Religion: Real or Fake

[Ming]

Christianity is well noted as well for the Golden Rule (treat others as you would have them treat you)

That is a theme that runs through many different religions... not just the Christians. And, it actually predates Christianity, so they just adopted what was already there

[Imran Siddiqui]

If that's all you have to criticize, I'm doing pretty well

[Docfeelgood]

I thought his disciples wrote the gospels? Oh whatever.

True

[rah]

1. What makes religion in general a good way to find truth

Because all truth cannot be found merely through experimentation and science (though I do believe that science is part of the truth). There is obviously more there than that. Our consciousness, individual and group, cannot be simply reduced to scientific or mathematical precepts. There is another truth out there, which is not catagorizable (at least fully by us). Religion is an attempt to find that truth, which originates in a base yearning in our spirits.

Yes we are hardwired to want to know the truth. Religion has long been the vehicle to answer those questions that couldn't be proved in other more scientific methods. Since they couldn't be proved someone just made them up and passed them on as truth and said faith replaced scientific methods.

[Docfeelgood]

Yes we are hardwired to want to know the truth. Religion has long been the vehicle to answer those questions that couldn't be proved in other more scientific methods. Since they couldn't be proved someone just made them up and passed them on as truth and said faith replaced scientific methods.

IMHO
I think science and religion can coexist.

[rah]

Yes, religion will always fill the gap left by science. There will always be questions that science can't answer, and there will always be religions that will attempt to exert influence on people through made up answers to those questions.

[Docfeelgood]

Yes, religion will always fill the gap left by science. There will always be questions that science can't answer, and there will always be religions that will attempt to exert influence on people through made up answers to those questions.

I would not go so far as to say made up.
More like an alternitive view point.
IMHO

[rah]

I'll concede alternative view point, as in one not requiring quite as rigorous testing.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, religion will always fill the gap left by science. There will always be questions that science can't answer, and there will always be religions that will attempt to exert influence on people through made up answers to those questions.

"Gap" is an incorrect way of looking at things, IMO. It seems to indicate that faith can be there until science explores it, but as you somewhat stated in your second question, some question just cannot be suitably answered by science no matter what (explaining the feeling of romantic love by chemical reactions just misses the point, for one example). Hence why religion and science can co-exist because they have somewhat different spheres.

[giblets]

(explaining the feeling of romantic love by chemical reactions just misses the point, for one example).

[Imran Siddiqui]

In past discussion, romantic love was brought up as something science couldn't really make sense of (as an example of something that science just can't explain), but was met with a torrent of science can point out the chemical reactions that make up and it can be described as some evolutionary advantage... but that misses the point entirely.

[giblets]

I'm not following. If chemical reactions can account for how people feel (I'm not saying they do) then I don't see what "the point" is that's being missed.

[Jon Miller]

Are you familiar with the arguments between reductionism and emergence? Many scientists are not on the reductionist side.

Imran's point is that discussing chemicals can never explain a feeling just like discussing the paints that Leonardo da Vinci used can not explain the Mona Lisa.

JM

[Docfeelgood]

I'll concede alternative view point, as in one not requiring quite as rigorous testing.

yes

[Docfeelgood]

Sometimes science just ruins it.
Even tho it is truth.
Take for example the act of love making or mating.
When it is explained by science it is not so exciting.