Tangle writes:
Ambiguity?? The beliefs are incompatible. Most of them claim that only their belief is true.
I suggest that most religions do have some beliefs in common, such as the golden rule. As I said earlier all major religions agree that there is more to our lives than what is obvious through normal observation whether it be a particular revelation about one deity or another or re-incarnation.
Tangle writes:
We must at least agree that the vast majority of religions must be invented - presumably in your case all but one of them?
Nearly all religions are an attempt to understand the nature of their deity or deities and how we should respond. I'm theistic and as part of that I believe that the still small voice of God reaches out to all mankind but not in a way that gives us certainty. I explained the reason for that ambiguity earlier.
I have no doubt that much of what I believe is probably wrong. (The problem is I don't know which part of what I believe that is.
) However, I take on faith and trust that God is good and wants humans to reflect His nature into the world by living the life described in my signature.
Tangle writes:
It most certainly isn't. People were living in communities before the invention of your religion - are you doubting that?
God has been around a lot longer that 2000 years. Whar's your point?
Tangle writes:
We do both the selfish and the unselfish thing for lots of complicated reasons to do with our upbringing, emotional state, genes, time of month, hormone levels, sex, relationships, etc etc etc. To imagine that we do the selfless act for Jesus or Allah or whatever god is in vogue at the time is just plain daft.
It isn't about doing things. It's about having hearts that allow us to love unselfishly. Many of us have hearts that have been damaged by abuse, lack of love and all the things you mention. However, it is about wanting to do the unselfish thing even though the temptation to do make the selfish choice often wins out. Hopefully over our lives we evolve in such a way that we make more unselfish choices than not.
Tangle writes:
Again, you can imagine that 'god did it' but even if he provided the emotional states necessary for us to behave ourselves by choice, it does not even begin to explain the predominance of contradictory religions. The evidence is that they are all made up - except, you would say, one.
IMHO all religions including my own are in one sense or another made up. For example when you read Paul it is clear that he is working at living and understanding what the resurrection of Jesus meant to the world, which we still do to this day. As I said, all theistic religions are an attempt to understand the nature of their deity and how we should respond. Sometimes we get it right and some times not so much.
He has told you, O man, what is good ; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8