Was religion created to meet a human need?

[ElieG12]

"Religion" is the same as "form of worship." It is connected to the recognition of God, and formed by a set of intrinsic beliefs and practices.

From my point of view, religion existed since the creation of Adam, because he already had a direct relationship with his Creator, because he spoke with Him, and he had to obey his command as a son obeys his father.

When Jehovah called Abraham to make him the ancestor of a nation, He gave him orders such as leaving his homeland, wandering into foreign territory, circumcising all the males in his family, etc. Abraham offered animal sacrifices to Jehovah as part of his worship to Him. He taught his descendants about the true God, as Isaac his son and Jacob his grandson continued to worship and serve Jehovah following the tradition inherited from their ancestor.

As the people of Israel grew, they continued to worship Jehovah and offer animal sacrifices to him. They had different moral standards from the rest of the world and they took them seriously, as shown by the way Joseph acted when faced with the provocations of his Egyptian master's wife. After the Israelites left Egypt with Jehovah's help, their form of worship was formalized through a set of written laws.

So, no, religion is not an original human invention, but the form to relate of men with God, the true One, or otherwise, their other gods.

 

[Jack]

"Religion" is the same as "form of worship." It is connected to the recognition of God, and formed by a set of intrinsic beliefs and practices.

From my point of view, religion existed since the creation of Adam, because he already had a direct relationship with his Creator, because he spoke with Him, and he had to obey his command as a son obeys his father.

When Jehovah called Abraham to make him the ancestor of a nation, He gave him orders such as leaving his homeland, wandering into foreign territory, circumcising all the males in his family, etc. Abraham offered animal sacrifices to Jehovah as part of his worship to Him. He taught his descendants about the true God, as Isaac his son and Jacob his grandson continued to worship and serve Jehovah following the tradition inherited from their ancestor.

As the people of Israel grew, they continued to worship Jehovah and offer animal sacrifices to him. They had different moral standards from the rest of the world and they took them seriously, as shown by the way Joseph acted when faced with the provocations of his Egyptian master's wife. After the Israelites left Egypt with Jehovah's help, their form of worship was formalized through a set of written laws.

So, no, religion is not an original human invention, but the form to relate of men with God, the true One, or otherwise, their other gods.

Jehovah / Jesus, the Same!

 

[Starise]

In my opinion there is both religion to the true God and replacement religion which seeks to fill those gaps in different ways.

Jesus said true religion really boils down to two commandments. Love the Lord with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

[Chadrho]

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
- Was religion created to meet a human need?
- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed about our human predicament?

Let's discuss.

/ cc: @Chadrho

I'm going to offer a suggestion for his last query regarding the advantage of religion without the "bugs." Answer- pursuit of the good.

The options offered in the video, adaptation and memes (bugs within an advantageous, cultural framework) both assume the reduction of religious phenomena to something not-divinely related. Also, religion is a phenomena that occurs within an evolutionary framework that frames any explanation within that particular domain. Within that framework, pursuit of the good is a tacit assumption, and the good is whatever promotes survival of species.

If we allow for divinity as a feature of the explanation of religion within a loosened evolutionary framework, pursuit of the good has the same evolutionary function as well as a transcendent function.

If we allow for a more fundamentalist understanding of an explanation of religion, pursuit of the good is still a primary function of religion even if understood in strictly transcendent and individual terms.

So I think pursuit of the good is a primary candidate for an explanation for religion without bugs. I would also say individualism is a bug that needs to be removed. The pursuit of good must be for the whole, which entails the individual and upon which the individual depends. Other than that, it can be understood differently depending on one's framework of understanding and the assumptions one brings to the table. If we want to reduce to the simplest and most likely explanation, I think that's the starting point.

Now the question is in which direction do we reduce? The ancient tendency was to reduce up. The Good is an intelligent property identified with God so that the good we see and seek participates in the divine goodness. The modern tendency has been to reduce down. The good we see and seek is an evolutionary function within a material world sans divinity.

Both positions entail a metaphysical assumption regarding reality, and the historical conflict between these assumptions can't be resolved by any way of knowing to which we have access. In the video, his candid admiission that even the positions in the video cannot be resolved is rooted in the same problem. The short of it is this imo: metaphysical assumptions will be made, and those assumptions will create intractable disagreements because we cannot know enough to eliminate all metaphysical assumptions for the sake of one truth. This is why Hume thought books on metaphysics should be thrown in the fire. But he assumed we can do without such assumptions, which is not possible imo.

I generally reduce all of this to one problem: Is the good real? If our pursuit of good is a function of survival, that doesn't mean it's not also a transcendent feature of reality. One must assume it's not, which is a metaphysical assumption, to say it's only a function of survival. Science can never navigate this quandry since value judgments are outside its domain, e.g., Hume's is/ought distinction.

I assume the good, along with other transcendentals, is real. That is a metaphysical assumption on my part, but it is the most beautiful of the live options on the table. ;) lol

 

[St. SteVen]

I generally reduce all of this to one problem: Is the good real? If our pursuit of good is a function of survival, that doesn't mean it's not also a transcendent feature of reality. One must assume it's not, which is a metaphysical assumption, to say it's only a function of survival. Science can never navigate this quandry since value judgments are outside its domain, e.g., Hume's is/ought distinction.

I assume the good, along with other transcendentals, is real. That is a metaphysical assumption on my part, but it is the most beautiful of the live options on the table. ;) lol

Wow. Nice summary statement. That's a great way to look at it.
To what end is anything "good"?

/

 

[ElieG12]

The GOOD is not defined by ourselves according to our own personal interests... It is a concept that only our Creator Himself can define. Something that may seem necessary, sufficient or beneficial to us could be exactly the opposite. If we ask our God, He will tell us what is really best for us.

