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Version 1.4 November 2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â (Previous Version)
What use is
religion? Is it all just mumbo jumbo? Is it relevant to us these days? Many clever
people just dismiss it. Why shouldn’t we dismiss it too?Â
On the other
hand, many clever people are very religious. Are they right?
All religions
teach different things.  Don’t all religions contradict each other? They can’t
all be right. Which one is best? Or are all religions totally wrong?Â
Isn’t religion
all based on faith, despite all the evidence to the contrary?
Can we learn
anything from “primitive” religions, those of indigenous peoples? Is it worth
trying to understand the sophisticated concepts of eastern religions? Can any
good come out of the competing western monotheistic religions? What modern
responses to religion are out there?
We need to
consider all of these questions before we can dismiss all religion.
Religion is a minefield, but there is a safe path through
it.
Many people, even some religious leaders, have a very
simplistic view of religion. Some sceptics are contemptuous of religion,
ignoring modern, rational approaches to religion. An increasing number of people,
all around the world, don't bother much about religion at all. We all need to
understand religion better if we are to promote peace in our communities and
the world. Religion also provides ways, for at least some of us, to express
our deeper feelings and so called spirituality.
We look at religion under these headings, to see what is
worth learning from each area:
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Religion Methods &
Practices:
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What religions have in common.
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Is it
reasonable to break down the study of religion into these five subject areas?
Click on
feedback, or add a comment below, to tell us if you agree or disagree, or
suggest improvements.
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Indigenous Religions:
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Learnings from early religions.
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Eastern Religions:
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Learnings from Eastern
religions.
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Western Religions:
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Learnings from Western
religions.
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Modern Religion and Atheism:
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Modern responses to religion.
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As we go through each of these areas, we realize there are
many inconsistencies in religion, no religion is infallible, that religious
stories about our origins are allegories, and rules made centuries ago must be
revised to reflect our current world.Â
· Many
people believe that we get our values from god, or at least from religion. We
show in Part 1 that there is no reason to believe in God (Chapter 1.3 on Theology).Â
Even if there were a god, we also show that we still need to obtain our values
independently of God – otherwise we would never know whether God was good or
bad (Chapter 1.5 on Ethics).
- Many religious stories can be
inspiring, regardless of their scientific or historical validity.Â
Religion emphasises the value of narrative, as a means to provide
meaning and direction, from the brief moments of the Muslim Hadith, the
parables of Jesus, majestic Hindu tales such as the Ramayana, to the grand
narrative each religion has covering the creation of the world, humanity’s
fall from grace, the path to redemption, and perhaps the end of the world.
- But religion does provides a
wealth of ways to explore and express our values and our connection to the
world, and we can benefit from this without becoming irrational. We need
to work out which aspects of religion promote our core values of truth,
diversity, reality, life, love, responsibility, equality, beauty
and hope, and discard those aspects that don’t.
Members can tell us (publicly) what they think of this page. How can we improve it? Enter your comments.
Anyone can tell us (privately) what they think directly by email: click on 'Feedback' below.
Be the first to add a comment on this page.
* * * * * * *
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Do you know of any great music that would go well with this
page?
Or any of the other pages?
IF
YOU DO, CLICK FEEDBACK.
It could be in any language, or have no words, or just be
instrumental. From pop, to classical, a cappella to orchestral!
Examples of the
music we seek:
● On
the Tenets page, accessed from the main menu, our current choice is a Song
Without Words from Mendelssohn (who died in 1847), Opus 14 Nbr 4, called Contentment. Check it out: the Tenets
conclude most
times, I have a measure of content.
● Chapter 2.3 covers the solar system
and Earth’s development. In there somewhere, surely we should be
hearing Gustav
Holst's The Planets, which premiered 100 years ago. There is a movement for
each of the planets.
Please tell as
much identifying information as you can: a link, and/or the name of the piece
and a person’s name may be enough, but if you know it please also send
the artist/performer, composer/lyricist, year written, year recorded, record
label, copyright owner, or similar details.
We have to worry
about copyright: acknowledge it, and not infringe on it. Music that is
out of copyright, or was never copyrighted (eg like real, ie very old, folk
music) is good. Some material is ‘open source’ allowing others
to use it for free. For newer restricted copyright music we may have to
seek permission to play it, but we can’t afford to pay for it. It
depends on the circumstances. In general, copyright in text, images and music lasts
for 70 years after the year of the creator's death, even if the creator does
not own copyright.
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