Is religion overall beneficial on the human race?

Ambarsaria · #10 (**permalink**) 11-Mar-2011, 00:52 AM

First things first true Sikhism based on “Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji” and the teachings of the Ten Gurus is not,

Illogical
- The messages and teachings are reasoned out logically and at great lengths and repeatedly. The core of the teachings is driven towards ”understanding” rather than “blind faith”.
Obstructs science
- Teaches one to follow and develop understanding without making Scientific claims or disputing any wisdom, how can that be obstructing Science?
Corrupts man
- If encouraging “understanding of grand scheme of things, recognizing the vastness, etc.” corrupts, it is hard not be corrupted! This is so untrue.

1. Is illogical

…… God: An all-powerful being, who created the universe, who is all-good ……

Unfortunately one has to remember that the shallower you think the less you are going to understand.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/opinion-polls/31273-is-religion-overall-beneficial-human-race.html

Let me explain, Sikhism teaches everything having a place in the Universe and interlinked to everything else with a common source for all. The examples given are hardly descriptive of the greatness of the “universal truth” espoused in Sikhism. To put a positive value as the following actually achieve anything internally is absurd,

Pedophiles, Criminal CEO's, People in third world countries, etc.
If the grandness of the ultimate that we are part of did not exist, why would earth spin to create and support life. If it did not spin there will be two parts without life, one frozen and the other scorched. So to understand Hell (euphemistically), that is not earth today but could have been possible is a miracle of good.
We also got to recognize that in the colloquial concept of God (Sikhism focuses on understanding of the truth rather than God), sameness of all is not a design concept but variety is. Within the variety there are no exclusions of ugliness physically, mentally or all other possibilities. Similarly within the variety there no exclusions for beauty physically, mentally or all other possibilities. That is part of the deal in grand understanding of creation.
Grand creator does not just create good as observed by me or any other writer or evil similarly. It is a separate topic to discuss whether personal evil has global benefits in the grand scheme of things.
Global needs to be understood beyond one, many and this earth that we live on
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31273

2. Obstructs science.
Science has proven more to us in the last 10 years than religion has for 3 Millennium. Who stopped Galileo from informing people that the Earth revolved around the Earth? THE CHURCH. Who Killed people who thought of new ideas? THE CHURCH. Who kept all the Greek, Roman, and Latin scientific texts and literature from the common public during the middle ages? THE CHURCH. Not to mention the only period in history the church was in complete power was the worst of all time. Refute this please.

Oneness of all, the grandness of all that is not describable, the cycle of life and death and transformation between life and non-life are cited in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as an understanding but not scientific theories. It allows you to be a scientist with open mind.
- http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/interf...e-outside.html
- http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/interf...atom-bomb.html

3. Corrupts man
Defined by urban dictionary:
Allah Boom: 1. These two words mark the end of a suicide bomber's life. He or she will scream anything related to their god and detonate their bomb which is attached to their body, sacrificing themselves for religious reasons. It is believed that doing so will reward the bomber with 72 virgins in Heaven. ( Or so it is said )

Right now suicide bombers end their life in hope that they will go to paradise. Also right now, Christians say thanks in hope that they will go to heaven. One evil, the other pointless.

- - Example is the power of brain washing. All tools are available in mankind. It so happens the handlers of these men are using religion. I am sure one can find other ways to cause people to explode.
  - For example,
    - Believe in a cause
      - Kamikaze pilots
      - Buddhist monks self immolation
      - Soldiers on killing missions where the probability of them coming out alive is as close to zero as possible
        Canadian soldiers landing on Normandy beaches in World War II
        
        Chinese soldiers under armed attacking India in 1962 where the soldier behind will pick up arms from the dead ahead

4. Examples
1) God does not cause evil, the Devil does.

Sikhism does not separate that one entity does Good and the other does Evil. It is all one and all inter-related.
Sikhism states that there consequences of actions but does not stop you from any action though suggests good things to do.

2) God is all good, evil comes from man's free choice.

Same answers as for Example 1) above.

3) Evil exists in the world for reasons we don't and CAN'T understand.

Evil perceived actions of Humans or life are part of a choice for life with consequences, to choose to do what is desired. This is Sikhism.
Perceived Evil actions of nature (Earthquakes, famines, floods, are part of the Universe unfolding as it does. Such items can be devastating and unfair to one but are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things for the Universe.
If Universe did not support our existence we would have been hit by a meteorite long time ago. Take the chill pill.

Sorry for the long post.

Sat Sri Akal.

Ambarsaria · #11 (**permalink**) 11-Mar-2011, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeker9

"When natural disasters occur and tens of thousands of people die at once, I find it very difficult to think about it in positive spiritual terms. Were they all meant to die at that same time? Was this their collective karmic fate? Was this God's will for them. These are questions that have troubled me greatly in the past"

This is from one of my earlier posts on this thread

I do not know how to answer this, so would appreciate some guidance as it is something that to date, I have been unable to reconcile with my beliefs

Seeker9 ji very thoughtful and very tough question.

As it is said, (“Jis tun laageh so tun jaane, kaun jaane peerh prayee..”) only one who is going through a suffering can understand such, who can understand someone else’s suffering!

It is rare if not impossible, for all of us as individuals to not face such a situation through self, friend, relatives or other aspects including loved animals, objects, etc.

The major aspect of cause in this is “Attachment”of “What is!” versus“How it came to be”.

o You say that thousands of people die at once!

Isn’t it true that thousands of people are also born in near time, at once globally (may be not in the same place)

“Simultaneously how others are coming to be”

World Birth/Death Rates (2009 est.)¹

Birth Rate:		Death Rate:
20 births/1,000 population		8 deaths/1,000 population
128.9 million births per year		53.4 million people die each year
353,015 births per day		146,357 people die each day
14,709 births each hour		6098 people die each hour
245 births each minute		102 people die each minute
4 births each second of every day		almost 2 people die each second

http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html

But if one believes we are all one, does it matter!

Personally through “Attachment” it does, without “Attachment” it shouldn’t.

“Is it a transformation or something else”
- Universe is for ever in transformation at micro, macro and other levels

This one aspect also governs each of our births, life and death

So all natural small or large changes need to be recognized as transformations

If people are part of such transformations, unfortunate as it seems and cruel as it looks, it still is transformation which happens (stated right in your face style in "Mool Mantar"),

ਨਿਰਭਉ: Nirbhayu … without fear

ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ:Nirvairu … without enmity

I hope this adds to the dialog.

Sat Sri Akal.