A Treatise on Religion

An examination of the mind and the manner religion perflates reality so the mind may cope with existence’s nature. A table of the levels of religion to avoid confusion. 

A treatise on religion

Structure of religion

1. The supernatural exists.
2. An afterlife exists [all religions, except Karaite Jews, possibly Deism].
3. God exists [All religions]
4. A creator exists [not Buddhism]
5. The creator has a religion.
6. Only a particular religion is the correct one [not Hinduism]
7. A particular sect within a religion is the correct one
8. A particular liberal, centrist or conservative wing within a particular sect is the correct one.
9. One’s interpretation within that wing is the correct one.

 
Odds of having chosen the right branch each time is slim.

Religion’s reliance on death

1. Fear of death is the root of religion and human existence.
1.1. The mind is capable of using logic to react positively to negative things.

1.2 The mind decides to conquer death within all means capable.

2 Biologically the mind and body are designed to spread genes. This is the closest and only tangible way we come to ‘living on’.

2.0 Biological method is inherently unsatisfactory yet largely necessary.

2.1 The mind devises more ways to survive death. Concept of soul that survives death is created.

2.1.1 Rebirth and resurrection are the means by which soul will survive. The means is not as important as the object.
2.2. Rules on the form of after-death survival are made.

2.2.1 Rules affect the person’s outlook on life.
2.2.1.1 Rules influence a person’s behaviour and thoughts.

2.3 Faith is essential for the living-on to work. Without faith, we do not live and accept death.

2.3.1 Death is the only reality and the ultimate evil. By accepting it wholehartedly in its purest form, we destroy ourselves already.

2.4 Wisdom is accepting distruction and being happy regardless (Camus on Sisyphus).

How religion operates on a fresh mind

(i) Initial emotion

• One looks around and feels a burst of emotions, sometimes sublime and sometimes intense. The emotions include awe, fear, love, intrigue.
• A be-all-end-all entity is devised to encapsulate all emotions that perfunct the mind. This entity is called god.
• Not all would do this. Buddhism did not fall for this trick.
• The god people worship encapsulates all their emotions when they view the world fresh. It is not hard to see why different gods were devised to address different attributes. Quarelling gods have a different balance of human emotions and relate to each other like yin and yang- at times smoothly and at times not so.
• All these can be moulded into a single god.

(ii) Death