"All religions share a very fundamental, valuable basis. It is as the religion flowers that it begins to lose meaning." - Nick Raby
For a second I feel as if I need to dive into my own religion and try and compare and base it to this class and reality as a whole...if that makes any sense to anyone.
As with any religion, there is a core set of beliefs that I hold near and dear. I'm sure these morals of mine will be told throught this blog and the next. I guess you could compare the core of my beliefs to the flowers that has not bloomed yet. They are just a set of things within me that no one truly knows about and they may not be that "pretty" persay.
But once they flower, others find out about them. The words get spread. And the whole idea may get beautiful. This is where we all run into problems. The fact that they may become beautiful. They may turn out quite ugly and result in the ideas of a Hitler. But at least in my case I'd like to think that the theoretically flower I am calling myself and my thoughts is one that is beautiful.
But if I am to just keep those beliefs and the religion inside me, what is the point? Yes, it may give me something to believe in, but the basis of most religions is to help the greater good. And there is no way that I myself am the greater good. If religion doesn't flower, then it has already lost its meaning. In reality (or at least my reality), once religion has flowered, then its meaning has truly been fufilled.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Blind Religions are Scientifically Lame
"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein
There are many reasons why I used this quote.
1. For anyone who knows me, one of my favorite words recently is "lame"
2. I'm a science major
3. I'm a Christian
4. This describes my life based on the above reasons
In my mind, it is quite impossible to have one without the other. Religion can give so many different ideas for things that can be proved by science. The theories of creationism and evolution are the big ones in my mind right now. With the idea of religion comes the thoughts of supernatural phenomenon that, to any scientist, is a gold mind of ideas to prove.
I have had experiences with in my religious past that I have tried very hard to find answers for. As to why I suddenly fell to the floor without feeling faint...why I had this emotional reaction to something without even thinking about it...why I was shaking all of a sudden. Through medicine and other scientific means of research I have tried to find reasons for these, but I have come up with nothing concrete that fits the standards I am looking for. So for the time being, I need to assume that those experiences were really caused by something supernatural.
Honestly, I'm not so sure that there is a way that we can explain everything that happens in this world. There is just so much and it goes so indepth that there is no way anyone could comprehend everything about it. Which in a way is sad because I would truly love to know how everything works and why certain things happen. But one day maybe we will hit a point where our intelligence can no longer go any further and there are still things we cannot explain...what then? At the point we can no longer turn to science. Will the default be turning to the supernatural and a certian religion?
Perhaps one day we will know everything and religion will become obsolete. At that point, what is the point? Do we really want to reach a point in our world where everything is known and there is no more to learn? For someone like me, I would not want to live in a world like that. I'm a habitual students...I love to learn...if there was no more for me to learn and everything could easily be explained, I would feel like I had no purpose. Thinking that there is always something more out there and maybe even something that we cannot explain is what truly keeps the world turning in my mind.
There are many reasons why I used this quote.
1. For anyone who knows me, one of my favorite words recently is "lame"
2. I'm a science major
3. I'm a Christian
4. This describes my life based on the above reasons
In my mind, it is quite impossible to have one without the other. Religion can give so many different ideas for things that can be proved by science. The theories of creationism and evolution are the big ones in my mind right now. With the idea of religion comes the thoughts of supernatural phenomenon that, to any scientist, is a gold mind of ideas to prove.
I have had experiences with in my religious past that I have tried very hard to find answers for. As to why I suddenly fell to the floor without feeling faint...why I had this emotional reaction to something without even thinking about it...why I was shaking all of a sudden. Through medicine and other scientific means of research I have tried to find reasons for these, but I have come up with nothing concrete that fits the standards I am looking for. So for the time being, I need to assume that those experiences were really caused by something supernatural.
Honestly, I'm not so sure that there is a way that we can explain everything that happens in this world. There is just so much and it goes so indepth that there is no way anyone could comprehend everything about it. Which in a way is sad because I would truly love to know how everything works and why certain things happen. But one day maybe we will hit a point where our intelligence can no longer go any further and there are still things we cannot explain...what then? At the point we can no longer turn to science. Will the default be turning to the supernatural and a certian religion?
Perhaps one day we will know everything and religion will become obsolete. At that point, what is the point? Do we really want to reach a point in our world where everything is known and there is no more to learn? For someone like me, I would not want to live in a world like that. I'm a habitual students...I love to learn...if there was no more for me to learn and everything could easily be explained, I would feel like I had no purpose. Thinking that there is always something more out there and maybe even something that we cannot explain is what truly keeps the world turning in my mind.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Time and the Soul
"This implies that there was no beginning, nor will there be an end to time, for terminal points are, by definition, different from all others in being without a predecessor or successor. "
Without a doubt, this brings us back to the whole "is there a beginning" question which I am quite sure will never be proven or disproven. And to keep arguing that point is somewhat pointless in my mind at this point.
But when I read the above quote in Prof. Johnson's blog, and in mind that we are going to be talking about religions, I thought of the soul. If there is no end of time, does this mean that there is no end of time for what we consider our souls? And was there no beginning? If there cannot be a predecessor or a successor then this must be true. We must have forever been around in some form and we will forever continue to be around.
I would like to think this is true just for the sake of thinking that there is something beyond this cruel world. Believe that something from you will continue on into forever just seems to bring some sense of joy into the world and the feeling that there are things better. And if time is to never end, then those good times are to never end also, correct?
