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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?
I believe I can do both. I can do my best to introspect and better myself every day (get rid of my bad habits, become a better version of myself, a more noble person) and at the same time go to church and be around other people. They are my brothers and sisters. Once a week, once a months, once a year, it doesn't matter. To me this is helpful, going there and being surrounded by others and their vibrations. They want to get help and I want help also in this battle of life. I need help and strength.
If you don't want to go, don't go. Do what you feel.
In my case, it is helpful. I go to a church/temple where we pray and meditate in silence. Sometimes I stay longer and listen to a talk/sermon. A monk or a nun comes after the meditation and talks about different topics related to spiritual life, introspection, the need for serving others etc. People from all religions, no religion, etc. come there and meditate/listen in silence.
For me these one or two hours a week or a month...are helpful. But the spiritual life, the interior life is more than that. More than striving to be kind and listening for an hour or two a week in a church. The rest of the time it is up to me to work on my own improving. That's the real battle.
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 way I see it is that there is a word of God and nothing else matters, nothing is as it seems but most people will never find that out. A person who tests God in the way he says to test him, they know.
When those disciples sold all they owned to give to the Jewish widows and orphans, they found the true hidden truth, everything came to them like miracles all day long. They learned they didnt have to pack food or carry extra clothes because every where they went a table was ser before them, and had they needed anything at all, complete strangers would appear before them not knowing why, but set on emptying their pockets.
It's just that way, they inherited the earth, and by giving up everything, they realized they owned everything. They had no use to own horses or gold because all the horses and all the gold would come to them before they even asked.
Testing God is still that way, test him in what he says to test him in, and you find out just how involved God will get.
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.
It's not hard, really ... some believers think their particular religious beliefs are the right ones and it does no one any favors to teach them the wrong ones, or none at all. Others are less strident but feel some form of regular attendance / observance is important. Others leave it entirely to the individual.
In the quote above are a lot of subjective things. What constitutes a "good" career, a "nice" family, "good" relationships, "helping" others? I'd say "moving up" in one's career is less a religious than a capitalistic goal.
For some, those things aren't optimal, maybe not even truly possible, without their belief of choice. Often because their belief saved them from some difficulty or improved their life in some way they think impossible by all other methods. Whether this is remotely the actual case or they have just been convinced of their inability / helplessness / unworthiness by someone who told them they were some combination of those things, scarcely matters.
And in our society, going to church is a normal thing to do whether you are wasting your time or not.
And people who do it seem to get some benefit from it and seem to get a better sense of well being from going to church for whatever reasons.
I didn't get that. I hated going to church. When I was a kid having to put on a suit only to be totally bored in Sunday school and church just didn't work for me.
I couldn't even really get into the social aspect of it when I got to be a teenager because all the hot girls in Sunday school were dating older guys. Very discouraging. This despite going through a period of being "devout"... (I thought Bible reading and quiet times were very tedious as well...)
By college I had other interests and participated in some of them in a hard core fashion. Going to church just couldn't fit into the agenda when you needed your days off to participate in your other activities.
Some people can fit church into a busy schedule of other stuff. Some can't.
I could do it now that I'm older, but it wouldn't be appropriate since I don't buy into what they believe.
i think the OP underestimates and does not realize that for many people engaging and participating in a path of religion and spirituality is what allows them to live a better life and to treat other people better and to help other people more. When a person puts into practice the precepts taught, then the result is an improved quality of life for self, for family, for others, for relationships.
if someone sees it as a waste of time then it is likely they are missing the point.
Why? Because some people, deep inside of them or right on the surface, have that irresistible feeling that they are not mere biological machines for " living a better life" but, a part of something much larger and much profound, than a spark in the eternity, called human life.
Some, like Gautama Buddha, realized that, when touched by death.
It's the CALLING of eternal.
Why? Because some people, deep inside of them or right on the surface, have that irresistible feeling that they are not mere biological machines for " living a better life" but, a part of something much larger and much profound, than a spark in the eternity, called human life.
Some, like Gautama Buddha, realized that, when touched by death.
It's the CALLING of eternal.
nicely put.
it is a recognition that there is MORE to life than just the things listed in the OP: money, job, family, career, friends, marriage, helping others.
and a yearning and desire to explore that more. Because many people recognize that those items just listed above do NOT add up to "making their life worthwhile" and do not add up to "life to its fullest" and those are not "living the best life possible." That there is more than just feeding and breeding.
Why? Because some people, deep inside of them or right on the surface, have that irresistible feeling that they are not mere biological machines for " living a better life" but, a part of something much larger and much profound...
Yeah and some of us get over ourselves at some point, lol
I know what I'm about to say may upset some, but my belief is...
Most people go to church in an attempt to seek the end results should there be a Heaven and a God, not because they are true in their souls. Yes, there are true Christians, but I have met many, many more church going hypocrites who are thieves, cheats, and womanizers.
I have raised my daughter to believe that the truest gift to God is to be a good honest person and to help others without even the slightest expectation of reward. That is as God-like as anything else we could do.
Only in our own souls do we know our true self.
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