Atheists and false believers take God out of the equation of life; They are not interested in whether God (if he existed as a possibility for them at all) has anything to say about anything... They believe that humans are the ones who have to decide what concerns us. But that is not true: God is the only one who can give us the manual on how to function better, since He is the one who created us, and not us ourselves.

If we truly trust that God is wise and almighty, that He loves us and wants the best for us, we will seek his point of view on all things, so that every thing may go well for us.

I see a lot of people here telling others they should decide by themselves about what to believe and how to live... The only decision we can make is: Will we really take God into account or not?

 

[St. SteVen]

Excerpt from the OP with commentary.

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
- Was religion created to meet a human need?
- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed about our human predicament?

--- Commentary ---

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
Perhaps to someone else's encounter with God. But we should all have our own encounter with God. Tell us about yours.

- Was religion created to meet a human need?
It attempts to answer many questions. Adherents may be pacified with the answers. Trusting fully in religion.

- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed about our human predicament?
This seems likely to me. The biblical record certainly seems like an attempt to do so. Especially the Old Testament.

]

 

[Ronald Nolette]

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
- Was religion created to meet a human need?
- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed about our human predicament?

Let's discuss.

/ cc: @Chadrho

Almost all "religion" is mans attempt to reach god and still hold onto the ego that we had something to do with our salvation. All Lies.

 

[St. SteVen]

Almost all "religion" is mans attempt to reach god and still hold onto the ego that we had something to do with our salvation. All Lies.

Does God not want us to reach out to Him? Not want us to acknowledge Him?

/

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Does God not want us to reach out to Him? Not want us to acknowledge Him?

/

Yes God wants us to reach out to HIm, but HIs way and not mans way . Almost all religion is man dictating the terms of how to reach God while Faith is God dictating the terms of how to reach Him.

 

[St. SteVen]

Yes God wants us to reach out to HIm, but HIs way and not mans way . Almost all religion is man dictating the terms of how to reach God while Faith is God dictating the terms of how to reach Him.

That would describe a relationship with a governing ruler, but not a parent and child relationship.

As parents we allow our children to reach out to us on their own terms. (within reason) Some behavior may need correction, but in general, we let children be children. We draw them close, not push them away. Or at least that's how it should work.

I maintain that I am welcome in Father's lap whenever I want. And I have modeled this relationship mode with my own children. If they want to speak to me, I put whatever I am doing aside and give them my full attention. (within reason)

[

 

[Ronald Nolette]

That would describe a relationship with a governing ruler, but not a parent and child relationship.

As parents we allow our children to reach out to us on their own terms. (within reason) Some behavior may need correction, but in general, we let children be children. We draw them close, not push them away. Or at least that's how it should work.

I maintain that I am welcome in Father's lap whenever I want. And I have modeled this relationship mode with my own children. If they want to speak to me, I put whatever I am doing aside and give them my full attention. (within reason)

[

Well we are gods children without a doubt. But if we have unconfessed sin, while our relationship is secure, our fellowship is broken.

But we have to reach out to God on HIs terms. He accepts us where we are at but expects us to grow and mature and do things the proper way.

I got saved and went back to Catholicism. I did the rosaries, novenas, adoration of the eucharist etc. God took me at that place, but then as I studied His Word I saw god wanted me to be at His place and not mine and expected me to jettison my approach for His.

 

[amigo de christo]

Almost all "religion" is mans attempt to reach god and still hold onto the ego that we had something to do with our salvation. All Lies.

Thus my advice stands , let us learn the GOD , the CHRIST who inspired the words recorded in that bible .
Let us learn JESUS the CHRIST well . for indeed many have come to preach another jesus
and another version of god all together . and you can bet that version contradicts THE TRUE ONE .
Bible time .

 

[St. SteVen]

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
- Was religion created to meet a human need?
- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed
about our human predicament?

[

 

[Jack]

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
- Was religion created to meet a human need?
- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed
about our human predicament?

[

You have lots of questions but very little Bible answers. This is the TERMINAL generation! Jesus said so.

 

[Wick Stick]

- Is religion a response to an encounter with God?
- Was religion created to meet a human need?
- Or was religion an attempt to explain what we observed
about our human predicament?

[

A cynic might say that religion was created as a way of controlling other people. I'm not sure the cynic is always wrong, but hopefully he's wrong at least some of the time.

 

[Behold]

-
- Was religion created to meet a human need?

Yes, "Religion" was created by "man" to meet a human need.
Its the universal need to understand why you exist.....and why you feel lonli, and how to try to solve this riddle of life.

So, RELIGION, is what the NT refers to as "the broad way that leads to destruction".....and that means, that by being on one of the many religious paths//trips......you are not found on the way to God, and so, that means if you stay Religious, you'll never be with Him, now or in the forever.

whereas..

Christianity......which is not a religion, is not created by man.....and is designed to eternally restore you to the Eternal One who made you.
And the WAY He did this... is John 14:6.........

John 14:6

God wrapped Himself in Human flesh, born of a virgin, and offered Himself for us all on The Cross, so that by Jesus's one time Sacrifice, we can all be made forever righteous, and have eternal life, right NOW.......today.

So, who is qualified to receive Salvation from God?

A.) A sinner.

So, we all qualified... long ago. (Everyone does).

AA.) ""Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS"......

I was saved by God, through Christ, quite a long time ago.
How about you, Reader?

You're not saved?
What are you waiting for? An Invitation? OK, you're invited by God to Trust in Christ, right now, and God will take you as His own, forever.

Listen.....dont wait till Hebrews 9:27 finds you as then its TOO LATE..., and maybe that wil be today......so, do not WAIT.

Give your heart to Jesus......Put your faith in Christ and God will save you and keep your forever..