All posts tagged: Religion

So much religion. Did we just make it up?

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So, is religion just something that we made up? Are the Atheists correct, do we invent “spiritual” things to make us feel better? Yes. There is a story here, and it’s worth knowing: Jupiter by Jove. Here are some other god words: deity, dios, dieu, Zeus; or some very old names like Deva, Deywos, and Dyo. We also have Jupiter and Jove, and a very old form Dyo Pitr. That last one, from India, is an old form of Jupiter. We also have a related word “day” meaning the time when the sky is lighted. Those god words, in many languages, refer to a God in the sky, or heaven. “Pitr” or “Ju … piter” refers to a father, and we can see how our word “father” is related to “piter.” If you are wondering, our English word “God” comes from an ancient word “gudan” which means to call on, or to pray to. In history, and before history was recorded, tribal people lived on the grasslands of southern Russia, with herds of animals. They …

All religions lead to the same place: Agree – Disagree

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I was once a member of a team that travelled to a large city as summer missionaries. I was a driver and I drove small groups around, so they could meet with people to talk about religious things. Now, I have a clear memory of people from Asia and the Middle East, who were offended by everything that we did. This Included Muslims and Sikhs, and probably Hindus and Buddhists. I remember thinking; how can I dare to tell them that my religion is better than theirs? What makes me so special? I really wrestled with those questions, and people argued back when we spoke about our favorite religion. Sometimes it’s hard to be a missionary. In our woke culture, where tolerance is the best virtue, most people understand this. We need an answer to this puzzle. So, who has the best religion? Some people believe that the truth is like a wheel, and we are all on the rim somewhere. From where we are positioned, any spoke will lead us to the center, where …

Woke Religion: What is your path?

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I am probably the last person you would ask for relationship advice, but let me try: Always understand the other person’s religion. Religion, or the god that someone trusts could be money, personal success and fame, or power over other people. It is also possible to worship God. But, beyond a formal religion, what is the greatest success that anyone could achieve? What kind of thinking dominates a person’s life? What is your great success goal? What road is your life on? Are you obsessed with anything? That is religion, or faith; the great hope. The world is a very religious place; more than we know. For example, there is now a run on orange hockey jerseys with a number nine on them. They represent Ivan Provorov, a Russian player with the Philadelphia Fliers. The team had a special event when they celebrated “LGBTQ+ Pride Night” before a recent game. For the pre-game warm-up, players wore colorful jerseys and other equipment to show their support. Ivan Provorov did not wear the colorful equipment and did …

Mikhaila Peterson: Spiritual or Religious?

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Are you worried, or stressed, or maybe afraid? For me, the problem is stress. We have COVID, and problems with the economy, and political arguments, and what did I miss. There is an old saying “It is a curse to live in interesting times.” So, how do we cope with interesting times? What is the best medicine? Are you spiritual? Are you religious? It is popular now, to say ‘I am spiritual, but I am not religious.’ I think that was more popular a few years ago. Possibly people were trying to dodge the pressure to join a religion, like something you could tell your mother. So, what does it mean, and should we all join in? Spiritual: In the Bible, Jesus told us “But the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4: …

Change your religion? I don’t think so.

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Take a good look at yourself. Here is a question we should all answer about ourselves: How much of me was chosen by me? Or: How much of this person was designed by the owner? In public places, I see some interesting hair colors and styles, and tattoos. I’m not a big fan of tattoos because people change as they grow older, and a tattoo will endure long after the idea changes, or he breaks up with that girlfriend. Hair grows, and it turns grey. I am reminded when I look in the mirror. Our grandchildren can laugh at the crazy things we did with our hair, if they see the pictures. We like to think that we choose to be who we are and what we do, and most important, we choose what we believe. So, how much of you is you, and how much was imposed on you by family and other people in your life? I had a text message from a young man that I know well, and he was worried …

Is it wrong to leave your religion?

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When I was a boy, I would walk home from school with a gang of my friends. I still remember trudging through the snow, and shouting. We argued all the way home, and for us there was only one belief. Who had the best car? We didn’t drive cars, or even ride bicycles, but we were passionate believers. I think we mostly believed in the cars that our fathers drove. One friend was the son of a church minister, and he lived in a manse, a house next to a church. He believed in Fords. We were all deeply convicted, and we knew the others were wrong. We were human beings trying out adult ideas. Since then, I have changed. I still don’t own a Ford, but I am open to the idea. There are powerful forces in this world. Eighty percent of all humans identify with a religion, and probably the other twenty percent believe something strongly. Some belief systems function like religions, in people’s lives. Believing is a common human experience, just like …

Are religious people stupid?

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You may have heard the arguments, psychologists have done many studies, and they have found that atheists are more intelligent than religious people. Here is a quote from an article linked here: “the research found that atheists performed better overall than the religious participants even when demographic factors like age and education were taken into consideration. Agnostics mostly placed between atheists and believers on all tasks.” READ: Atheists are more intelligent than religious people, finds study How does that make you feel? One question is; does religion make people stupid, or do stupid people choose religion? I’m writing as a Christian; I believe in the God who made this world, and I believe that Jesus made the way for us to find God. Does that make me stupid? Recently, I explained what I believe to a young relative of mine, and his answer was something like “How can an intelligent person believe that?”  I still have a good relationship with my relative, but the experience taught me some important lessons. When believers are accused of …

The news that’s about to happen: Who is your god, really?

