Christianity & Islam are the simple religions whereas Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism are the Complex religions
Simple religions are easy - the followers seek a life of ease & comfort and they look for a God who will provide them that - so get down on our knees, swear eternal loyalty & obedience, beg for mercy, sing his praises and hope for a reward
Simple, really - simple Master/Slave religions
A slave may have only One Master, hence the One God
The same methods are used by Oligarchs, many supporters of Kings, Dictators, the rich and powerful
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Complex religions are those where the answer is not easy to find
These are Teacher/Student faiths - in life one has many a Teacher, not just one, hence the many Gods in Hinduism, the many prophets in Judaism, the many Gurus in Sikhism(In this regard Buddhism fails)
The goal is Enlightenment, Knowledge - these followers are not looking for a Savior to GIVE them a life of ease & comfort
Enlightenment, Knowledge cannot be given, it can only be EARNED!
The Buddha said it best - he asks us to not follow him, but his teachings, in total contrast to Master/Slave religions where those who blindly obey the master are promised the good life
And as in any knowledge institution, there is no “right” way to do things, no one telling you that this is the way you must act, you must follow your own path
The answers in these religions are not easy to find
I don’t think any religion is simple.
If religions were simple, there would not be so many debates, armed conflicts and so called heresies.
For instance, in Catholicism, to be saved, one needs the divine grace, it is automatically given to every one, given to some selected ones, earned ?
The question is silly, but it is one of the causes of millions of deaths in µEurope.
Most ideas start simply - we are talking mostly uneducated people who had little knowledge of the world - hence the earth being 6k years old and the sun circling the earth
They lived under Kings, dictators and so envisioned an afterlife that was similar to what they had on earth - a King like God sitting on his Throne, his son is his prince, he has enemies, Heaven is his kingdom & like any good King or dictator, one better swear eternal loyalty & obedience to him before being allowed to stay in his kingdom
That these Gods are none other than long dead Kings, dictators is pretty clear
Simple, really
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Another way to think about this is from the viewpoint of the follower - very simple
Just get down on our knees, beg, swear eternal loyalty & obedience to him and him alone, sing his praises and of course only his praises and that’s about it!
As they say, “works are not enough” - what is more important is the belief - loyalty to the Master - blind obedience is required and praised
To this day people praise Abraham for his willingness to murder his OWN son!
That’s some blind obedience for you - like a robot - blindly doing what the master ordered, no thinking required
Not complicated at all - just simple ideas, very easy to follow
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Teacher faiths are more complicated
As you know a Teacher will not give you an answer - if a student asks - “Teacher what is 5+5?” or "what is 5 x 5? " - No teacher will say 10 or 25
There is un-certainty here - The teacher will treat you like the adult that you are
I think this is where Buddhists are failing Buddhism here - they think the Buddha is giving them answers - I don’t think he is, if he is a True Teacher
I would like it be so easy !!!
But when you are a believer, you must follow the precepts of your god, you must eat or not eat such foods, you must pray in some some way and not any other one and so.
And there are heretics who pray otherwise or eat forbidden food and so.
But i accept that for the lay simple follower, up to a point, it is " simple" even if the religion is complex.
With some religions i’s easy to “bend” the rules. All you need is to express genuine (?) regret and all is forgiven and heaven will once again open its gates to the reformed sinner.
That’s easy in an abstract world. In the real world things don’t quite work that way.
All you are doing is following the precepts of RELIGION, not God
Ancient people living under Kings, dictators used them as a template for God - hence Christianity & Islam - and all the down on one’s knees, beg, grovel for mercy etc
If you want to follow the precepts of God, then look around you - his work is all around you
His laws are all around you
How did you get your job? your promotion
Did you not EARN it? Do you not look down upon yes-men, sycophants who get ahead by kissing up to the boss?
These are the values laid down by God, which most Christians and Muslims ignore for what religion says is more appealing, more easy
Earning something is hard, begging, stealing is easy, singing praises is easy & they are promised rewards
Exactly - what frightens me is the silence of Judges, lawyers and law students
We know many people drive drunk at night - they cause accidents
In the light of the day, of course, they are repentant - but that does not mean the judge will nicely let them go
They need to pay for their mistake - apologize to the victims and most important set things right - if their actions caused property damage, they must pay to repair the damage
Problem is that in order to atone for their mistakes, people have to be down here
That is Reincarnation!
And that is not palatable to Christianity & Islam
hence a nice, forgiving God - all he wants is repentance
One would think that at least one judge, lawyer or law student would speak up
But none do!
Amazing!
Another way to look at it is - you want to get a promotion
There are 2 ways to get it
1 - Kiss up to the boss, sing his praises, obey him blindly & hope the pleased boss will reward you
2 - Work hard, get the necessary qualifications - let your actions speak for you
Which one is easier?
