Who here thinks...

[Gargamellow]

...that God was invented by man to control the masses?

Discuss.

[Kramer]

i don't think that god/gods (or the story of god/a god) was not originally created to control anyone, i think it was similar to Jung's collective unconcious. i think it was man recognizing and expressing something that was relatively inexplicable. different stories that can be remarkably similar from culture to culture were created to satisfy mans urge and drive to adapt and understand his environment.

there cerainly have been some religion/god stories that do seem made to keep certain people in power right from the start, though i look at the teachings of zen (not zen buddhism), buddhism, christianity and they can all be practiced and interpreted in a non-violent and positive manner, which is the way that i seek to live out my christianity.

i also understand that people use these teachings to their own advantage, though i choose the stories of christ's life that i believe promote things like: humility, serving others, non-violence, faith as opposed to desperately clinging to dogma that makes people legalistic, loving yourself and others, etc...

[Arlos]

I think there is an inherent human need for some kind of spiritual side, as well as the need to have some kind of heroic figures to follow the examples of. For the Greeks, they invented people like Hercules, Odysseus, etc, along with Zeus, Aphrodite, Athena, etc.

Modern day, most people follow monotheistic belief patterns, and we've turned sports stars and actors into the hero types.

Since they spring from a basic human desire and need, I don't at all believe that religions in and of themselves were invented to control the masses. HOWEVER, organized institutional CHURCHES on the other hand, in the past have been. Just look at the Catholic Church in the middle ages, and how it controlled just about every aspect of public life, including stunting scientific thought and persecution of anyone with differing beliefs.

I realize that's a difficult gradation to grasp, but I see a vast difference between the personal quest for spiritual growth, through whatever religious or spiritual focus one chooses to follow (which I respect immensely), and the dogmatic power-seeking of organized Churches, with their bureaucracies, laws and interpretations passed down from on high, etc. etc. etc. (which I have zero respect for at all).

Partly, that's why I ended up where I did, faith-wise. There's basically no such thing as pagan dogma, unless you want to consider "there are no dogmas" to be itself a dogma... One of the fundamental belief is that there is no one right true way, and as long as what you do doesn't hurt anyone else and it works for you, then more power to you.

-Arlos

[Harrison]

My problem lies with people who choose "religion" like it's a magazine subscription.

"I believe in A, because I get X, Y, and Z!!! B will send me to eternal torture, that's like lame dude."

[Kramer]

yeah, i grew up in that kind of culture, i/and those around me chose it essentially because we didn't want to go to hell, and well, you get to believe that everyone around you is wrong and feel better than/hate them

when i let go of that, it freed me up for real faith. i listen to a guy named Alan Watts, who talks about how real faith holds on to absolutely nothing, and in our culture, it is not things, as much as ideas/dogmas/theology that people hold on to depserately.

and people don't realize that holding onto those equals a lack of faith, those are simply ideas that others have had. rather than living your life in a way where you are open to see your god each day and not attempt to define something that you say is indefinable, yet you create all of these silly teachings that are simply conjecture and you choose to clothe god in them

[Naethyn]

Was God was invented by man to control the masses? I do not know.
But I do find it quite peculiar that our religious needs are in our DNA - although this does not support either argument.

If it is in our genetic makeup to have an understanding of the world around us, fallacy or not, it could have just as easily been a purpose to uphold the laws and rules of the society it also created.

[brinstar]

if god did not exist it would be necessary to create him

[Harrison]

I find religion and science only exclusive to the most ignorant of individuals.

One is not exclusive of the other.

[Gargamellow]

if god did not exist it would be necessary to create him

Keyword being "create".