You may believe any
religious myth you wish. No evidence establishes either “SATAN” or “God” as you appear to have been indoctrinated.
Today, we have much information and evidence regarding the extent, size, and detail regarding billions and billions of stars (suns much like our own). We also have consensus science regarding the evolution of life forms on this 4.5 billion year old planet we call earth.
God notions have evolved in story form over centuries and have become fixtures of various religious groups. Prior to the notion of a
single God were notions of multiple gods. Many of the changes in mythologies/religions have been documented by study of evidence accumulated over relatively recent time.
While centuries in the past
mythologies were constructed to explain, we (as the well educated community of intellectual inquirers) recognize those myths were and are unreliable as
explanation. Ancient scripts of religions such as Christianity and Islam are unreliable.
Why is that? First, they do not agree on various asserted
truths. Second, they rely on
truth by assertion. In recent and expositional expansion of knowledge through research and through consensus in science, we have information unavailable to earlier myth-makers. Third, only recently, for example, has the Hubble Space Telescope revealed a vastness to the universe not previously observed or known.
Nightlion stated:
Satan is the one spreading the rumour that he is a myth. A close examination of this statement recognizes it as an assertion. “Satan” is not established. Asserting “Satan” does not establish such an entity. Ancient scripts or modern affirmation of ancient scripts do not establish any such entity. It’s religious dogma of some religious groups (yours I presume since you make the statement).
Nightlion stated:
After my reading of Mount Olympus PROVES that God exists all knowledgable folks might consider that Satan is real too.On the contrary, your “reading” of anything does not “Prove(s) that God exists…” No evidence has established
“God” over
gods. This as well is an assertion absent consensus. Not only is there no consensus on the claim “God,” beyond that, there is no consensus on the particulars which different religious claims make for the asserted “God.”
For example,
your notion of God is not the same notion that Muslims have of
God.. Muslims have ancient scripts also. Like your notions of
God, Muslims have
other notions of
God. Surely you would recognize that to be the case.
In addition, Roman Catholic dogma does not agree with Mormon dogma regarding the characterization of
God notions. Surely you would recognize that to be the case as well. Otherwise, all Roman Catholics would be Mormons or vice versa. Surely you would recognize that as well.
Christian faith groups number around 1,000 according to research on various groups which I linked for you here. These groups do not agree on various assertions they make regarding
God claims. Yet, they all claim to be
Christian. No evidence establishes any one of these 1,000 faith groups in
Christianity alone to be right or superior to
all other Christian faith groups.
We can study a large number of these and their evolutionary history. Please scroll down
Christian faith groups to review “Some individual denominations” a bit lower on the page.
These various groups are a product of both evolution of religious doctrines and emergence of religious doctrines. They are separate because they do not agree with one another on many fundamental notions which are a part of their
religious dogma. Many, if not most
Christian groups have their own “literature” and doctrines.
It’s important from the perspective of transparent, open, intellectual inquiry to recognize not only many
Christian groups but to recognize as well other world religions. Religions emerged and evolved over time and in various civilizations (some of which are extinct) and in various cultures.
Many of those have been well documented by historians globally.
It seems the more entrenched indoctrination is from cradle to adulthood, the more difficult it is for individuals to embrace that transparent, open, intellectual inquiry to which I referred previously.
As we recognize that
each of the many groups has its own doctrine and dogma regarding
God myths, we also can recognize their diversity makes them incompatible with one another. Were that not the case, we would have
one religion. But, of course we have not only many religions, we have many version of one religion,
Christianity.
Nightlion, I can appreciate that individuals have been well indoctrinated in a particular religious doctrine. I can also appreciate that recognition of some observations here can be quite painful or frustrating.
Tangent to this, but relevant is this: I know a young man who was adopted at birth. He was never told that he was adopted and was treated well by his adoptive parents. When he had some medical issues, the physicians inquired about his hereditary background in order to better diagnose and treat him. It was only then that he was informed that he was
adopted. The information was extremely traumatic for him. First was disbelief. Then there was anger toward his parents for keeping the secret. He had a significant period of psychological adjustment to a truth which he had never suspected.
In my view, as soon as he was old enough to comprehend what it was to be adopted, he should have been told. As a child of 3 or 4, he could have accepted the truth easily. That would have been true especially if his parents had reinforced their love for him and that he
was their child in all respects except for one.
It’s also my view that recognizing religious mythology for what it is as an adult is perhaps equally difficult and traumatic. Some may prefer to simply repeat:
I believe, I believe, I believe rather than recognize the long and varied historical evolution of religious mythologies. They prefer to maintain the blinders and maintain a
comfort zone by insisting that
their religion is the only correct and right religion.
My addressing of your comment has been straight forward and honest in the limitation which a bb such as this affords. Please know that my intent is to be truthful with you not to be unkind.
JAK
. 