They are equally filled with inaccuracies.
The beginning of religions started with our ancestral apes, All the bells and whistles came much later. Their Gods were "unseen powerful threats hiding in the clouds but throwing fire and water and making terrible noises, scaring the family and kids and making them wet and miserable.
Watch this remarkable video.
Note : I am atheist but recognize the abstract concept that has evolved in us over thousands of years.
If you think you know what God is, you invented a religion
The concept of an afterlife or divine justice serves as a way to alleviate concerns about mortality and the uncertainties of existence. Believers find comfort in the notion that there is something beyond this life, providing a reassuring sense of continuity and easing their exploration of life’s mysteries.
The belief in a divine plan or purpose governing events offers solace and helps reduce existential anxieties. The feeling of being under the guidance of a higher power provides a sense of security in a world full of unpredictability.
We humans possess a propensity to search for meaning and interpretations in the world around them. This inherent quest for comprehension has given rise to a myriad of belief systems throughout history. Our minds are naturally inclined to detect patterns and associations, even in situations where they may not truly exist.
We have no evidence of God but we do have his work right in front of our eyes
And this “God” as we Hindus call it Brahman, has made rules that all creatures must follow
We get to stay helpless dependents for only a little while, then we have to leave the nest, learn to stand on our own two feet, make a living, face the world on our own
That was the story of Adam - he grew up, became a man, no longer a child, he covered up his nakedness, he learnt adult pleasures and now must leave the nest
We humans have it really, really good - the vast majority of life on earth get at best a year or two of this coddling, then they have to face life on their own with far more dangers than we face
it is laughable to think that after this life we get to stay helpless children forever
A Nanny God has nothing better to do than run a day care center - feed, protect, shelter, care for and keep us away from facing the horrors of real life
Heaven is nothing but a metaphor for the womb, childhood
As kids we believed in Santa - gave us comfort & joy
But at some point we have to grow up, right? And learn the harshness of life?
Heaven is nothing but a metaphor for the womb, childhood
Carefree days, fed, protected, sheltered, cared for and our parents kept us in a bubble, away from facing all the horrors of real life
Religion says we can run back to Mommy - back to being helpless children
Nice Nanny God will keep us fed, protected, sheltered, cared for and of course keep us in a bubble, away from the real world!
It makes no sense
You can’t run back to childhood
God is no Nanny
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But Hinduism says if such a life is what you want then it is possible
Lower life forms have an easier life - take a Dog for example - it is fed, protected, sheltered, cared for - no work, no worries - lay about all day, every day!
Its master takes good care of it - keeps it in a bubble, protects it from the horrors of real life that wild dogs and other animals face
That is what will happen when we let greed get the better of us
But what is frightening is to see that we have not moved forward, have we?
primitive people living in caves heard thunder and lightning and thought God was angry
Today, it is any calamity, any tragedy which means that we better hurry and repent and of course convert to the “right” religion, beg for his mercy and he will save us!
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The top 2 religions made God in the image of their local King, Dictator
They envisioned an afterlife that was similar to what they had in real life
A King like God sits on his Throne in the heavens, heaven is his Kingdom, Jesus is his prince
And like any King or Dictator, one better sing praises of the “Dear loving Master” in order to stay and prosper in this kingdom
These people were not fools or stupid - that was the life they had and those were the Gods they came up with
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What frightens me is to see how times have changed but we are stuck with old out of date ideas!
We no longer live under Kings
We look down upon yes-men, sycophants, oligarchs who sing praises of the rich & powerful like Putin, obey them blindly including raping and killing innocents & are rewarded for it
And yet all religion has done is to replace Putin with God and amazingly even the best of minds get down on their knees and grovel!
Amazing!
Not evidence, if that evidence has another, better explanation. That’s science. Theorize, gather evidence, determine probabilities, calculate the overall probability. God comes out around 0.001% probable. Physics and evolution score much higher.
Have you considered that what you see is not formed via the guidance of some mysterious god-like being, but via the guiding principles of a mathematical universe, a quasi-intelligent Logical function that creates a deterministic system.
Consider: 1 + 1 = 2 is not evidence of a God-like system but evidence of a mathematical system.
Yes, this tribal hierarchy has ruled for so long and has proven to be effective for survival that this delegation of authority has become a hard-wired engram in our brains.
Old species of Insects like ants, termites, and bees have a rigid delegation of duties and the efficient effectiveness of job allocation has become the main survival technique for simple hive dwellers.
In these societies it is the queen that is the single life-giver and is worshipped and tended to by “workers” and protected by “soldiers” .
Xianity and Islam are all of that. I’m not sure what the point you are trying to make in your first post.
The precepts and the god are all human creation. Both are man made, sometimes literally.