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Position:Home>Philosophy> If the Existence of God is beyond our intellectual capacity, SHOULD WE STILL BELQuestion: If the Existence of God is beyond our intellectual capacity, SHOULD WE STILL BELIEVE!?!!? Why should we torment ourselves with rituals and such if perhaps we simply cannot understand IF there in fact IS a God!.
The possibility that he doesn't exist still lingers!.!. and quite predominately over the possibility of his/her existence!. Why not throw away religion and live ethically!? We dont need religion to be ethical do we!?Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I stand right there alongside you in practice, but I cannot allow you to go around recommending this perspective to others without fully understanding it!. No biblical claptrap here, this is REAL advice!. 1!. If you do not understand how a car works, should you refrain from driving one!? If you do not know how to launch a boat from a trailer, should you tell others not to do so!? If you cannot fly a plane, should you picket airports to inform passengers that they might be in danger!? 2!. A vast majority of humans live with the undying need to belong to something!. Some of us are so morally impaired that we will follow any quack who claims to be a spiritual leader!. 3!. Every ethical, spiritual and philosophical journey needs to at least begin with a guide to show us the way!. Even if Christianity if based on the teachings of the "Twelve Giants" and "The Shepherd of Hermes," and the historical character of Jesus is a conglomerate of similar mystical leaders of late Judaism, there is some sound stuff in the book, and it shouldn't be left unread for one simple reason: Parables!. 4!. Aside from a need to belong to something, most youngsters need to learn how to perform ritualistic ceremonies in order to get through most social endeavors!. There is also the invaluable benefit of structured rigors, teaching memorization skills, recitation, and poise!.Www@QuestionHome@Com So, you've articulated the distinctions between being religious, spiritual and philosophical!.!.!. The answer - whatever it is - requires an active role!. Once you've raised that question, you can't just sit back and accept someone else's word or prescription!. You can only prove it to yourself by living by the precepts you espouse!. And, you may have to amend or adjust your thoughts and values as you learn, and try out slightly (or radically) different ways of living to see if they allow you to live in harmony with yourself and your surroundings!. Everyone's path is slightly different!. As you've decided that no one can dictate moral or ethical behavior to you, that you do have free will and the right to judge between good and bad and pointless - you now have the freedom and the responsibility to make your own judgements and decisions about ethical and moral behavior!. Along the way, you may find that ritual and tradition have some value to you, but you'll have to decide which traditions and rituals!. Good luck, (and, if you'll forgive me) God Bless on your journey!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I can't answer that question for YOU, just for myself!. Religion is organized worship!. Faith is the belief in something you can't see!. They are not the same thing!. For me, there is no question, but sometimes there are small doubts!. Each time that happens, I remind myself of the expanse of the universe and the enormous complexity of mass and living things, e!.g!. atoms forming into specific molecules, cells with different jobs within the same body!. My answer is always the same: No way can that all be accidental!. Absolutely no way!Www@QuestionHome@Com It is not beyond the intellectual capacity of humans to understand that God exists and is real!. Ask your heart and try to listen - you may get the answer!Www@QuestionHome@Com Some say believing in God is necessary to be moral!. There are also those capable of being moral simply because they are human beings!. Then there are those who lives without moral with or without God!.Www@QuestionHome@Com That's your personal belief!.!.!.you can believe what you want and we can believe what we want period!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Sounds like you know what you want to do, so go ahead!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I'm sorry you think that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Tormenting with rituals is not necessarily Godly behavior!. While "the ocean" is beyond our intellectual capacity in many ways (no one knows how many drops are in the ocean, how many fish are in the ocean (and it's constantly changing), we easily understand "ocean!." Same way for "God"--a child may understand ocean or God in some ways, and a scientist or Saint in more ways!. We need the concept of a higher guiding power, simply to ground our ethics in something beyond what you opine at a given time!. So, postulating God, which is Good and the origin of Good, as Justice, significantly helps human ethics to seek more universal ethics than what you happen to believe during your tenure on earth!. Note that science operates with basic metaphysical concepts as well: e!.g!., "infinity" is a metaphysical concept, as no one has ever measured infinity!. The intellectual awareness that logically and scientifically nothing comes of nothing indicates some Thing has always existed!. This Thing is either Mindful Creativity or material energy!. If the former, God!. If the latter, impossible, as science already predicts the disintegration of matter and the heat-death and expansion of the universe!. Give "The Path of the Higher Self," Mark Prophet, a try!. Written for the college level reader, it tackles many of your questions!. For more "scientific" or count-those-atoms views, "God Is Not Dead," Amit Goswami," Ph!.D!., "The Mindful Universe," Henry P!. Stapp, Ph!.D!., "Extraordinary Knowing," Dr!. Elizabeth Mayer!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |