Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

“All religions are man-made”
so none is the true path to god.

   Post 101. October 20, 2019

  The True Religion

   Tribal, National, Sectarian, or Universal?

 For early humans, religion was simply a set of myths and traditions that were passed-along orally within the tribe. In any particular area of the world, their beliefs were as similar as their local conditions (ecology) were alike. Most traditions told simple stories of origins, history, and transmitted practical information (science) about how to survive and thrive. In most cases, the world was assumed to be full of minds & spirits similar to humans (animism). So, an essential component of their learning was how to get along with those other conscious-nesses, whether humans or animals or the invisible forces that caused weather events. For those who lived in jungles, forests, steppes, plains and deserts, the general principles of their religion were analogous, but the details were adapted to the specific opportunities and dangers of their ecological niche and their way of making a living.

Yet over time, as tribes multiplied and spread out, their beliefs evolved and diverged. Hunter-gatherers developed notions of animal spirits that could help or hinder their livelihood. But farmers were more interested in weather spirits that affected their crops. And desert people paid more attention to the omnipresent sun & stars that seemed to somehow control the weather and other earthly events. Eventually cities emerged, and their challenges became less about food & sex, and more about how to live with other people. This required formalized civil & moral laws, and the “heavenly helpers” often became War Gods, modeled on their mundane war lords and kings, necessitated by frequent conflicts of interest. Cities & their Dynasties, over time, coalesced into States & Empires, so their local gods had to become more powerful and ruthless in order to keep order in the wider world.

In the 21st century since the advent of the Christian religion, Wikipedia estimates that there are at least 4,200 distinct religions and spiritual traditions in the world1. Before the explosive growth of civilization and technology, religious beliefs were seldom challenged. But since people now frequently come in contact with beliefs that conflict with their own, creating internal cognitive dissonance, a common question for their spiritual leaders is “which is the true religion”2. Yet, it’s mostly the monotheistic & authoritarian traditions that worry about the multiplicity of belief systems. And that’s because a core element of their Faith is that the “truths” of their religion were revealed direct from gods to men, rather than inferred by men and imputed to gods. So, it’s refreshing to hear from a priest of a major world religion, the admission that “all religions are man-made”.

On the Quora Forum, Swami Rivan, a Hindu priest and teacher of Philosophy, answered the topical question : What is the true religion to the creator of the whole universe? He began by denying the divine origin of his own religion, “All religions are man-made - they are ancient ways of explaining the world and nature to ourselves, and frameworks or paradigms for responding to that belief system and ordering society.” From that assumption, he concluded, “So there is no “true” religion - all religions have value in providing meaning to the lives of their adherents.” If that statement were generally accepted as true wisdom, much of the conflict in the world would dissipate.

 
    Post 101 continued . . . click Next

1. World Religions :
Wikipedia analyzes religions mainly by region of origin : Taoist = East Asia;  Indic = Indian Subcontinent; Middle-Eastern = Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Egypt; Western = mainly offshoots of Middle Eastern; and lumps most of the others under Indigenous = Paganism, Animism, etc; but it also has a separate category for New Religions = recent syncretic innovations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritual_traditions

2. True Religion :
    What is It?
“How can anyone know if any one religion is better than another or if any particular religion is true?”
By Faith.
https://www.compellingtruth.org/true-religion.html