Celestial Bow
Apprentice
We are all born into a certain bubble (familial, societal, cultural), and often depending on what the others within our bubble preach, we develop our perceptions of the world and we forge our eclectic beliefs. Without the influence of these bubbles, what would be our dreams? What would be our desires? Who would be our Gods? I feel that we fail to realize how much of the basis of our thoughts been instilled in us from birth. The concept of God, our histories, our heritage could have been created years before we were born with clever manipulation, and we would never know. So much of the basis for our beliefs could be founded on nothing. While I do not believe that such a thing is a reality, I feel its concept has many applications, and leads back to one primary idea. We can never know for sure, and we all live in ultimate ignorance.
Every generation has its own ideas and gods, its own dreams and desires. Mythology for the Greeks, Pharoas and the Sun for the Eygyptians, idol worship for the Samarians. They all believed differently than we, and their entire existence was different because of these beliefs, that we now choose to refute. Can we doubt that Christianity or any other current religions extinguishment by future religions is possible? Can we really reject idol worship and instead pray to a concealed God, one that will never in this life affirm its existence?
As a modern day example; by luck of the draw, a child was born into a Jewish family. A different child was born across the street, into a Muslim family. Both of these families follow fundamental principles, fervent in their beliefs. The Jew grows up forbidden from touching girls until marriage, wearing a cap and a garment with strings attached, praying 3 times a day. The Muslim grows up in similar extremes. The Jew hates the Muslim, and the Musim hates the Jew. Of course this is a stereotypical example, and many can break out of this stereotype. However, the majority, especially of those born into very religious families, will remain within it. Both of these children use their beliefs given to them by others as definite truth, and guide their lives according to them.
But if these two children were somehow at birth lost, and then found by the opposite family. If the Jews adopted the Muslim's child, if the Muslims adopted the Jew's child. The same two human beings would grow up with completely different and often oppositional beliefs. The Jew by blood would now be a Muslim that performed Salah 5 times a day, and the Muslim by blood that would now perform thrice daily rituals in accordance with Judaism. Their roles of loathing each other would remain, but would be reversed. So much would change.
We can never really know. We can never know if God exists; which God is the right God; if there is an afterlife; if science created our world; if we are an experiment that was formed by a greater species, as ants to humans. Everyone forms their own ideas often stemmed from those around them as ideas that they take comfort in, and convince themselves are true, when there is really no way of knowing. Humans refuse to see how ignorant they really are, and we debate, cause war, volunteer, hates others, all based off of beliefs that are more likely than not untrue.
We must all choose our own paths, create our own dreams, and carve out our purposes. We must all be wary of our ignorance and manage its implications. We must all think for ourselves, and we mustn’t live to fill a niche in a bubble.
These are my reasons for thinking religious debate is ultimately pointless, for despising those that use religion for incredible evil, for being disgusted by those that try to foist their beliefs on others, and for pitying those that use unfounded beliefs as if they were ultimate reality. Why do so many continue to do so many of these things, refusing to see a true ignorance?
Every generation has its own ideas and gods, its own dreams and desires. Mythology for the Greeks, Pharoas and the Sun for the Eygyptians, idol worship for the Samarians. They all believed differently than we, and their entire existence was different because of these beliefs, that we now choose to refute. Can we doubt that Christianity or any other current religions extinguishment by future religions is possible? Can we really reject idol worship and instead pray to a concealed God, one that will never in this life affirm its existence?
As a modern day example; by luck of the draw, a child was born into a Jewish family. A different child was born across the street, into a Muslim family. Both of these families follow fundamental principles, fervent in their beliefs. The Jew grows up forbidden from touching girls until marriage, wearing a cap and a garment with strings attached, praying 3 times a day. The Muslim grows up in similar extremes. The Jew hates the Muslim, and the Musim hates the Jew. Of course this is a stereotypical example, and many can break out of this stereotype. However, the majority, especially of those born into very religious families, will remain within it. Both of these children use their beliefs given to them by others as definite truth, and guide their lives according to them.
But if these two children were somehow at birth lost, and then found by the opposite family. If the Jews adopted the Muslim's child, if the Muslims adopted the Jew's child. The same two human beings would grow up with completely different and often oppositional beliefs. The Jew by blood would now be a Muslim that performed Salah 5 times a day, and the Muslim by blood that would now perform thrice daily rituals in accordance with Judaism. Their roles of loathing each other would remain, but would be reversed. So much would change.
We can never really know. We can never know if God exists; which God is the right God; if there is an afterlife; if science created our world; if we are an experiment that was formed by a greater species, as ants to humans. Everyone forms their own ideas often stemmed from those around them as ideas that they take comfort in, and convince themselves are true, when there is really no way of knowing. Humans refuse to see how ignorant they really are, and we debate, cause war, volunteer, hates others, all based off of beliefs that are more likely than not untrue.
We must all choose our own paths, create our own dreams, and carve out our purposes. We must all be wary of our ignorance and manage its implications. We must all think for ourselves, and we mustn’t live to fill a niche in a bubble.
These are my reasons for thinking religious debate is ultimately pointless, for despising those that use religion for incredible evil, for being disgusted by those that try to foist their beliefs on others, and for pitying those that use unfounded beliefs as if they were ultimate reality. Why do so many continue to do so many of these things, refusing to see a true ignorance?
