Belief in punitive gods essential to the rise of civilization...

http://https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rise-human-civilization-tied-belief-punitive-gods

This should spark some serious debate here, and you are welcomed.


It looks like, if these scientists are correct, that a religion with a punitive god, was needed in order that civilization could arise and then flourish through human interactions with other cultures. And so as one intellect once stated, "if god did not exist, we would have to invent him".

 

Well before the sky-god concept found in Judaism and Christianity, you had Hindus in India already asking about the nature of consciousness, going well beyond the materialistic and limited minds of those who wrote the Bible.

Hinduism and Buddhism are the great alternative to the Middle Eastern sky-god concept; in that they are more about the deeper questions, almost agnostic in nature. These two faiths and cultures prove the idea of punitive gods wasn't necessary to man - at least nothing later than 10,000 BC.

For me who am forever pure there is no illusion, no samsara, no attachment or detachment, no living organism, and no God. 20.11 - Ashtavakra Gita

 

So how would the men, who the article references, speak to this? Do you think these men were ignorant of those eastern religious philosophical ? Of course not. Did you read the article? It looks like to me, that perhaps they spent some time, more than you did, in arriving at their conclusions.

By the way, both of those eastern traditions, indeed involve a punitive action, in regards to the personal behavior of people. And the hindus have hundreds of gods. And they can also be atheists, but few are. So, a punitive action is involved, with both of those religions, karma, reincarnation, until enlightenment frees one from the suffering of human existence. So even without a punitive god, you get punishment, as it is a part of the system. And a motivation to clean up behavior that is destructive of others.

Personally, some sects of Buddhism are much more rational, than what we know of, as Christianity.

 

Luckily there was a god so people did not have to invent one.

 

When the link is followed it doesn't lead to any science. Try again to find a link to an actual scientific article.

 

What these men miss is the larger picture.
Our 12 different individual personal Personalities are also expressed collectively.
We act with one dominant personality in group dynamics, too.

These individual group personalities express the same 12 personal qualities which themselves were the basis for the Myths.
Every nation independently developed a mythology which was identical to all the other mythologies.
These myths merely expressed the 12 personalities our modern psychologists enumerate now.
But in ancient times, the sources where considered to be from gods and goddesses which endowed these behaviors to people.

Hence, the twelve "gods" are just a part of the human drama which never needed any invention at all.
The one god which Moses proposed was outside of our personality differentials.
Moses saw that Reality was the almighty, regardless of how we might independently behave ourselves.
Moses saw that Truth was the son of Reality, and hence the secret passage into seeing the real world and living within its bounds.

 

I deny Reality, "for me, who am forever pure, there is no illusion, no samsara, no attachment or detachment, no living organism, and no God"... ???

Insane people live inside fantasy worlds and ignore the facts of life.

 

All gods are created by men.

 

Its source is Social Science...

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... with the one except being Reality.

 

I continually try to get my christian friends to understand this.

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Reality is a god?

Just when I think you can't top yourself... you do!

 

Reality is master over all life, as the dinosaurs well understand today.

Gen 4 and 5 list 22 names of our ancient relatives which science calls extinct species.
They all disappeared except for Noah and the three kinds of racial stocks who avoided that extinction process.
For those who believe in Evolution, Reality is lord and master.


Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

 

There is very little evidence the authors of the Bible were self aware. Their writings reek of materialism and worship of a deity not too different from sun or moon worshippers. There is ZERO evidence they had a true grasp of consciousness, its magnitude, or the self actualiation. The Bible reads like a chimp wrote it, very primal and basic.

 

See... so I can stop here and rest comfortably in the fact that you are a little confused over exactly what reality actually is.

 

so its just like the Koran

 

Hinduism believes in Gods that look like this:







talk about insanity.

 

I would assert so. Islam tried to remove the 'idol worship' quality of Jesus as man/god. But, ultimately, even Muslims view God from a very primal nature. "God is there, we are here" mentality.

 

LOL - Hinduism is not really reflective of the Vedas and Gitas. Krishna, as the Supreme Godhead, clearly denoucnes any difference between God/man man/God when he says;

"There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist."

I agree that over the centuries most Indians have morphed Hinduism into some bizzare idol/image faith in which the concept of reincarnation looms over, but the essence of the Vedic, ancient Hindu mind can be found in the Ashtavakra Gita. All else is meaningless.

Even Ashtavakra says so when he says, "My son, you may recite or listen to countless scriptures, but you will not be established within until you can forget everything. 16.1"

"If even Shiva, Vishnu, or the lotus-born Brahma were your instructor, until you have forgotten everything you cannot be established within. 16.11"

 

have u read the Koran?

its full of hate and misogyny.

 

lol you're all over the place. what does your question have to do with this thread ?

 

that's an evasion, not an answer.

 

I have no obligation to defend Islam as I am not Muslim. I don't condemn Muslim sexist and bigotry - be it justified in their faith or culture.

 

so you think bigotry is ok if its part of your culture, huh?

well, the Germans thought Jews were scum, as it was part of their culture. So the Holocaust was ok?

Slavery was ok cause their culture said blacks were inferior?

Apartheid was ok?

its ok for Muslims to discriminate against women and religious minorities, cause their religion says so huh?

 

You mean the bible has a sequel?

 

Are you illiterate or intentionally stupid ? I just said I don't condone bigotry even if they justify it via faith/culture.