Objectively, religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. But the content of this definition gets a completely different saturation from the point of view of different social groups. Non-believers reckon it is the thing that hazes reason, prevents us from seeing the world clearly and understanding the essence of life correctly. Those who cling to a certain religion consider it to be the source and the meaning of their lives. Religion is viewed as the nature of a human, the law that keeps things in order. But even if we discard all those particular details of every religious cult existing on earth, we come up with the idea that Religion is simply Good. No religion asks its adherents to kill, to steal, to be arrogant or greedy. No religion teaches us that our aim in life is to destroy everything that surrounds us. Then why do some people vehemently object to any belief? Do they search for the truth? Or do they want to conceal it? These questions could be rhetorical only if no one tried to find any answers. But we all at least once in our lives thought about why it is in people’s nature to believe. Even those who claim that God is a fabrication for a weak person can still be called believers. They just believe in non-existence of supernatural forces. Or rather, they believe in the power of human mind and reason. Every religion has faith as its keystone – the element that holds the system in function. Faith is always individual, though some principles are common. Faith has no evident logic, though it makes a religion logical. Faith is a great power, though it is used very rarely… What makes people believe is still a mystery. A religious person is the one who seeks the light, both spiritual and intellectual. Religion is all about wisdom. But religion is not about certainty; it is awareness of ignorance. Religion gives us an impulse to be better people than otherwise we would be.
Is Faith a force? Or words the container of the force by which God/believer can catere their own world? How is that Mark 11:23-24 speaks about the God-kind-of-faith? Does faith become the believer's object of faith? Or does God become the object of one's faith? If in fact faith becomes the believer's object of faith than it id a false faith. If in fact God had to have faith who is He trusting? If in fact God had to have faith than He is mere man; not God. How do you interpret Hebrews 11:1, 2? Is faith a living channel of trust in the God of the Bible? Or is faith a metaphysical faith by which it becomes a force, as to release into the earth realm by the mere words of believers? Is Man God? Or Is God Man? Is God Servant? A magical bellhop at the beck and call of the Faith believer? I appreciate for your prompt response.
Religion for me means being a tolerant person and patient to people who surround you, not to judge people and what they have done. Love and respect and Church as unique place, where you can be without all your masks, the place where you can ask for a help or a piece of advice are symbols of Religion for me
To my mind religion is actually the very thing that yields "reason, makes us from see the world clearly and understand the essence of life correctly". This is the main purpose of religion no matter how diffrernt it may by from your own. Al religions have one in commnon - they simply and sensibly explain how things are going on in this life. Many very old ones had some postulates that are more like civil laws rather then God's laws. Religion is a moral code that is supposed to be followed by its adherents.
Religion gives us an impulse to be better people than otherwise we would be.
Yeah, even being a certain non-believer I cannot argue with it! Maybe the Bible, and all the other religios books, stories and tales are just fiction,but they still really teach people how to behave in a proper way, ask them to love each other and be kind and forgiving - the only thing that the criminal code does not demand, is to love everybody as we love ourselves!)
A religious person can be certain only in one thing: that God won't ever leave him. Science is trying to prove the existence of God, is trying to put all religious aspects on a firm, stable provable basis. But religion needs no evidence or refutation. I mean that life of a believer is life of hope, not of certainty. Though in the Russian language words "верующий" and "уверенность" are of the same root, they are not of the same meaning.
I will use the notions of faith and religion interchangeably. You are saying that religion is not about certainty... What do you mean? It is very certain in its principles and approach to life. This is certainty about things that escape visualization or touching. I think when you say certainty, you mean absolutely material and tactile objects that can be seen, hear, smelled, tasted, touched, built or broken...
