Is God A Myth?

[AbraCadabra]

According to at least some philosophers most anything is myth, a dream of sorts if you wish.

Space, mathematics, the 'meaning' of life, morals, even ethics, history (for sure!), gender - well? ...and on and on.

Looking at it from this angle, God has to be one of the many myths that make for the human condition "self-awareness" (a lost soul swimming in a fish bowl, the universe)...

Now whilst I say that... these myths WORK for us, always did, lest they might not exist in the first place.
Though, myths do change. There was a non-mono-deistic world before ours – here I speak of the Western World, of those Greek and also Germanic gods. These now all supplanted by the one and only God of Judeo-Christian and Islamic religion.

The question is then, WHAT is wrong with myths, and the mysterious, und ultimately unknowing... if it helps us to get through life?
My answer:  NOTHING AT ALL!

I do not see myself a religious person, but certainly as a spiritual one.
Maybe that helps?

Axélle

[Kevin Peña]

The question is then, WHAT is wrong with myths, and the mysterious, und ultimately unknowing... if it helps us to get through life?
My answer:  NOTHING AT ALL!

I agree. I just don't like that a lot of religious folks try to push their ideals and put down anything different. You can believe whatever you want, just don't push it down other peoples' throats.

[AbraCadabra]

I agree. I just don't like that a lot of religious folks try to push their ideals and put down anything different. You can believe whatever you want, just don't push it down other peoples' throats.

Yea, right - but often it is NOT the 'believe' as such, it is peoples insecurities that demands that EVERYONE must think AND experience things in 'alignment' with the ruling ideas.

This means that ever so often even Christian holy believers were totally rejected by other Christian believers --- and burned at the stake so their soul may be purged and they still might find into the kingdom of heaven... despite their abominable heretic notions.

All of this is purely mankind's spitefulness and has little or nothing to do with spirituality, I dare say.

Just my finding
Axélle

[Kevin Peña]

All of this is purely mankind's spitefulness and has little or nothing to do with spirituality, I dare say.

Just my finding
Axélle

Once again I agree. I wasn't saying religion was a bad thing, just those who try to force it on others.

[blue.ocean.girl]

I do not see myself a religious person, but certainly as a spiritual one.
Maybe that helps?

Yeah, I view myself as a pretty spiritual person as well. I think its what fuels my questioning nature--figuring out what life is all about, even if there really is no more meaning to it than what we put into it.

Organized religion, especially fundamentalist monotheism ("There's ONE god, so that means there must be only ONE right way"), is really messed up. People should believe what they want to believe, of course, but if a group's system of belief includes intolerance of others'... well that's the cause of a lot of our problems today.

Spirituality is one thing, and a good thing, I think that's very true. But religion, like you said, is different. It is, for many, much more rigid, and, more often than one might think, involves rigid doctrines concerning perceived "sinners" which can be destructive. That's my take on it.  So "spiritual but not religious" is a good way to put it.

[AbraCadabra]

Religiosity as in doctrine is EGO of religion; it is a DEFENCE and an attempt to PROTECT, an attempt to overcome insecurity, an attempt to prevent variation(s) to an established 'norm'.

It is essentially not much different to what happens in societies; any societies attempts to protect itself - in order to survive. As simple AND as brutal as that.

If a society would not do this, the society would collapse and we would then also have to pay a price. A high price, in a much shortened life.

The trick is to BALANCE those opposing forces like in practically EVERY thing in life.

A train e.g. is a VERY useful thing... yet a run-away-train is one VERY destructive thing in deed.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts,
Axélle