The An-Jel

I mean on top of the multiple religions there are a thousand seperate sects of these religions. Why should there even be more than one? Why should their be "cults". I mean if your going to a great place where you never have to fear or feel pain... given everything from love to an eternity of peace why do people reject these notions and look for something else?

__________________
"And let there be Light!" said the Blind man.

Life is simple, people make it complicated - Basilisk

Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti - Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Noscura

I think this happens because people still have the need to feel special. They might like to believe they are saved, but they like even more to be better saved then others, to be popular in their next world, or to maintain the idea of a superiority towards the ignorant fools that will die and dissappear in <insert a painful/dark place here> while still walking this earth.

And apart from that, maybe folks think going mainstream is to easy a way to reach their heavens. They need to make it hard to purify themselves from whatever they deem a dent to their souls.

And who sais mainstream is right? What if some sect with 15 members happens to live up to the standards of the true god. And the rest will diminish into purgatory or nothingness

And finally you've got the folks that create a cult for shear money or sex-appeal or whatever...

If something is convincing enough, and the idea isn't countered by actual proof (yet), it will be able to find folowers somewhere.

But then again, this is comming from a girl that can't make up her own mind about religions, so...

Curious

Is it possible that the thousands of different religious and the thousands of different gods than are presently or formerly worshiped or feared by man are nothing more than creative imagination, wishful thinking or deliberate fraud?

Seeking personal gain could account for "visions" by self-chosen prophets – particularly since religions seem to be developed in secret or under "mysterious" circumstances and there is no evidence of truth.

If any religion had independent, credible, impartial evidence that its claims were true, that religion could displace all others. However, no religion has any evidence other than its own dogma and circular reasoning to support its claims.

Thus -- there are many religions competing for influence and wealth -- none of which can be shown to provide any path to an "afterlife" (of bliss or damnation).

Wishful thinking is a human failing that prevents seeking truth in the real world.

Og

Because we're coming into a new world with a new globalization that has never before been seen. In the past, there were many many many sub-cultures existing in relative isolation. In the same way that isolation tends to cause speciation in evolution, the same thing occurs with human populations (since we follow the same rules that govern all of nature).

For example, buddhism works well in india with the ideas already in place there in hinduism. It's a refinement/modification of the hindu ideas that have, themselves, developed from arian influences in the region for many many thousands of years. Once buddhism hits the west when Ashoka sends missionaries into the middle east, buddhism is integrated into greco-roman culture.

The hebrews, who, are themselves a hybridization of ancient babylonian/syrian/egyptian (particularly Pharaoh Akhenaten) latch onto the ideas of buddhism and form christianity (or at least a part of the jews do). They then use the leverage that this brought them to launch themselves into a period of dominance in the west for over a millenia.

It's like a virus that spreads and mutates and is transmitted as an idea (information) instead of a physical biological agent. See work by Richard Dawkins and Susan Blackmore and others that talk about the idea of a "Meme" as quantized bits of social information that get handed around.

Now, science is coming into the picture as a new set of memes that have never been seen before. The non-dogmatic method that they espouse create something of an immune system amongst the populus leading to more social stability (at least in the long run).

It's a pretty cool realization.

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
Satchitananda - True Being, Pure Consciousness, and Bliss
Tat Tvam Asi - Thou art That.
You & I, no distinction.
Mettā & Namaste

xexon

The true Tower of Babel is about religious beliefs, not spoken language.

In your spiritual form, you are capable of a wide ranging awareness. But as a human, you have many limitations upon that.

Most people see with their minds. That is to say they believe what their senses tell them. The heart, which is your true instrument of vision, is in a dimmed state because awareness is centered on the 5 senses.

It takes a living master to guide. This being is capable of projecting a floodlight of awareness to whatever lays ahead. This person can see with clarity.

Religion is a product of people who can't see themselves, but write about people who could. Needless to say, the amount of error that creeps into such a translation is endemic in the final product. Billions of people hold this final product as the guiding force in their lives.

And so we have many treasure maps. None of which know where the "X" is.

They can't see it. But a realized being can.

They are the true "heirs" to the kingdom.



x

__________________
Destroyer of Worlds

JoeCamaro

Because religions are a man-made thing and they are imperfect just as we human are. Then when you belong to a religion and you dont like one thing of it, you just make a new one or a sub-religion modified to fit your needs, basically the same you had, but with the removal of that thing you didnt like. Thats how I see it.

For example if Im in a religion where Im not allowed to drink alcohol, then I take all I like but I will allow followers to drink alcohol.

Joe

__________________
Evolution/Agnostic decals here