Religion has failed.

[evon]

I thought about making this thread to debate what i call "the failure of god", and the way forward, it was inspired by the recent "doomsday" documentaries that have come out, such as Home, Surviving progress ect..

The reason i say "Religion has failed" and "the failure of god", is mainly because religion and its focus on population growth and consumption is the main cause behind the current problem, also its fitting since, rarely would a human ever take responsibility themselves anyways

So i wonder what are your peoples solutions to our current problems? the main ones being overpopulation, climate issues and limited resources.

My solution is basically to stop using usury, reduce childbirths, reduction in consumption, refocus our energy and resources towards futuristic ideas rather then trying to go back to a "romanticized past", increase democracy, outlaw lobbying, ect..

For myself i will stop buying meat for the coming year (not including fish), spend less money on clothes, spend more money on www.Kiva.org loans, less money on alcohol and snacks, buy more wood for heating during the winter and use less electricity, and lastly save more money by using less on travel and other consuming endeavours.

Hopefully this will reduce my consumption, while also increase my happiness.

[Sol Invictus]

It is the modern world that has failed, not religion. The Western world turned away from Spirit and Soul in the aftermath of the Prostestant Reformation. A pervasive skepticism which was generated among intellectuals by the disputes between both Catholics and Protestants and Protestants and Protestants gave rise to a desire to abandon such seemingly pointless and fruitless arguments in order to explore and understand the physical world without reference to the divine or the transcendent. This was the birth of the modern materialist world-view. That is where the failure is. Only by returning to the past can new forces arise for the reconquest.

[evon]

It is the modern world that has failed, not religion. The Western world turned away from Spirit and Soul in the aftermath of the Prostestant Reformation. A pervasive skepticism which was generated among intellectuals by the disputes between both Catholics and Protestants and Protestants and Protestants gave rise to a desire to abandon such seemingly pointless and fruitless arguments in order to explore and understand the physical world without reference to the divine or the transcendent. This was the birth of the modern materialist world-view. That is where the failure is. Only by returning to the past can new forces arise for the reconquest.

Are you serious? so overpopulation has nothing to do with it? only materialism due to the lack of god? I think such arguments can be seen as void due to some of the most religious countries on the planet as being the forerunners in this doomsday scenario, especially the Islamic world with its overpopulation issues. Also, your argument seems fixated on the Western world, while its not the area with the biggest problems in the coming future..its the religious east that will fall first in any of these doomsday scenarios..

i think this quote explains the problem with looking into the past (religion) for answers in a modern world:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein

[Virtuous]

I'm all against religion, spirituality on the other hand is another thing.

[Sol Invictus]

I think such arguments can be seen as void due to some of the most religious countries on the planet as being the forerunners in this doomsday scenario, especially the Islamic world with its overpopulation issues.

Albert Einstein

Your existentialist individualism is the product of various philosophical and historical developments of which you almost certainly do not possess any understanding of. You are merely the creation of forces of whom you do not even realize exist.

its the religious east that will fall first in any of these doomsday scenarios..

Actually, there is every indication that it will be the East that overtakes the dead West precisely because that.

[evon]

Your existentialist individualism is the product of various philosophical and historical developments of which you almost certainly do not possess any understanding of. You are merely the creation of forces of whom you do not even realize exist.

That is not correct at all, high philosophy is one thing, but the idea of individualism and other basics have been around since long before the age of enlightenment to put it bluntly, to say that we are today the sum of various ideas in the near past is ignoring the whole biological aspect and the fact that we humans have created these ideas on the basis of observation and reasoning, not out of share nothingness, its a good way of reducing your own responsibility and thus remain a child, at the mercy of others, its utter nonsense to be sure.

Actually, there is every indication that it will be the East that overtakes the dead West precisely because that.

Thats also not true, and can be explained as such, what is happening is that the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries are starting to "reclaim" their role as leading states, which in the case of India and China has been the world trend with the exception of the last 4-200 years or so (the industrial revolution advanced Europe into the leading production seat), this is simply due to their size and agricultural/resource potential, the religiousness (here in the manifestation of overpopulation) in places such as India however is hampering the potential and might end up blocking it all together, such as what happened in Iraq and Egypt post-independence (these two areas have also traditionally been power houses due to their agricultural potential), so i remain firm, the east especially India, Indonesia, Iraq and Egypt, all have huge problems with overpopulation, and no real solution any time soon...China is a different story, as it has been overpopulated since the early 1950's at least...the states with highest standard of living and greatest stability is also the states that are the moast secular in politics and culture, such as my own country with a low traditional population, which i fear is now becoming a problem due to immigration from countries such as those already overpopulated...


Very good short flick on the issue mentioned above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAUVGYz3pZw

[Flintlocke]

I'm all against religion, spirituality on the other hand is another thing.

What is spirituality exactly? I've heard the term but no definition of what it means.

[evon]

What is spirituality exactly? I've heard the term but no definition of what it means.

I consider myself a spiritual humanist. in that i mean having a feeling of belonging to something greater the ones self, such as the special bond all living things have to each other ect..I guess it can also be said to be having the great feeling of god, without god..

This is a good video on the subject for humanistic spirituality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpaVL...eature=related

[arcticwolf]

What is spirituality exactly? I've heard the term but no definition of what it means.

Well, it depends who you ask. Those who are how to say it nicely lighthearted about it, and use faith as a tool like new age movement etc, believe that spirituality is connecting with other extra worldly beings, astral voyages, etc.

Truly spiritual being seeks the truth about reality. There is no rituals, there is no structure or politics involved. There is no belief in God, there is no blind faith, there is no dogmas. It's an utterly individualistic quest to understand reality, and I mean the gist of it not the apparent nature of it.

[Sol Invictus]

high philosophy is one thing, but the idea of individualism and other basics have been around since long before the age of enlightenment to put it bluntly

Albert Einstein

Ironically, the only interesting things to come from the West during it's anti-aristocratic "enlightenment" were to be found in the underground, in obscurity...amongst freaks, diseased weirdoes, poets, eccentrics etc...while scientists and political people were busy licking each other's assholes, musing on the "noble savage", deciding that they could dictate and delineate the "laws" of the universe, the denizens were creating some truly great art and literature.