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| Is the Human Race born with a predisposition to being spiritual? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 2 2013, 07:16 PM (75 Views) | |
| IH | Oct 2 2013, 07:16 PM Post #1 |
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The Ever Curious
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Alright Mordor, hoping to get some really interesting views on this one and, by all means, feel free to express yourself through personal experience. The question is, "Is the Human Race born with a predisposition to being spiritual?". This question has been playing on my mind for a long time but was recently kicked into the forefront of my mind when reading John Hick's "Soul-Making Theodicy" (an essay written by Hick in an attempt as an argument against those laid out in the Problem of Evil). During this essay, Hick refers to Humanity as a "religious animal", the idea being that there is a natural yearning ingrained in Humans from birth to seek and see the spiritual world. Hick, of course, is perfectly within his rights to say this; Humanity (Homo Sapiens) has over the course of the two hundred thousand years it's been around been spiritual in some way, Neanderthals even had burial rituals. I disagree with Hick however. I believe that whatever spirituality a specific human posses is what is impressed upon them by the society in which they live. I believe this due to the knowledge that all that a baby knows is learnt through life, only basic functions such as breathing, eating and sleeping are naturally ingrained within a child from birth, I believe it unlikely that such an unnecessary thing as spirituality falls into this category of necessary functions required for a baby to live. I'd also like to draw upon personal experience. I was raised by my parents as irreligious, my parents never spoke about religion and I was not introduced to it until I was 4 years old and sent to primary school (I went to a Methodist primary). At this time, I was surprised to see children being forced into speaking some words before lunch and singing some words to something at the end of assemblies, this was a world upon which had never seen. My point being that until I had reached this point, I did not have the slightest inclination to even consider anything beyond what I could experience with my empirical senses. I believe it is more likely that Humanity is conditioned from birth to believe in something more than what is, be it a "God" or some other kind of spirituality. In the case of religion, it is easy to see why it would be forced on the people. Most religions offer the kind of control that most people in power would crave for, especially in times gone by; people would be subjugated by their fears of an Almighty being waiting for the chance to judge them and either send them to Heaven or Hell, all the uneducated peasant must do is be obedient and pay his taxes to the State and Church, then his soul will go to Heaven after death. So, Mordor, what do you think? Is the Human Race born with a predisposition to being spiritual? |
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| Paliven | Oct 2 2013, 07:35 PM Post #2 |
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Metallic Overlord of programming errors and shenanigans
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I think that early humans yerned for guidence as we were tribes and we weren't advanced enough to make our own desisions so we sought gods, demons to worship and ask for guidence. But as we advanced our minds adapted to the consept of free will and we no longer sought guidence by invisible beings that influence our lives. |
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| Majestas | Oct 2 2013, 08:12 PM Post #3 |
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Shelob
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I think that we had a tendancy to lean towards this belief. This is because there are so many things that apsolutly amazing in the world. There are things we cannot explain. There are things that are so crazy, it is mind blowing. The only way it makes sense to some people is to think a sort of god did this. It is a logical explanation that would not require proof, because of the specific argument. However, as science has been able to find out why stuff happens, it does not seem as much like a creator did it. It just seems like it is how it works, so it does not mean you need spirituality. My story is different than IH. I was raised as a huge christian, but when it came time for confirmation, I couldn't do it. |
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| Alancar | Oct 3 2013, 08:34 PM Post #4 |
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I'm a magical princess from another dimension
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I don't see what's the difference between saying that and what Hick said |
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| IH | Oct 3 2013, 08:53 PM Post #5 |
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The Ever Curious
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I perhaps didn't phrase either myself or Hick correctly. Hick believed that humans were born spiritual, I believe spirituality is something gained, or conditioned by the existing social norms. |
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| Alancar | Oct 3 2013, 09:16 PM Post #6 |
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I'm a magical princess from another dimension
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Which begs the question of where did it come from in the first place. |
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| Majestas | Oct 6 2013, 12:12 AM Post #7 |
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Shelob
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I believe the idea of a god came from the fact that when humans did not have the technology to answer essential questions such as 'how did come to be?' and that sort of stuff, so the only logical explanation they could come up with is the exsistince of a higher being. |
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| Samara Morgan | Nov 22 2013, 09:17 PM Post #8 |
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I'm kinda agnostic. I mean, I don't believe in any particular religion but I still think there's some higher power in the universe. I don't know if being spiritual is somehow rooted in the human nature. It's quite a complicated thing. Edited by Samara Morgan, Nov 22 2013, 09:19 PM.
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| Alancar | Nov 23 2013, 12:36 AM Post #9 |
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I'm a magical princess from another dimension
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That is called Deism actually. |
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| Gaunt Apostle | Nov 26 2013, 08:38 PM Post #10 |
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Spirituality began as primitive science. Man saw things he could not explain, and came up with hypotheses that made sense at the time, such as "A giant is throwing the lightning!" We have retained religion for several reasons: -Habit and tradition -Each generation is taught religion by the previous generation -It's use as a community-builder and psychological tool -Humanity's tendency to seek out the unknown -It has ceased to be a hypothesis and is now dogma In short, I think humanity is naturally scientific, and spirituality has been an interesting (and I think on the whole beneficial) byproduct of that budding nature throughout our development as a species. |
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| Syndicate | Dec 15 2013, 04:02 AM Post #11 |
Orc
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I believe that we try to find meaning in things and we believe there is always a point to everything we do which is why the rules in games and the programming in videogames always has an end goal for you to achieve. The truth is there is no goal or point to life other then to live some people can't accept this and so they feel the need for religion to give them a point to there lives and keep them from depression. The truth is you don't need religion to not be depressed you just have to devote your life to a cause impermanent as it is. Mine is devoted to the advancement of human society. I think the greatest and most worthy cause we could devote our focuses too is space as all the things humans have learned all our knowledge and information will go with us once the sun explodes. So in answer to your question no I don't believe humans are predispositioned to be spiritual I think we are predispositioned for us to want there to be a point to this great confusing thing called life.
Edited by Syndicate, Dec 15 2013, 04:03 AM.
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