The Organised Religion Debate

[Kether]

I'm all in favour of spirituality. But I feel that religion involves such profoundly personal decisions that people should chose their own path. To me, organised religion seems, at best, unnecessary.

In many cases it has been, and still is, a malign influence on the world. Organised religions promote themselves as the sole guardians of the truth, and it is this sense of mystique that gives them their enormous power. They can condone or condemn anything, and their followers will accept that they know best and believe them.

Al-Qaeda, the Spanish Inquisition, and many more organisations have used or use religion to justify terrible atrocities.

[MidnightSun]

Muslims say they kill in the name of God but their God never teached that killing is a good thing. Another mutated religion...

[Kether]

The Koran says that war is only permissible if the Islamic faith is under threat. This can be interpreted in many ways, and fanatics use it as an excuse to kill.

[vicente]

Personally, I'm a Spiritual non-Theist.

Spiritual non-Theism is spirituality without the conditions of a contrived Supreme Being. Beliefs of all kinds generate conditions between us and our direct experiences. Spiritual non-Theists understand that experience born of belief can only be experienced through the condition of that belief. Beliefs of both religion and science, limits, denies, disempowers. Unlike conventional Atheists and Humanists, who tend to have a sciential, cerebro-centric belief in no god(s), Spiritual non-Theism points to a sapiential, cardio-centric understanding (Gnothi Seauton) that is intimately gnostic in nature.

Know God, no Peace; Gnow Peace, no God.

Vicente
:)

[Thomas Knierim]

On the positive side, organised religions produced some pretty good architecture and art.

Thomas

[sonrisa]

which other organized religions destroy, like those beautiful Bhuddas in Afghanistan. What a disservice to humanity :shakehead:

[Kether]

I'm not saying that everything about organised religion is bad. But the achievements of organised religion has to be offset against the atrocities committed in its name.
Even where it has not caused suffering, is organised religion neccessary at all?

[Thomas Knierim]

Kether: I'm not saying that everything about organised religion is bad.

Neither am I saying that we need organised religions to create good architecture. :blackey:

Thomas

[MidnightSun]

ok ,if u say so... :hahaha:

[...]

Even where it has not caused suffering, is organised religion neccessary at all?

..religion has no other purpose than to offer people answers. Whether those answers are true is irrelevant, because people tend to overlook untruths when religious principles provide a means to escape their problems. To that effect, religion takes on many, many different shapes and doesn't have to deal with supernatural matters persé. Just have a look at the 'women rule' thread for instance...

[MidnightSun]

Even if there would be no organised religion, only the matter of person itself, there would be another persons who believes would be the same,those ppl would discuss it and so on (noone want to be alone) and that makes organised religion.

[sahyo]

:thumbsup:

[sahyo]

http://www.otoons.com/osho/aloneness.html

[Kether]

Perhaps Organised religion itself may not be evil. Real evils arise when It meddles in politics - then we have intolerance, 'holy' wars, etc.

[MidnightSun]

I guess i agree. Ages passes and religion changes so its basics grows apart from those who were in the begining.

[...]

..well, i got something written about this too. If it gets annoying, just say so :lol:


Religious psychosis


I've travelled to the stillness within
to find nothing that resembles sin
A forgone conclusion that's cut thin
from the cloth of a madman's religion

How can one please an unsettled God?
Can we rise to that occasion in the mud?
Is it enough to focus on form and blood?
Should we try again, to try the lotusbud?

My hands clench when i see covered pain
an old friend that can't let me be sane
Just cover your eyes and pretend you can't see
what drives you is hardcore insanity
Can i not judge those that judge me
when another body is nailed to a tree

Strange fruit falls from the religious man
just because he can
A full body suit calls for a prestigious dam
just because she can

Say what this really is; religious psychosis

Now i don't claim to have an answer
i just wanna be an unburdened dancer
I always thought that love would last
it would last long enough to overcome the past

Perhaps this needs no ordinary love
but don't wait for help from above
If we can't do this by ourselves
We lie in the grave religion delves

[sahyo]

i just wanna be an unburdened dancer

(if using cafe, don't know if can speakers if not headset)

http://www.otoons.com/osho_signature.htm

.............. :D

[...]

..i keep it running now. Yes, you're right, that's my kind of dance music Sheera, thanks :D

[sahyo]

B) ...

thanks :D

[MidnightSun]

Nice poem again ;)