Reaching out to God

[SteveH]

I think that humans (in general, not necessarily every single human) have a spiritual capacity and need, but not necessarily relating to a God or Gods: Buddhism doesn't include any belief in God. Also, that that capacity and need exists is not evidence for the existence of a God or Gods; it can probably be explained satisfactorily in terms of evolution.
The answer? Stop worrying about whether religions refer to any exterior reality,  recognise them as something humans do, and practise your chosen religion, if you want to, without pretending that it is more than subjectively, psychologically true, and base your morality on utilitarianism. In a word, non-realism. In another word, approximately, Quakerism.

[Nearly Sane]

I think that humans (in general, not necessarily every single human) have a spiritual capacity and need, but not necessarily relating to a God or Gods: Buddhism doesn't include any belief in God. Also, that that capacity and need exists is not evidence for the existence of a God or Gods; it can probably be explained satisfactorily in terms of evolution.
The answer? Stop worrying about whether religions refer to any exterior reality,  recognise them as something humans do, and practise your chosen religion, if you want to, without pretending that it is more than subjectively, psychologically true, and base your morality on utilitarianism. In a word, non-realism. In another word, approximately, Quakerism.

There's a lot I agree with her but what is 'a spiritual capacity'? And why base your morality on anything, nevermind utilitarianism, if you are a non realist?

[Sriram]

How can we practice a faith without actually believing it as true in an objective sense? A person can't pray in a church or temple and at the same time think that its all in his imagination and not real at all.

[Nearly Sane]

How can we practice a faith without actually believing it as true in an objective sense? A person can't pray in a church or temple and at the same time think that its all in his imagination and not real at all.

  This article about Don Cupitt is a good introduction to the ideas.

http://www.philosopherkings.co.uk/doncupitt.html


I do find it odd that as a poster who has argued that religions with central beliefs that are contradictory to each other can be assimilated into some more generalised idea that you want to reject non realism.

[torridon]

How can we practice a faith without actually believing it as true in an objective sense? A person can't pray in a church or temple and at the same time think that its all in his imagination and not real at all.

It's called the 'suspension of disbelief'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief

We do it all the time when watching a movie for instance.  We know what we are watching may be impossible in reaiity, but we suspend that disbelief in order to enjoy the movie.

[Sriram]

A person can't possibly believe in Jesus or Krishna and pray to them and at the same time believe that they are not real.   

A person could however go beyond religion into spirituality and realize that Jesus,Krishna and other deities are just images.....like icons on a computer screen....that enable us to connect to a higher reality within ourselves. In that sense he could realize that images and deities play an important role  in a persons spiritual development.  He will therefore teach and encourage people to believe in such personalities wholeheartedly with all the faith they can muster.

 

[bluehillside Retd.]

Sriram,

A person can't possibly believe in Jesus or Krishna and pray to them and at the same time believe that they are not real.

Why not? At school I was required to recite the Lord’s Prayer on a regular basis even though I thought there was no god to pray to.     

A person could however go beyond religion into spirituality and realize that Jesus,Krishna and other deities are just images.....like icons on a computer screen....that enable us to connect to a higher reality within ourselves. In that sense he could realize that images and deities play an important role  in a persons spiritual development.  He will therefore teach and encourage people to believe in such personalities wholeheartedly with all the faith they can muster.

Except you’ve still to tell us even what you mean by “spiritual”, let alone why you think it’s any different from just wishful thinking. Why not start with that rather than just make unqualified claims about it?   

[Nearly Sane]

A person can't possibly believe in Jesus or Krishna and pray to them and at the same time believe that they are not real.   

A person could however go beyond religion into spirituality and realize that Jesus,Krishna and other deities are just images.....like icons on a computer screen....that enable us to connect to a higher reality within ourselves. In that sense he could realize that images and deities play an important role  in a persons spiritual development.  He will therefore teach and encourage people to believe in such personalities wholeheartedly with all the faith they can muster.

I don't see any real difference between your two paragraphs.

[Stranger]

A person can't possibly believe in Jesus or Krishna and pray to them and at the same time believe that they are not real.   

A person could however go beyond religion into spirituality and realize that Jesus,Krishna and other deities are just images.....like icons on a computer screen....that enable us to connect to a higher reality within ourselves.

You can't 'realise' something that is just another vacuous unevidenced faith position. All you've done is add to the problem of religions contradicting each other by adding a new one that contradicts all the ones you're dismissing as mere images that lead to something else.

It's all rather comical, really.