The 'right' religion

[Pra]

That is, the religion of the future.

Now since no one ever really says anything in my threads, I'm going to say something rash and perhaps completely true.


Zen is the religion of the future world.

[Rush Limbaugh]

Diesim :wink:

[Richard the Lionheart]

That is, the religion of the future.

Now since no one ever really says anything in my threads, I'm going to say something rash and perhaps completely true.


Zen is the religion of the future world.

At the rate the world is currently progessing, the religion of the future will be one thing and one thing alone - War.

[Sétanta]

At the rate the world is currently progessing, the religion of the future will be one thing and one thing alone - War.

I for one, will be an active member of that religion.

[Narakir]

And after war we'll have post-nuclear paganism.

[Rush Limbaugh]

I for one, will be an active member of that religion.

And I would imagine Warbringer would be your god

[Confederate Soldier]

And I would imagine Warbringer would be your god

Well either him or someone who keeps there ideas, and thoughts to themselves and waits for the right moment, and time to strike.

[Sétanta]

And I would imagine Warbringer would be your god

No. God is my God. Jesus is my God.

It is just that religious extremism (and I must confess that philosophy on my part a bit) will take hold and religious wars will become the norm.

[Tar_Aldarion]

As an Atheist most people wouldnt expect me to say this but, if I were religious I would seriously be a pagan

[Oldgamer]

At the rate the world is currently progessing, the religion of the future will be one thing and one thing alone - War.

I suspect that you are right, my friend.

We, in the West, are children of the Enlightenment. The "Light" side of the Enlightenment is great optimism in human nature, the belief in rationality and science, the conviction that everything has an explanation and that every problem has a solution. There is the unbending belief that “all men are created equals,” that we are entitled to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The "Dark" side of the Enlightenment is the French terror, of the tyranny of ideas over the liberty of men, of the totalitarian regimes that sprang out of Enlightenment philosophy no less than liberal democracies did ... the notion that the Idea is more important than the lives of the people the Idea purports to serve.

We believe in our ability to rationally arrive at conclusions and solve problems. In this age, this has led to the Idea that we must "address the grievances" of people. However, addressing the grievances of people inevitably leads to backlash and violence. This is a problem that will not be solved until we return to the idea (notice the small-case "i") of reciprocity ... that some values are universal, and that all of us have both rights and duties. Those who deny the idea of reciprocity have reneged on the social contract, and should be treated accordingly.

And unless we return to universal values and reciprocity, H&G, I suspect that the world will continue on to its new religion of war. After all, the "Dark" side of the Enlightenment makes violence, oppression, and death an ontological certainty ...

[PacSubCom]

And unless we return to universal values and reciprocity, H&G, I suspect that the world will continue on to its new religion of war. After all, the "Dark" side of the Enlightenment makes violence, oppression, and death an ontological certainty ...

That sounds rather gloomy, not to speak a little chauvinistic - you know - "our values are the universal values, and everybody who does not see the universal good of, well, us, has succumbed to the dark side, young padawan, that is why entitled to crush them under the tracks of our Abrams tanks we are. As we all know, once decided to go the path of the dark side you have, no turning back there is." - that kind of thing. And we define what rights and duties they have on the way, no question, we are good by definition as they are Evil(TM). We cannot do wrong, like unto gods.

That strikes me as odd, but through your party contacts you are much better informed of course, for example there is the rumor that Ahmadinejad built his own lightsaber lately. True? And he is whose apprentice? UBL? OBL? UIL (Ussama ibn Ladin)? After all - "Always two there are; no more, no less: a master and an apprentice." (Yoda) Who sits on the dark throne in the Land of Mo..Iran? And in the darkness bind them.


In light of all this, I would like to present a much likelier and more positive vision of the future:

"The time [When the stars are right - Pac]would be easy to know, for then mankind would have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom. Meanwhile the cult [Al Quaida - maybe? - Pac] , by appropriate rites, must keep alive the memory of those ancient ways and shadow forth the prophecy of their return."

[Barbarian-Bob]

Oh, ye of little faith...

[Denny Crane!]

That is, the religion of the future.

Now since no one ever really says anything in my threads, I'm going to say something rash and perhaps completely true.


Zen is the religion of the future world.

I agree. :happy0144

Peter

[I Have a Clever Name]

Religions come and go, mutate and modulate, but atheism has and will always remain so long as humanity survives. I don't know what religion in future years will become pre-eminent, but I have little confidence in its durability.

