Religion: What it means to you

I find myself often swayed to agnostic deism.

It is not that I cannot decide if I believe, as I do believe in a driving universal force in our existence. The name of that force, the sex of that force, and the intentions of that force are outside my realm of knowledge, however. I cannot conceive of all knowledge, how can I conceive of a being with all knowledge?

I believe it is nearly impossible to ever know if a religion or belief is true. I would even venture to say that it is wholly impossible as most religions dictate that a supreme being is omnipresent, omnipotent, omnipotent, transcendent, and benevolent. It is a being that is, through definition, outside our realm of understanding, and so I prescribe to the process of thought that it stays outside of our realm of understanding.

I believe there is a force, though I cannot begin to tell you the qualities of that force -- it is, as I said, outside my ability to conceive.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by LordsSword

I
Part of the reason why I gravitated to Jesus Christ is because of this statement:
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
[...]
Its ugly out there and my belief in heaven is sometimes the only thing between peace of mind and depression.

Well, from an anthropological point of view, that is the entire point of religious systems. They give conformity, uniformity, and belongingness. They give a common deity of which multiple people can band together on and, ultimately, become a stronger culture.

The psychological effects of religion are numerous. For example, it is a known fact that going to church causes a chemical reaction that lifts the mood. Prayer, in studies, is generally useless practically but it does elevate the moods of the praying.

It promotes social connections as well. Religion and religious observation does have positive psychological and social effects. That is not to say, of course, that these effects are completely dependent on the existence of religion. You can have all of these things through other actions as well as through devoutness.

Ultimately, like I said, I cannot find irrefutable proof that something does or does not exist. I think Anselm used the term "Greatest Conceivable Being" to push the ontological argument; but I believe that being has well surpassed the concept of conceivable. It's something too great for me to conceive of, but I can only hope that it exists.

I have no proof, nor argument; simply a hope.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

If by anthropological you mean anthropology circa 1930's when we were studying the 'noble savage.' Actually, religion's meaning changes based on what culture you're looking at. But, nice swing and a miss there.

You are right. The meaning does, indeed, change. That is not what I meant, however. The meanings do change, but the affect stays the same. Universally, belief of any sort will foster an inclusive environment.

I'll again say, just to be fair, these things are also found ELSEWHERE. A common language also has these affects. Marriage does as well.

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