Re: Is There a Breakdown of Respect?
Originally Posted by
AnnieS
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It's about respect for the sacredness of life and our own soul. Most people cannot see sacredness or value inside themselves and believing in a power outside themselves is both humbling and empowering, because although they find it hard to love themselves they can bask in the symbolic universal power and love that's outside them. Also realise that they do not control everything because there is a higher power beyond our control. Some call it the universe others a god or gods.
All religions are psychological methods to help us cope with the chaos and unpredictability of life. But the commandments are basically about focusing people away from chaos and distraction and keeping them on a path that will bring them the most fulfilling life. Having self esteem, focusing on one moral compass point, getting on with others by not engaging in anti social behaviour, focusing on one's own well being, having a day off to rest and focus on the sacred in life, etc.
But the first three are about keeping your own soul focused on the divine rather than getting carried away with materiality and attachment to things that lead you away from a wholesome life.
I'm not a religious nut or anything. I just used to think about this a lot and those are the conclusions I came to. That it doesn't matter proving that theres's a deity, but it does matter that you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater by poo pooing all religion because of religious people who maybe had the wrong view of it in your early life.
So my main point was that these days a lot of people do not have any focus on the sacred or any principles in life and that's because religion has been eroded out of existence. But I do believe that many are still guided by religious rules of behaviour that have been handed down in generations such as having good manners (or good grace as they would have been called at one time).
If those are your beliefs Annie then I am happy you have found a way to believe in something that you call God!
I believe that the only thing that controls life is nature. Everything has evolved to become what they are now & in turn, when we die, our bodies should return to the earth as animal compost which will allow future life to survive on earth.
It is a sad fact that humans have become lazy & selfish, so we all want more, and this leads to lack of respect for our own species. What makes it worse is the fact that religions are just different tribes who lie to their followers & convince them that there will be good life after death, whilst the leaders of those tribes are making sure they get a good life now, because their ideas may be wrong!
In my opinion all religion is a pack of lies created by people who wanted power & control of others. They have shown people how easy it is to become controllers & taught them to get rid of respect and manners, especially to a different religious tribe!
We are just seeing the early stages where good people look for reasons why some can't show respect to the rest of their species. Eventually they will realize that if we don't get rid of the bad ones, respect for others will completely disappear.( so "Thou shalt no kill" should say "unless they have killed others"..... but we are all too soft to do that
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Maybe that is why I have more respect for animals that just kill for food, rather than people who don't care who else suffers, so long as they can get what they want from life