[I Have a Clever Name]

Like witch doctors, Voodoo, things like that?

Pagan is an all-encompassing term for anything that isn't Abrahamic. I think it derives from paganus, which means country-dweller. Might be wrong though, but it certainly has links with rural areas. Christianity had dominance in urban centres following its legalisation, whereas old religions were still prevalent in the countryside.

[Barbarian-Bob]

Pagan is an all-encompassing term for anything that isn't Abrahamic. I think it derives from paganus, which means country-dweller. Might be wrong though, but it certainly has links with rural areas. Christianity had dominance in urban centres following its legalisation, whereas old religions were still prevalent in the countryside.

Heh, you're pretty much spot on there. :happy0144 Paganism

Why didn't I just go to Wikipedia in the first place? :knocknock

[I Have a Clever Name]

"The time [When the stars are right - Pac]would be easy to know, for then mankind would have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom. Meanwhile the cult [Al Quaida - maybe? - Pac] , by appropriate rites, must keep alive the memory of those ancient ways and shadow forth the prophecy of their return."

This is a joke right?

And unless we return to universal values and reciprocity

Return to universal values? When exactly was the entire world sharing in commonly accepted universal values? You know, nostalgia taints with romanticism any appraisal of the path. Humanity is, morally speaking, where its always been. There will always be people who act in self-interest or suffer under the corrupting influence of delusion.

This aside, how do you intend we implement this? Who is right? Are there innate 'forms' of justice and goodness as Plato espoused, or are there only opinions? How do you intend to create a world of 'universal values'? By persuading everybody else that you're right? I'd rather be in Noah's situation than yours!

[Pra]

I hope I've made a slightly good point, considering the responses I've gotten. War seems to be where we are heading, but why is it so? It obviously isn't where we want to go, right?

I think that we need a religion that isn't as egotistical or 'masculine' as the religions of old; rather, something that is open to thought, more like an idea, and most importantly something that will bridge the gap of the traditions of old with the state of the world we will in-something that requires, or atleast accommodates something that doesn't force you to adhere to a strictly organized principle; something that is extremely personal, and allows you to just 'be'. Also, I believe we need a religion with a sense of humour; we need to laugh with and at one another in order to end the bloodshed.

[Richard the Lionheart]

I hope I've made a slightly good point, considering the responses I've gotten. War seems to be where we are heading, but why is it so? It obviously isn't where we want to go, right?

I think that we need a religion that isn't as egotistical or 'masculine' as the religions of old; rather, something that is open to thought, more like an idea, and most importantly something that will bridge the gap of the traditions of old with the state of the world we will in-something that requires, or atleast accommodates something that doesn't force you to adhere to a strictly organized principle; something that is extremely personal, and allows you to just 'be'. Also, I believe we need a religion with a sense of humour; we need to laugh with and at one another in order to end the bloodshed.

It has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with the political ambitions of the world's governments.

It's all about politics, power, greed, and influence.

[Oldgamer]

Return to universal values? When exactly was the entire world sharing in commonly accepted universal values? You know, nostalgia taints with romanticism any appraisal of the path. Humanity is, morally speaking, where its always been. There will always be people who act in self-interest or suffer under the corrupting influence of delusion.

Not the entire world. The West, where the Great Enlightenment took hold, and produced some of the world's greatest thought.

This aside, how do you intend we implement this? Who is right? Are there innate 'forms' of justice and goodness as Plato espoused, or are there only opinions? How do you intend to create a world of 'universal values'? By persuading everybody else that you're right? I'd rather be in Noah's situation than yours!

It shouldn't be implemented. It should be taught, once again. And that starts in school, including our university systems. Since the time that I insulted you about your age, I've thought about the education that you are receiving. Have you been taught about the Great Enlightenment? Have you been told about Rousseau, Locke, Voltaire, and Baron de Montesqueau? Have you been told your place in the revolution in thought?

Every class that I've ever taught has included a section on the Enlightenment. If young people don't learn about about this crucial period in the development of the West, they will not appreciate it. If they don't appreciate it, they won't internalize it. And the modern Western world is showing that untold millions of people have not internalized the lessons of the Enlightenment.

Do you deny that freedom speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to associate, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be universal values? Do you deny that all men are created equal? All of these are the lynchpins upon which Western Civilization are built, despite the faults of individual governments and politicians. Would slavery have ended in Britain or the US without these values?

Clever, are you a believer in the Idea or the idea?