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I believe in God, not religion, but you raise a good point. Most scientific knowledge of the subconscious mind has developed over the last 200 years, and there are significant parallels between the subconscious and what are often considered "God-like" thoughts. Some say the Holy Spirit lives in our subconscious. But at the same time, it's remarkable how little is still known about the subconscious compared to other parts of the body, read the neuroscientific journals and you get a lot of theories about dreams and the unconscious mind. And yet, the subconscious is also thought to be a key source of motivation, desire, creativity, etc.
The question then of how to influence the subconscious is often said to be "The Secret", "Affirmations", "Vision Boards" or other pop culture garbage. In fact, there is no better way to influence your subconscious in my view than to follow Jesus, and consider the teachings of the New Testament that deal with the limitations of your flesh and earthly existence. Science and data teach us more about our flesh and earthly life everyday, but as we face more choices, it does little to provide our hearts and souls with purpose and meaning for this life. And this is where God can help us.
Religion itself can detract us from God, because in some cases it focuses on deeds, works, and customs which take on a life of their own, and have nothing to do with faith. So my belief in religion diminishes as my faith in God grows.
There is wisdom in the bold if you do not take it to an extreme. As someone on the forum said, "eat the meat and throw out the bones.".If you are Christian, get to know the "MIND OF CHRIST" as Jesus presented Himself if you want to know God, NOT how our ancestors INTERPRETED God or THOUGHT of what Jesus did, IMO.
When I think about all the time we spend going to church, bowing, kneeling and praying to a God that may or may not exist; it makes me wonder why we spend so much time doing this when we really have no proof of God's existence and whether our religion is right in its beliefs. How did humans begin to dwell on such things? Like I said, we have no proof of any of this. Instead, why don't we spend our limited time here on earth trying to live a good life to its fullest. And I don't mean, going out to party and getting drunk. I'm talking about focusing on getting a good career and moving up, building good relationships with friends and your significant other, raising a nice family, helping others in need, etc.. If everyone focuses on just making their life worthwhile, I don't think it really matters what you believe in and how much we worship our God.
Now, keep in mind, I'm no atheist. I'm a Catholic and I go to church every Sunday. But part of me always wonders whether I'm doing it all for nothing should my God not exist. I always have that lingering doubt, admittedly. So am wasting all this time going to church and praying when I could be using that time for other wisely things?
I guess one can argue that going to church makes them a better person and helps them find purpose to living a good life. But I know many people that go to church and are really rotten people. And I know many people that don't go to church but are wonderful, kind-hearted people. So I don't think one has to go to church to be a good person.
So what are your thoughts? Do you think us humans dwell too much on religion/God/afterlife and instead should just focus on just living the best life possible?
The above post clearly comes from someone fortunate enough to live in a wealthy country somewhere in the Western world.
Most humans on Planet Earth have miserable lives not worth living without hope in a better "hereafter." Only a small portion of the human population has any hope of making their lives better in the "here and now."
I believe it is mainly because of the fear of death.
No human likes the fact that their life has an expiration date.
So, people invent gods, religions, afterlives and heavens to believe in.
Well some good points.
It must not be forgotten that religions existed well before Jesus Christ.
Some of the greatest manmade structures were in fact - tombs.
Nobody wants to believe that their life will eventually come to an end, and that’s where their story also ends.
Indigenous and ancient cultures have also been praying to the spirits of the dead for time immemorial.
The above post clearly comes from someone fortunate enough to live in a wealthy country somewhere in the Western world.
Most humans on Planet Earth have miserable lives not worth living without hope in a better "hereafter." Only a small portion of the human population has any hope of making their lives better in the "here and now."
Not all people living in poor countries regard their lives as “miserable”.
Or that their only long term hope is by eventually dying. (and going to a better place)
Not all people living in poor countries regard their lives as “miserable”.
Or that their only long term hope is by eventually dying. (and going to a better place)
I agree. I found the Thais to generally be quite satisfied with their lives, and that was usually true even among the poor. Of course, some had miserable lives, but some do here, too.
