Does anyone agree?

[Cogent Dream]

I'm a bit tentative about starting a post here but I was curious if anyone had considered this before.

Religion is a logical redundancy. It is an attempt to explain the unexplainable with something that cannot be explained (god).

As Carl Sagan once said, why not just skip a step and say that it's unexplainable, rather than invent something even harder to explain? (Ignoring, of course, that physics can explain most things).

[rmcdra]

Cogent Dream

I'm a bit tentative about starting a post here but I was curious if anyone had considered this before.

Religion is a logical redundancy. It is an attempt to explain the unexplainable with something that cannot be explained (god).

As Carl Sagan once said, why not just skip a step and say that it's unexplainable, rather than invent something even harder to explain? (Ignoring, of course, that physics can explain most things).

Because that's not my understanding of religion (to explain the unexplainable). To me, religion is a way of living life that may or may not have moral requirements or communial. It may or may not, though most often times does, contain mythos that give insights into the human condition and teach lessons about life that others have gone through. Just because there was no turtle and hare doesn't mean the story of the race doesn't have a meaning to it.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Cogent Dream

Religion is a logical redundancy. It is an attempt to explain the unexplainable with something that cannot be explained (god).

Not all religions posit (a) god.

[Cogent Dream]

rmcdra

That would be personal faith then, not organised religion. An ethical story doesn't claim to be factual - therein lies the difference.

Lucky~9~Lives

Cogent Dream

Religion is a logical redundancy. It is an attempt to explain the unexplainable with something that cannot be explained (god).

Not all religions posit (a) god.

True, but the major ones do and the ones that don't are arguably not religions (I know people say Buddhism isn't actually a religion).

[Haha Coffee]

Oh no...no one here has ever EVER considered that.

*Wanders away muttering*

Oh..welcome to the Atheists and Religion forum.

[rmcdra]

Cogent Dream

rmcdra

That would be personal faith then, not organised religion.

Sounds like you're splitting hairs.

Quote:

An ethical story doesn't claim to be factual - therein lies the difference.

Again sounds like you're splitting hairs.

[Cogent Dream]

rmcdra

Cogent Dream

rmcdra

That would be personal faith then, not organised religion.

Sounds like you're splitting hairs.

Quote:

An ethical story doesn't claim to be factual - therein lies the difference.

Again sounds like you're splitting hairs.

That's not splitting hairs at all. Organised religion is an institution with standardised teachings and beliefs. Personal faith is a belief in whatever the heck you want because it's personal.

Also, ethical stories not claiming to be factual is not trivial. Do you think a tortoise and a hare actually raced each other to prove a point to humanity? The purpose and event are separated by abstract and reality. If you were to apply this to religion, it would be tantamount to saying that in reality, god existing or not existing is just splitting hairs.

[Cogent Dream]

Haha Coffee

Oh no...no one here has ever EVER considered that.

*Wanders away muttering*

Oh..welcome to the Atheists and Religion forum.

As I haven't had the luxury of perusing every thread here, I honestly would not know. Care to tell me what the typical response to this thought is then?

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Cogent Dream

Lucky~9~Lives

Not all religions posit (a) god.

True, but the major ones do and the ones that don't are arguably not religions (I know people say Buddhism isn't actually a religion).

I know people say Christianity isn't actually a religion.

[rmcdra]

Cogent Dream

That's not splitting hairs at all. Organised religion is an institution with standardised teachings and beliefs. Personal faith is a belief in whatever the heck you want because it's personal.

Since you like facts so much let's post up the definition of religion

re·li·gion
   [ri-lij-uhn] Show IPA
noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4.
the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5.
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

Seems like your definition of religion being "explaining the unexplainable" is a straw at best and lies on the a faulty outdated premise.

Quote:

Also, ethical stories not claiming to be factual is not trivial. Do you think a tortoise and a hare actually raced each other to prove a point to humanity? The purpose and event are separated by abstract and reality. If you were to apply this to religion, it would be tantamount to saying that in reality, god existing or not existing is just splitting hairs.

While most religions do posit the existence of non-corporeal beings such as gods and spirits, their existence is accepted within a religion framework since they are elements of the mythos. Whether they exist or not is irrelevant since the point to mythos is not to prove the existence of said beings, but to convey a cultural teaching from one generation to the next. Example, evolution and the creation story in Genesis. If the literal telling of the creation stories were what was important, then the teaching of evolution would have made the creation stories irrelevant to Christianity and Judaism since evolution actually describes what happened where as the creation stories in Genesis don't. But neither of these religions depend on the creation stories of Genesis to be literal, just the teaching that the mythos conveys.

[Admiral Dardanos]

Lucky~9~Lives

Cogent Dream

Lucky~9~Lives

Not all religions posit (a) god.

True, but the major ones do and the ones that don't are arguably not religions (I know people say Buddhism isn't actually a religion).

I know people say Christianity isn't actually a religion.

Shall we just, at least in this thread posit religion to mean; organised theism?

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Dardanos Immortalis

Lucky~9~Lives

Cogent Dream

Lucky~9~Lives

Not all religions posit (a) god.

True, but the major ones do and the ones that don't are arguably not religions (I know people say Buddhism isn't actually a religion).

I know people say Christianity isn't actually a religion.

Shall we just, at least in this thread posit religion to mean; organised theism?

'kay.
- sweatdrop

[Fermionic]

I do not agree. Religions do not necessarily imply a deity, nor explain life.

[Blade Dancer]

rmcdra

re·li·gion
   [ri-lij-uhn] Show IPA
noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Um...Sounds like at least partly a logical redundancy. That's why Cogent Dream specified BETWEEN personal faith and organized religion.

[Xiam]

Cogent Dream

I'm a bit tentative about starting a post here but I was curious if anyone had considered this before.

Religion is a logical redundancy. It is an attempt to explain the unexplainable with something that cannot be explained (god).

As Carl Sagan once said, why not just skip a step and say that it's unexplainable, rather than invent something even harder to explain? (Ignoring, of course, that physics can explain most things).

Curiosity is human nature. We need to know. It's why science does all this crazy s**t to find out the answers.