Why do we NEED religion? Or has it run its course and served its purpose? I think it really may have served a purpose at a time when no other explanation was available or was needed for survival. Just imagine a world without science, without the study of psychology, biology or astronomy... A world without the study of diseases, germs, medicine, medical procedures, a world where the common cold could very well kill you, a world where natural occurrences are both terrifying and unexplainable to a species that demand explanation. A world without the study of plate tectonics, weather patterns, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, etc. A world of ignorance. Imagine the fear you would feel witnessing the earth tearing apart at your feet, or a large body of water ripping through your city with no remorse. How would we explain these occurrences with no means of investigation? How would we decipher the meaning of it all?
We know now what causes natural disasters and in some cases can predict and prepare for these events. We aren't afraid of being punished by infuriated gods of elements. Alchemy has been replaced with chemistry and astrology with cosmology, we've learned a lot since our ancestors. But we all still have one fear - death. The one thing we cannot explain to a certainty is what happens after you die? Neither I, nor any non-believer knows. And I can rightfully claim that no believer, no rabbi, no priest, no pope or bishop have any idea either. No one has ever died and come back. Science answers all the questions that religion has failed to answer. Science has proved that religion has always been the simplest and at the same time the wrongest way of explaining the unexplainable. Now, neither science nor religion can answer one question. And now tell me, whose opinion would you want to know?
It's strange for me when people start to draw a firm borderline between science and religion. Just look how many great scientists were vehement believers and their faith did not only prevent them from making fundamental discoveries but in fact inspired them and served as a guiding light for their experiments.
Albert Einstein:"I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know his thoughts. The rest are details". "A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man". (http://www.spaceandmotion.com/albert-einstein-god-religion-theology.htm)
Isaac Newton: "This most beautiful system (The Universe) could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being." "Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors."
You can read here about the religious beliefs of Charles Darwin.
I will comment on only the last lines of your post. 1) You are wrong to state that you know everything. Science cannot explain many things. There are a lot of beautiful theories about the origin of the universe, e.g., but none of them is final or definite and accepted by all. 2) Again, this is a sign of your ignorance to juxtapose religion and science. It's the same as juxtaposing a garden and a garden tool. 3) The Silicon Valley was built and is being developed by people a lot of which believe in God. Science explains things that must be explained with the help of science. Religion explains things that can never be explained with the help of science. 4) The Holy Bible can be read as an encyclopedia of scientific data, the problem being that you have never been taught this language. Your language experience is limited by ordinary textbooks and popular journals. 5) Religion has got a lot of knowledge and examples of what happens after death. Science also explains what happens after death. Science and Religion do it perfectly together, thus creating a holistic view on the point. The foundations of these explanations rest both on factual data or evidence and on metaphysical observations. These were given by those who were dead but then returned to life. Hundreds of books have been written on the topic. 6) You say you can't believe it or nobody knows about it because your ignorance doesn't let you see beyond your own experience which is severely limited and will always be limited because no lifetime is possible to incorporate all of these. 7) There are a lot of cases of cancer-stricken people who could never be cured of the disease by scientific methods alone. There are a lot of cases when severely unhealthy people recovered completely when religious prayers were used for healing. Is a successful operation a triumph of science, or are we just unable to understand that all of these are elements of a bigger conception of reality. 8) Have you ever thought about the language and the intonations of real church prayers used for centuries but ignored and forgotten since the age of Enlightenment. Scientists have discovered that the acoustic qualities of a prayer affect the hydro-molecules in such a way they start restoring human cells, blood generation processes, the neural systems, metabolism, the electrical impulses of the brain all of which are responsible for normal bodily functions. 9) No priest or archbishop will ever deny the advances and power of knowledge produced by sciences, i.e. by the educated mind. Why do you deny the advances and power of knowledge produced by religious beliefs?
Religion is wrongly linked to ignorance or illiteracy. Religion is a form of unity for those who follow God's conception of reality. It is a certain foundation from which to look at things. This foundation welcomes all sciences, like physics or maths, psychology or ethnography. Religion is a big part of human culture, like sciences and folklore, arts and myths.
Religion is an absolutely necessary thing for us. I think everyone prayed at least one time in his life. I really cant understand why people try to deny it? If you dont believe in God, you'd better not criticize it and those people who are religious. --- See the Grammar Link http://www.groupa.ucoz.co.uk/forum/31-211-1
It seems that religion resembles a great giver of inner harmony that helps some to survive. Sometimes it seems to me that people do live only by religion, that is their faith, and this is the answer - there will always be a need for religion.
If you look at religion as the source of knowledge about the world, then you're right – it has fulfilled all its functions centuries ago and today isn't a competitor for science. But you ask “do people NEED religion?”. No matter what my attitude towards it is, I'll answer “Yes, some people DO NEED it”. Just because it gives them hope. Just because it helps them. You know, for some people it's the only thing that gives them certainty and strength. Btw, let people be deceived if they want to. --- ee the Grammar Link http://www.groupa.ucoz.co.uk/forum/31-212-1