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There was a time when religion was important for everyone. Now, many parts of the world are secular and religion is only a personal choice. This brings problems for believers, whatever they believe in. This news video is several years old, but the problem has only grown since 2012. Note that it is from Al Jazeera, a news source owned by Muslims. They saw something happening to Christians and they were interested: I have learned, that there is always a new generation of children, and they will be adults soon. The children that we see in a playground will be voting in a few years. I remember talking to a pastor in my church, when I was a young man. I don’t remember what I was concerned about, but he told me to look at the little children in Sunday School, and know that they would be running the church in a few years. Their decisions would rule. When he told me that, my big concern got smaller, as I found a new perspective. He …

Does religion put us at risk?

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Jesus spoke to a conservative religious woman, a Samaritan, and told her “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4: 23). He warned that change was coming on them. As the world struggles with the COVID pandemic, many religious groups resist health restrictions and regulations. Conservative groups that live with rituals and traditions find it hard to adapt; people who have lived their own way for centuries are not interested in changing now. This is not only true for Christian groups, the major center of infections in Israel is one Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. READ: Israel’s ultra-Orthodox communities ‘ignoring’ COVID-19 rules In Canada, Hutterite colonies have high rates of infection. These people practice their conservative religion in communes, and they love their lifestyle. I often meet Hutterites, Russian Old Believers, and Mennonites through my work, and I find them friendly and likeable, but they don’t like to change their ways. READ: Canadian Hutterite colonies struggle with coronavirus outbreaks

Are you spiritual but not religious?

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I have friends who like to say they aren’t religious, they are spiritual. The problem is, I know them too well. Sometimes they are just deflecting a question about their choices in life. And I have friends who are religious, and sometimes I don’t see them being spiritual. I am not the judge, but some things seem obvious. Maybe they are deflecting too. There is a simple truth in these words; ‘God help me!’ That is spiritual and religious. We need to find our Father.

Religious Arguments: When you are just not good enough

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I’m a Christian and I know what that means. I know, but most of the world seems to know what I should be. Whatever you believe, other people will try to make you into what they want you to be. You might hear ‘You people should …’ They have a preferred image for people like you and you are wrong if you don’t do follow the program. Unmarried marriage counsellors don’t play the game, but they do make the rules. When I was a student in a university, I took a course from a professor that we all liked. He was an excellent teacher, and we all enjoyed learning with him. He also talked openly about his connections with a church, and my family went to a church; I thought we had something in common. One day I had an appointment in his office, and after we finished talking about my assignment, I told him that my family went to … church. I expected a smile, at least. I still remember that severe look on …

Did God Evolve?

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Evolutionists sometimes discuss the function of the appendix. What is the purpose of that small thing in our body, and why did it evolve? A similar topic is; why do we have religion, the worship of God? Religion is like a spiritual appendix, we can’t explain why it evolved, but it seems to be in everyone. Recently, a writer for the BBC commented on the development, or evolution of religion, among humans. RELATED: Do humans have a religion instinct? If we start with the belief that the universe started from energy, with a “Big Bang” explosion, and then life emerged through some natural accident, the most advanced species today is a large ape, us. If you believe, you will see. We can picture apes in a tree with a sense that something in the world is bigger than them. After millions of years of evolution, that vague sense of something could become a god that we worship. If people are the result of evolution, so is God. In the article, this evolution of religious thought …

Crossing a river in Kerala State, India Credit: Michel Coutty/Flickr/Creative Commons

Hindus, Muslims, and Human Evolution

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Something is happening in the world, and it’s like storm clouds gathering. On January 20, India’s Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Mr. Satyapal Singh made statements that were critical of Darwinian Evolution, including has belief that the subject should not be taught in schools in India. RELATED: India’s Education Minister Slammed After Claiming That Evolution Is ‘Scientifically Wrong’ About six months before that, the government of Turkey made similar statements. RELATED: Evolution Will No Longer Be Taught in Turkish Schools India is governed by religious Hindus, and Turkey is governed by religious Muslims. They don’t have the same religious beliefs, but something about Darwinian Evolution really bothers both groups. It’s one thing they agree on. It’s easy for English-speaking westerners to think they are the leaders in human progress, but there are other voices. Darwin’s theory for the origin of the species, evolution, is a logic escalator. In a department store, you don’t need to climb the stairs, you only need to make one small step and the machine will carry you to …

75% of Americans concerned about country’s increasing secularization

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According to a recent Gallup poll, 77% of American believe religion’s influence in society is declining. But when asked if the country would be better off if more Americans were religious, nearly as many said yes. Gallup has been asking questions on religion’s influence in the U.S. since 1957. This year’s number represents the highest percentage ever of American’s who believe religious influence in America is declining. This year’s percentages nearly reverses the 1957 poll in which 14% believed