Can anyone explain this about religion

[venator]

If you're born in Iran, you'll almost certainly be Muslim.
Likewise, in Dublin, you'll be a Catholic, a Hindu in Mumbai, and so on.

Many religions say they're the only true one, and everyone else is wrong.

I don't get it. Is it some sort of tribal thing?

[Andyvon]

Reason is the Reason -

You always seem very set in your opinions and state them so forcefully. I follow them and I agree with much of what you say. I certainly understand you. However, no one alive today will ever know the answers being asked, but they might just be answered when and if we do pass on.

I would never state what you do as I've never seen the problem with hedging my bets. I keep my head down and I want a religious funeral just in case. After all, you might find yourself with some awkward questions to answer if you are wrong! I can imagine you standing there looking sheepish while everyone drums their fingers and waits for an answer! Are you happy to take that chance?

[mibn2cweus]

I look forward to raising a few questions of my own given such an eventuality. ;o)

[birdie1971]

The elephant in the room that most religious people fail to acknowledge is the fact that they themselves deny the existence of any number of Gods. They actively disbelieve in hundreds of Gods whether they are aware of it or not. Ask any religious person today if they believe in the literal existence of the Egyptian Gods: Ra, Isis or Anubis; the Greek Gods: Zeus, Apollo or Hephaestus; or the Norse Gods: Thor, Freyr or Loki.

The answer will be 'no'. These Gods (you will be told) are not 'real' Gods – they are gods with a small 'g'. They are the simple beliefs of ancient people who wrongly believed in polytheism – and as we all know, there is only one real and true God, and He is my God.

But all of the above named Gods, together with their other fellow deities, were just as 'real' to the Egyptians, Greeks and Norse people as the monotheistic God of Christianity, Islam and Judaism is to those who believe today.


“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” - Stephen Roberts

[Andyvon]

Spot on Birdie. I've always thought the same. How do the main monotheistic religions reconcile themselves with Hinduism and it's many gods, or the spirits of the Amazonian Indians, the Inuit and Africans? If there is just one god then the recipricol must be that all other religions are nonsense and their deities don't exist.

I've always accepted peoples' beliefs - provided those people live according to what they preach. I don't like hypocrits. What I've always found unacceptable is how religions seek to dismiss rivals and impose their own views on other people. That's been the root cause of most conflicts and deaths over the millennia and we see the same now in the Gulf and Afghanistan.

The real problem is not religion and belief itself - it's the intransigence of most believers and non-believers. If religions and their adherants could accept and respect each other then they could live side by side - with each other and atheists too!

[birdie1971]

Andyvon - “The real problem is not religion and belief itself - it's the intransigence of most believers and non-believers. If religions and their adherants could accept and respect each other then they could live side by side - with each other and atheists too!”

Great words.

But there is a massive fly in the ointment. The big three – Judaism, Islam and Christianity – don't do 'respect' or 'tolerance'. They sometimes publicly preach it of course but they're only paying lip-service to today's social norms. When you read the actual religious texts of these three religions, you'll find intolerance of other religious belief in spades. All three religions tell their adherents to 'respect' other beliefs whilst simultaneously and repeatedly informing them (and gleefully wallowing in the belief) that followers of other religions will suffer an eternity of torment in hell.

Hatred of rival Gods is in-built into religious texts. It is the way faiths continue to survive. On the surface it's all 'Love thy neighbour' but dig just a little bit deeper and you'll find the caveat, “... but only if they believe in the same God you do.”.

[venator]

Thank you, everyone for a thoughtful discussion, and one which kept remarkably well to the point!

I'm not much wiser, of course, no deus ex machina came online with the answer!!!

[naomi24]

Well if you don't have the answer by now, perhaps you haven't asked the right question.

[jomifl]

Andy.. nobody believes in the same god whatever its name. They believe in the god that has been constructed in their brain and each one is different.

[Andyvon]

I think it's the method of worshipping the same God that's been instilled in the mind since birth Jomifl (for the three main religions of course).

My wife and I are very friendly with our Muslim neighbours and we all chat in-depth about various international and domestic topics and issues. I won't repeat those views here. However, our neighbours are absolutely fixed in their views which they assure us are the views of the vast majority of Muslims, not just in the UK but abroad. Many of those views my wife and I agree with such as Islam's views on consuming alcohol and Western sexual promiscuity. A few of the views we don't agree with such as those about Jews who have never bothered me.

I lived abroad until I was 12 and I've visited many Muslim countries since. Everything leads me to believe that there will never be common ground between the world's religions and beliefs. The corollory of that is that wars, hate, mistrust and conflict will continue into the future indefinitely. After all, if the three main religions could find common ground - then surely there would just be one big religion!

[naomi24]

Andy, you are quite right. There will never be a common ground, and whilst religion remains it will create conflict.

[jomifl]

Hi Andy, I recently had dinner with an Egyptian devout muslim ( 3 visits to Mecca) and a few days ago with a French catholic priest, I found that (as an atheist) there was so much that we agreed upon that the elephant in the room became nearly invisible. There is more to life than religion.

[sandyRoe]

Isn't religion used as a pretext? The recent violence in Ireland wasn't about religion. I doubt if the Crusaders really only wanted to secure the birthplace of Christ for Christendom. The violence that emanates from parts of the Islamic world has political causes.

[naomi24]

//There is more to life than religion. //

Sadly not for all.

[Andyvon]

I think the only solution is for different cultures and beliefs to recognise and respect those very differences they have. I recognise and respect other peoples' views even if I don't agree with them. However, that's only little old me who can't change anything. It seems that the majority of people brought up in different cultures and religions have absolutely no intention of respecting other peoples and their ways of life. Moreover, they actively seek to overthrow the established beliefs of their neighbours and supplant them with their own.

That's the problem.

[flobadob]

You kind of explained it in your question there venator. Congrats.