Science and Religion

In the silence of the Self comes a revelation: The purpose of religion is to cause real change in the time-space of an adherent; in other words, change in reality, in the here and now, in the present, and never in that after-life that some faiths preach. The change that's desired in the adherent is very different for different religions, and it is very specific. Note that the change produced is not necessarily one that is in any way beneficial to the adherent (although it might well be so); but the desired destined change is definitely beneficial to the survival of the religion, and therefore also to the survival of whichever specific ethnic-linguistic sub-group had originally invented the religion. Religion is a methodology for myth-making to produce change. Religion serves the same purpose as does art: To create change through psychic transcendental transformation. However, there is a subtle distinction as to the difference between religion and art. In art, the artist is active in his or her creation. Religion is art-full in the sense that religion, like art, is always designed; but the design in religion is not created by the adherent, but instead by the culture of the adherent. All human cultures are religious, though their religions differ radically as do their cultures. Art is individualistic while religion demands collectivity, a group, a gang. And exactly like in art, it's an invention. Humanity invented religion, just as it had invented the wheel, and probably at around the very same time by the convergence of mental evolution, since the universal wheel symbol or a derivative of it (signifying cyclic time-space) is contained within almost all religions. Religions strive to give meaning to the patterns inherent in cyclic events, particularly to the birth-death cycle. The reason religions have adherents is because they do actually work to produce changes in real time; for if religions didn't work, they would be lacking any actual survival value for the sub-groups that invented them and would be quickly abandoned. Of course, for another sub-group, no benefit is derived. No religion could be universal, though some claim to be so. Religion is a selfish invention. Evolution is pragmatic even though it is indifferent and lacks a specific design or any specific designer (men make the gods; gods don't make men). The problem with religion is that every adherent to every religion wishes far different changes to occur; so there exists a conflict of wants between adherents of different faiths, sometimes leading to wars. This is intentional. Religion causes war, not because adherents of various faiths misunderstand the precepts of their respective faiths, but precisely because they do understand those precepts well. Religion is a biological mechanism designed (since all religions are created by men, all religions are designed) to assist and to ensure the relative evolutionary survival of particular ethnic-linguistic sub-groups by the demise and suppression of all others. One of the best proofs for the validity of the theory of evolution is the existence of competing religions and of the competing sects that tend to exist within every religion. These sects are evolutionary mechanisms, similar to a breed evolving into a sub-species. All religions evolve so that they'll come to represent more that one ethnic-linguistic group (that's why every major religion has so many schisms between its sects---those sects represent different groups). The way religions compete is by taking on contrasting views of the universe, and in particular views of the time-space of the universe, the time-space being the dimensional reality in which humans reside. All religions will advocate that their view of reality is true and real, and that any rational objections to their view can't be answered because reality is fundamentally ineffable and unable to be understood by the paucity of human reason and logic. By the action of demeaning human knowledge, religions deliberately cause and promote a unique elite cadre to be formed of clerics, priests and monks, the pundits, who then serve as official interpreters of the religion for the uneducated and unsophisticated: that's us. Of course, politics and science can themselves become religions, as they too shall have their special cadres of elites who claim that their views of reality are also accordingly both the true and real. They know...so we don't. Religion simply hides itself under other names. How one views reality will determine one's behavior. People who fear the divine, for instance as in those religions that make the divine to be the ultimate reality, shall also fear life and therefore can be easily manipulated. Any faith fearing the divine, or any faith fearing those authorities representing the divine, whether that faith be one that is secular (the divine could be a state too or could be a state's constitution---plenty of people, many millions, have died for and have killed for the spurious gods of patriotism) or the faith be one that is sacred (as those in where the will of the divine is considered to be inscribed onto some holy scroll---millions have died and are still dying for such dried deeds), is: pure evil. Pure evil! A strong statement, though an accurate one, as any belief system, any faith in creed or flag, sacred or secular, that demands subservience, servitude and servility, demeans and diminishes humanity. Though we live in an age where there are more people of genius alive today than ever before, we also live in an age where there are more people alive who could be accurately classified as mentally retarded and intellectually deficient. It's precisely these people, the intellectually deficient, who are constantly and continuously attempting to sell and advertise their erroneous visions of reality to others. Those of genius need never sell to each other, but they do and should argue with each other. It is their arguments that must be studied to ascertain whether some have validity. Why take the trouble to study them? How one views reality does have a direct affect on how one acts, so one's reality view ought to be as complete and as correct as possible. Study genius and disregard the viewpoints of the retarded. Their views don't matter. Very few people actually understand the matter on which they pontificate, so why waste one's time on frivolous speech? If you strive to study of and with the best, eventually you should become the best. One shall always be dealing with differing interpretations of reality, and in having to adapt one's own behavior to those realities that society sees, none of which will be true; so the greater effort that could be expended in the studying and scrutinizing of what is actually known, and in acquiring whatever knowledge is available out there, gives one real advantages in arriving at the truth. Once the truth is finally known, whether the truth be about the nature of the universe or about anything else, only then can one even begin to act upon it. Because of this vast reserve of accumulated knowledge, humanity has crossed an evolutionary line into another human species, as advances in genome science now allow humanity to design itself through genetic engineering. Though there are many legal restrictions on the usage of genetic manipulation in the modification of humans, such modification is already taking place. Because of such modification, new religions, to service the needs of these new humans, will be born. New religions for new men. New religions are being created all the time, but as religion implies collectivist community, there has to be a minimum level of adherents for the religion to survive (just as in biology, there needs to be a minimum level of fertile members for a species to thrive). The prevalence of so many apocalyptic religions at the present time means most people are obsessed with the fact of their own personal death and not ready to accept their fated mortality; an attitude that is sad and rather silly. Stupid too. Stay away from all such childish religions. Of the thousands of religions that already exist, seek those aimed at adults. Religion ought to meet one's personal need for meaning, purpose and point to a destiny...much the same as does art. The Time-Space we live in is an echo and a reflection of reality. It's a sham, a simulacrum, a hapless forgery---but a faded shadow of a shadow; not The Real Thing. The conflicts that one sees in the world stem from antique obsolete ideologies based upon false conceptions of reality. Seeking a correct conception of what is real can resolve the conflicts; as even though a full realization of what is real might never occur, the act of seeking is in itself sufficient to achieve a resolution as it exposes the underlying lie of the ideologies that give rise to conflict. What is false is found to be without a foundation by careful contemplation. Seek, find, compare; then decide what's real...what's the truth.