provided by everyday beliefs. Charismatic individuals have emerged at many times and places in the world. It seems that the key to long-term success – and many movements come and go with little long-term effect – has relatively little to do with the prophets, who appear with surprising regularity, but more to do
with the development of a group of supporters who are able to institutionalize the movement."
Apr 16 2012: Hi Colleen, I agree with much of what you say. There are certain aspects of religions that are still relevant today concerning interpersonal relations. The main objection I have is that, even though science has removed the need for a belief in an anthropomorphic deity, many people still believe that the stories in the bible are literally true; when to any logical person, it is obvious that the bible is essentially a fairytale and nothing more. As someone who understands science I don't see how it is possilble to be a scientist, and at the same time, believe in a deity.
Mar 25 2012: A couple of my favourite quotes from H L Mencken :- We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.
The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 revolutions per minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it.
Religion is the theory that it was set in motion to give him the ride.
Jan 29 2012: My position on the continuum would be 100% to the left as I don't see anything to believe in. A quote from Dr Desmond Morris, a noted Zoologist may be useful.
" When we first developed verbal language we were able to talk in the past, present and future tense. Other species only communicate in the present tense- so a dog, for example, has no idea that one day it will die. Once we were able to contemplate out personal future and realize that one day we would be dead, we had to protect ourselves from this terrible thought and so we conceived of an afterlife. And (to cut a very long story very short) in this way religion was born. We still fear death which is why, I suppose, religion still manages to prosper, even in a scientific age."
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A comment on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
I will leave the final word on religion to H L Mencken, which happens to be my favourite quote of all :-
"The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 revolutions per minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it.
Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride"
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
exist in physical terms, or is he merely a spiritual being ?
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
with the development of a group of supporters who are able to institutionalize the movement."
A reply on Conversation: Does religion have any relevance in the modern world ?
A comment on Conversation: What is your favourite quote and why?
The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 revolutions per minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it.
Religion is the theory that it was set in motion to give him the ride.
A comment on Conversation: Religion and Atheism
" When we first developed verbal language we were able to talk in the past, present and future tense. Other species only communicate in the present tense- so a dog, for example, has no idea that one day it will die. Once we were able to contemplate out personal future and realize that one day we would be dead, we had to protect ourselves from this terrible thought and so we conceived of an afterlife. And (to cut a very long story very short) in this way religion was born. We still fear death which is why, I suppose, religion still manages to prosper, even in a scientific age."