I consider myself to be nondemoinational Christian. In other words, I'm not Catholic. I feel as if I need to put this in here as a disclaimer for when we do start talking about religions. I can be rather opinionate due to the fact that I have experienced some very interesting things with my faith and have been through much in my life that has brought me out stonger from it. Some will say I am closed minded, to which I may respond that they are closed minded for not considering what I believe to be true, the truth. That last paragraph was slightly random, but may it give you a heads up to the fact that I most likely will speak my mind on those subjects...and some may not like my views on religion...
Without a doubt, this brings us back to the whole "is there a beginning" question which I am quite sure will never be proven or disproven. And to keep arguing that point is somewhat pointless in my mind at this point.
But when I read the above quote in Prof. Johnson's blog, and in mind that we are going to be talking about religions, I thought of the soul. If there is no end of time, does this mean that there is no end of time for what we consider our souls? And was there no beginning? If there cannot be a predecessor or a successor then this must be true. We must have forever been around in some form and we will forever continue to be around.
I would like to think this is true just for the sake of thinking that there is something beyond this cruel world. Believe that something from you will continue on into forever just seems to bring some sense of joy into the world and the feeling that there are things better. And if time is to never end, then those good times are to never end also, correct?
I consider myself to be nondemoinational Christian. In other words, I'm not Catholic. I feel as if I need to put this in here as a disclaimer for when we do start talking about religions. I can be rather opinionate due to the fact that I have experienced some very interesting things with my faith and have been through much in my life that has brought me out stonger from it. Some will say I am closed minded, to which I may respond that they are closed minded for not considering what I believe to be true, the truth. That last paragraph was slightly random, but may it give you a heads up to the fact that I most likely will speak my mind on those subjects...and some may not like my views on religion...
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Inately Inate
Was I born with the inate ability to play football? or understand business? to sew a shirt button? to talk in numerous languages? to run a marathon? to understand philosophy?
There is this belief that we are all born with the ability to do anything with the life we are given and that our environment and what we are exposed to is what determines what we will achieve with our lives. I guess this could go for physical activities as well as emotional feelings and beliefs. In the Intro to Philosophy course we just finished talking about various religions. Going off of this belief that we may all posses the feelings for everything, this means everyone theoretically could be any religion. If this is the truth, why is there such competition to gain members for a certain religion when they all stem from the same feelings within us each?
If we have the inate ability to understand anything...then why do I not understand the majority of the stuff that I should? Like some of the crazy abstract ideas that are presented in this class. Do you have to have genius status in order to completely comprehend everything in this world and tap all of the ability you inately have?
When I started typing this, I hoped that an answer or two would flow out of me and on to here...but yet again, all I do is pose more questions. Is this a never ending cycle? There I go again!
There is this belief that we are all born with the ability to do anything with the life we are given and that our environment and what we are exposed to is what determines what we will achieve with our lives. I guess this could go for physical activities as well as emotional feelings and beliefs. In the Intro to Philosophy course we just finished talking about various religions. Going off of this belief that we may all posses the feelings for everything, this means everyone theoretically could be any religion. If this is the truth, why is there such competition to gain members for a certain religion when they all stem from the same feelings within us each?
If we have the inate ability to understand anything...then why do I not understand the majority of the stuff that I should? Like some of the crazy abstract ideas that are presented in this class. Do you have to have genius status in order to completely comprehend everything in this world and tap all of the ability you inately have?
When I started typing this, I hoped that an answer or two would flow out of me and on to here...but yet again, all I do is pose more questions. Is this a never ending cycle? There I go again!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Matching Experiences to Experiences
Does this mean that everything that happens in my life somehow is intertwined with everything else that occurs in my life? Or only with the things I had a hand in creating? To base my feelings and such off of an experience that is based on an experience seems like a never-ending cycle of analytical craziness. It's a circle of thoughts and comparisons that will just continue comparing until the end of time. It's an endless continuium.
By why? Why does everything have to be based off of something else? I may possibly be acting like that little annoying preschool kid everyone babysits at least once in their life. You know, the one that just keeps asking "why?" after everything you say? But this is one thing that keeps bugging me...WHY does everything have to be based off something eles? There had to be someone in the beginning to start off the basis for everyone else. How did they do it if everything is based off one another?
This post just may be a bunch of meaningless rambling as I look back on it...but sometimes this is what philosophy does. In fact, it reminds me of "LOST"...mainly because it keeps posing more questions than answers...which is one of the reasons I don't watch the show haha. I have a feeling that is going to be a common statement I bring up in every single one of these blogs...until I can find the answers that I want to at least a few of my questions...
By why? Why does everything have to be based off of something else? I may possibly be acting like that little annoying preschool kid everyone babysits at least once in their life. You know, the one that just keeps asking "why?" after everything you say? But this is one thing that keeps bugging me...WHY does everything have to be based off something eles? There had to be someone in the beginning to start off the basis for everyone else. How did they do it if everything is based off one another?
This post just may be a bunch of meaningless rambling as I look back on it...but sometimes this is what philosophy does. In fact, it reminds me of "LOST"...mainly because it keeps posing more questions than answers...which is one of the reasons I don't watch the show haha. I have a feeling that is going to be a common statement I bring up in every single one of these blogs...until I can find the answers that I want to at least a few of my questions...
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