Because I want her to be a good person. And whether God exists or not it is the greatest example of that.
Again, I say what I feel. You can attempt to argue with me or try to back me in a corner. It won't work.
I live my life my way and always try to be fair and honest. I also try my best to teach my daughter the same and let her decide to believe in however she wishes.
I can relate. When my daughter was small, a friend gave me something that said, "Don't focus on whether your kid is on track to be potty-trained or give up the bottle by such and such a time. Focus on what kind of person you want them to be when they grow up."
That made so much sense to me, and that did indeed become my focus, to raise her to be a person of good character with compassion toward others. I did take her to church as a child, then she attended my mother's church, but then she spent her teenage years dating the son of the pastor of the local fundamentalist "Church of God", and as a result of that, she wants nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity.
The boyfriend was constantly pressuring her for sex, even while "forbidding" her to wear sweaters and tops that did not cover her collarbone and his father showing videos in youth group about how you were going to hell if you indulged in premarital sex.
By 20 she caught him cheating, forgave him for a few minutes, but then the idiot shot himself in the foot with one simple sentence. My daughter loved languages, and she was studying Mandarin and won a scholarship to study in China for a semester. His response was, "Why do you want to learn Chinese anyway? Those people sound retarded when they talk." She found out from his sister that he was planning to propose to her in front of the family and marry her to keep her from going to school in China and the parents were in on it, and that was the end of him and any connection she had to the church.
Now he's married and has four kids and spouts his Christianity all over social media.
He is not a person of good character despite his ultra-Christian upbringing, but my daughter is. She is a caring and compassionate woman who thinks of others and has an open heart.
Not all people living in poor countries regard their lives as “miserable”.
Or that their only long term hope is by eventually dying. (and going to a better place)
They may not see themselves as we do. There's a story about a missionary who was staying with a family down in Mexico as a boarder while he did his work there. Their house was sparsely furnished. The mother did laundry for wealthier people, and the son and daughter worked at menial jobs.
But there was a jar in the middle of the table, and he noticed that whenever the son and daughter came home from work, they dropped a few coins into the jar. Finally one day he asked the woman what the jar on the table was for and why they put in coins in it. "Oh", she said. "That's for the poor. When we fill the jar, we bring it to the church for those in need."
I can relate. When my daughter was small, a friend gave me something that said, "Don't focus on whether your kid is on track to be potty-trained or give up the bottle by such and such a time. Focus on what kind of person you want them to be when they grow up."
That made so much sense to me, and that did indeed become my focus, to raise her to be a person of good character with compassion toward others. I did take her to church as a child, then she attended my mother's church, but then she spent her teenage years dating the son of the pastor of the local fundamentalist "Church of God", and as a result of that, she wants nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity.
The boyfriend was constantly pressuring her for sex, even while "forbidding" her to wear sweaters and tops that did not cover her collarbone and his father showing videos in youth group about how you were going to hell if you indulged in premarital sex.
By 20 she caught him cheating, forgave him for a few minutes, but then the idiot shot himself in the foot with one simple sentence. My daughter loved languages, and she was studying Mandarin and won a scholarship to study in China for a semester. His response was, "Why do you want to learn Chinese anyway? Those people sound retarded when they talk." She found out from his sister that he was planning to propose to her in front of the family and marry her to keep her from going to school in China and the parents were in on it, and that was the end of him and any connection she had to the church.
Now he's married and has four kids and spouts his Christianity all over social media.
He is not a person of good character despite his ultra-Christian upbringing, but my daughter is. She is a caring and compassionate woman who thinks of others and has an open heart.
Talk about dodging a bullet! Your daughter sounds lovely : )
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There is wisdom in the bold if you do not take it to an extreme. As someone on the forum said, "eat the meat and throw out the bones.".If you are Christian, get to know the "MIND OF CHRIST" as Jesus presented Himself if you want to know God, NOT how our ancestors INTERPRETED God or THOUGHT of what Jesus did, IMO.
