Lesson 5 ~ Religious Spirituality ~ The Last Option ~ Please Post

Religious Philosophy

Lesson 5 ~ The Last Option

By:  Rev. Trent Murman

 

Is it possible to have such a strong and lasting effect on a child that they are virtually certain to retain religious beliefs throughout their entire life?

I feel it is possible to have this lasting effect on a child as he/she grows into adulthood, however it is very unlikely that they would retain these religious beliefs throughout their entire life.  In my opinion, nothing is forever. 

Your thoughts on Dr. Dean Hamer's research regarding serotonin receptors in the brains of religious people? Do you think that this is simply anti-religious science, evidence for understanding the religious tendencies of people, or evidence of the means by which 'God makes us religious'?

If Dr. Hamer is to be considered correct then the pre-disposition of this gene would, in my thought be inherited which would mean the religious persons father, mother, grandparents would have to be also in the ministry system.  However, I do feel Dr. Hamer could be correct in his theory that there is a pre-disposed gene that one may later in life "get the calling" and develop into a religious person. 

Is the concentration of serotonin receptors a factor in how spiritual we are?

Since serotonin is naturally occurring in the brain and would differ between one subject and the other it is not reasonable that serotonin could be associated with how much or less spiritual we would turn out to be. 

Do twin studies confirm the very existence of a genetic link?

The twin studies definitely do confirm the genetic link, both in identical and fraternal twins.  However it has been proven the genetic link is considerably stronger in the identical twins.

Are we conditioned to religiosity as a result of our early years of parental control?

As stated parenteral control conditioned them into their own religiosity  however, it was not successful in conditioning religiosity within the group encompassing their children.

Are we religious because God wants us that way?

I do not believe that God "wants" us that way.  I believe God does presents the opportunity for us to be religious, but to push us in that direction would be a grave mistake.  We are all human beings and we do have the ability to make those decisions, right or wrong, on our own.  This particular lesson presented many thought provoking theories and certainly does make one search his inner thoughts and possible listen more intently to that little voice deep inside themselves. 

 

Go In Peace

 

Lesson 6 ~ Religious Philosophy ~ Religious Forms

Religious Philosophy

Lesson 6 ~ Religious Forms

By:  Rev. Trent Murman

 

What religious organizational form does Wicca use?  Which is it? Perhaps a better question is, since it exhibits all of these traits, 'which of these approaches does it primarily follow?

This course gets more interesting by the week.  Even though this lesson has a lot of information to digest it certainly does open one's eyes to different cultures, sub-cultures, beliefs and cults.

 

Wicca appears to be a distinct worldview with an identifiable set of beliefs, ritual systems, and an organizational structure, albeit a loose one and certain forms of witchcraft may be practiced. Many Wiccans practice as solitaries, not in identifiable groups or "covens." 

 

A popular misconception of Wiccan religion is that it involves the worship of Satan. This is false. Wiccan religion was blamed for it. 

 

Many who practice Wiccan religion will identify themselves as witches and say that they practice witchcraft; however, Wicca and witchcraft are not synonymous.

 

I believe the structure appears to be Shamanistic faith in that it does have a centralized person which the members of the group feel has "special" powers to contact the dead and encompasses the three main ideals below:

 

neopaganism- this includes all faith groups based on attempted reconstructions of ancient or extinct religions, such as the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Sumerian and others.

paganism - has both positive and negative meanings. This term is negative in the sense that it is used to mean "anti-Christian" and some will claim it simply to spite Christianity, the term has a positive meaning similar to or synonym with neopaganism.

witchcraft or craft - generally refers to the practical arts of casting spells, herbalism, performing magic ceremonies, and the like. This may or may not be located inside any specific or organized religious association.

 

I will have to submit to you much of this information was gotten from the internet since I needed support and current information that I did not have a view point myself.  This has certainly given me more insight as to the Wiccan religion or practices and that they are not all satanic worshipers and "bad" people that most of us previously believed. 

Go In Peace

Organized Religions by Trent Murman

Religious Philosophy

Lesson 4 ~ Organized Religions

By:  Trent Murman

 

If those zoo keepers are right in thinking that gorillas "get something" out of a wake when one dies, what does that say about religion? Does it diminish faith and make it "just biological" if we were to discover that the great apes do it also? What do you think: are these gorillas expressing some type of proto-faith, or are the zoo keepers 'anthropomorphizing' (assigning human attributes to animal behavior) the gorilla behavior? 

I do not believe it diminishes faith.  I believe in the animal world even the most primitive or simplistic species mourns over the loss of a member of their own "nest or higher family or group structure".  You can certainly tell by the look in a gorillas eyes that he or she is hurting when a member of the group dies we call this empathy….it doesn't have to be about religion.  I believe in the religious aspect the wake is used to help along with the grieving process ultimately ending in closure for the people who lost their loved one.

 

 If Karl Marx was correct, and religion is only useful in maintaining the political and economic status quo, does it really matter whether that religion believes in Heaven and Hell or whether it accepts reincarnation? How could religion work as this "opium of the people" in each type of society?

I believe religion acts as an opium for the masses because usually it does play an important part in "calming" the masses.  Not too often have I ever heard of fighting going on during a mass or church service.  It is up to the people to make up their own minds regarding Heaven or Hell.  As you are aware there are some that believe death if final and there is nothing after the body ceases to function it is just a baron vessel, lifeless.  Reincarnation is a huge part of some religions and I feel it is necessary to have different beliefs and we need the right to form our own opinions and to choose what we want to believe. 

 

Finally, what if Sir Frazer and Sir Tylor were correct (being American, it does sound strange to refer to people as "Sir" and mean knighthood)? They considered religion to be the end result of enough people accepting the "answers" offered by some savage philosopher – someone who had thought about the 'great questions of life' and had come to some conclusions. Can you think of anyone from the 20th century who might be thought of in this way? You don't need to agree with them; but, they would need to be someone who had pondered these questions, come to conclusions, and then had others follow their teachings – eventually organizing into a structured religion. Anyone come to mind? If not, how about the 19th century (1800s)?

Jim Jones could certainly fit into this category…I believe he attempted to create his own society, religion and following.  However, some would call this brain washing of the masses.  They were definitely influenced by his power or persuasion even going as far as referring to himself as the savior…..this following did end up in mass suicide.  The power of one person over a group is definitely wrong and the bible does caution us against false gods and prophets.  He built a temple and with his actions shocked the world.