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Why do people apply human rules to the Creator

It's easy for us to wish life to be perfect. But applying these human ideas about the Creator is counter productive. We could never understand such a Being and our real purpose here on earth. We just have to accept certain things, good and tragic are part of life.

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robertsnj · 56-60, M

I remember reading Ernest Becker's book "The Denial of Death" years ago. Becker a cultural anthropologists by trade proposes the drive of religion (in the absence of evidence) and all that comes with it is often driven by man's fear of death. I think that is the short answer to your question. Belief in God is a denial of death. Many of them call it an afterlife, a reincarnation or other idea.

Perfection as as construct is a subjective measure. Because the meaning varies from culture to culture and even person to person to say "life is perfect" as an individual construct has validity but as an idea that encompasses all of humanity or even much of it maybe not so much.

When you say understand such a being.---we can recede that idea by how we understand most tangible (an entity such as God for example) things put before us. We do that by preponderance of the evidence. Even if it is introspection it is still introspection of evidence presented.

In that idea the construct of God, for which there is no evidence is a meaningless idea until such time evidence comes forth to support the existence of said entity.

Which gets us back to your question---applying human rules to a creator. We as a society apply human rules to everything that we culturally agree on as existence. Currently most humans, especially in America as a proposal for what God is and apply their human rules towards that construct even in the absence of any evidence.

Dshhh · M

@robertsnj deserves a Best Answer

robertsnj · 56-60, M

@Dshhh hah! thank you are probably the only one that read it! Others on their phones thinking TLDR

hartfire

@robertsnj Excellent thinking, but needs editing.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@robertsnj you made a few points. Imaging there is a God out of fear of death? Are you serious because God gives us life and in a way like no other. So I think you don't fully understand that point. The other thing is evidence. Subjective firstly and narrow to exclude everything except courtroom evidence. With that reasoning love doesn't exist. So I use everything in my means. Logic emotions and spirit. The last thing is the perfect life idea. I mean no evil disease or disaster. And those are the human rules. Nothing to do with whether God exists or not because many people claim no God because these bad things exist

LeopoldBloom · M

@robertsnj Denial of death has something to do with it, but more broadly, religion provides a framework for the moral structures that humans have evolved as social animals. We evolved to give up a portion of our individual freedom for the good of society, and since this behavior makes social groups more likely to survive, it was selected for. Religion is merely the codification of feelings like guilt, shame, and the desire to cooperate with others, all of which we feel naturally with or without religion.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom but what about belief without religion

LeopoldBloom · M

@Axeroberts That would be like when someone says they're "spiritual but not religious." Where they don't believe in anything specific like Jesus or Allah or Buddha, but just feel a connection to something beyond themselves. However, that's very individual and people like that will often change their views throughout their life. I'm talking about organized religion like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom nice generation. But what are you saying about religion?

robertsnj · 56-60, M

@Axeroberts neuroscience and bio-chem proves we have emotions including love. What you did in logical fallacies is called a straw man. You said we can't prove love exists. therefore we can't prove God exists therefore God exists. Same thing with evil and disaster and the next 10 things you pick to show that God exists. Proving or failing to prove we have emotions (evil disaster ect) is not relevant to evidence of God's existence. You are not in a courtroom, but you did say you have evidence. Would love to see it.

robertsnj · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom

desire to cooperate with others, all of which we feel naturally with or without religion.

I agree with that.

LeopoldBloom · M

@Axeroberts I said religion is the codification of the moral behavior we've evolved in order to get along with each other better. The problem is that once these rules are codified, they're difficult to change if society's needs change. For example, maybe it was necessary to limit homosexual behavior thousands of years ago, but that's not the case anymore. Same with forcing rapists to marry their victims, because a rape victim would have been seen as "tainted" and wouldn't be able to marry anyone else, but today that sounds demented.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@robertsnj the science only shows neural paths. But does not prove emotion. You seem to be making a leap.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom you went off path. But you are addressing one single point about society. But what about the individual and the enrichment to their lives on a personal level

LeopoldBloom · M

@Axeroberts Membership in a faith community can help with individual feelings of fulfillment and belonging. However, some people such as myself are much happier having left a faith community. If you reduce religion to a social club, those same feelings of belonging can be found elsewhere.

The reason religious participation is dropping in the US (as it has already cratered in Europe) is because religion no longer offers the answers it once did, and the hypocrisy is too apparent. For example, young people today see the hypocrisy of church leaders kowtowing to Trump, a man who exemplifies the polar opposite of everything Jesus represents. Or, church is nothing more than a lukewarm feel-good session, and there are plenty of other places to find that.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom anyway I am not of any religion. I believe what I believe. And my relationship with the Creator has developed over the years like any relationship does

robertsnj · 56-60, M

@Axeroberts not that i want to jump in your debate but that is a much more honest answer. you should lead with that more often then "i have evidence" and love exists therefore god exists.

It also addresses the OP in a way by showing why you (specifically you) apply your human rules to your relationship with a creator.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@robertsnj thank you. But just to clarify I have never said I have evidence 🤔

LeopoldBloom · M

@Axeroberts So you're not Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Taoist, or anything - you just have a personal relationship with the divine? That doesn't seem like something that could be communicated to anyone. It would be like me saying I feel happy for no reason, then being surprised that you're not happy too.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom if you say so. I really don't understand what you are trying to say

LeopoldBloom · M

@Axeroberts You said you don't follow a religion, and those are religions, so I would think you wouldn't identify as a member of one.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom that's true

LeopoldBloom · M

@Axeroberts OK. I tend to lose patience with people who say they don't follow a religion, then turn around and say they have a "relationship" with Jesus and take the Bible literally. That would be a religion.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

@LeopoldBloom well this is not me. I also find it difficult when people draw conclusions