On this edition of Noteable Quoteables we discuss more of a political (controversial) quote from a french enlightenment writer (meaning he did this for a living) Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire who eventually shortened it (wouldn't you) to Voltaire:
"If God didnt exist it would be necessary to create him" - François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire
In my humblest opinion I love this quote. Its great and accurate. I'm personally extremely uncomfortable with the idea of organized religion because telling the difference between the ones are "correct" and the one that are "fake". Religion is ALWAYS going to be a touchy, divisive topic and this quote is as juicy as they come. Some people feverishly believe in God and all the things that their religion preaches. Some believe but want no affiliation with the church because they believe it to be man-made and therefore flawed. Some don't know what to believe and don't know where to turn so they often become indifferent. There are so many ways for this to play out. Personally, I can't get around the feeling that there is indeed a massive force at work. Does that make me a religious person? Not even remotely. I believe in principles, kindness, respect, virtue, mercy and pretty much everything that you're supposed to take from religion but the messengers give me pause. This is not to offend those who are giving me the message, at least not all of them but the fact is religion is pretty much entirely man made. Jesus wasn't a Catholic or Christian. Muhammad wasn't a Muslim and Budda wasn't Buddhist. Obviously they couldn't be, those churches formed after their deaths but I think that is a major factor that often gets overlooked.
People often focus so much on the functions of the church and merely taking attendance rather than the weight of one's actions. I could never go to church again but if I spend my life advising and helping at-risk youth, teaching them and helping them navigate their way to adulthood through those virtues I discussed would those accomplishments be looked on the same way? How about if I was an atheist who believed in and taught all of those virtues? Perception automatically shifts once religious background comes into play and that is a problem. Many religions have become bigger than the deities they're supposed to be worshipping and that is a MAJOR problem in my eyes.
Your Note From This Quote:
Sometimes its necessary to create falsehoods in order to protect people from themselves. We've seen the affect believing in fairy tales and myths have on children and their behaviour and in terms of adults may need a similar system. That is not to imply that God is by any means non-existent but clearly an omnipotent force that watches over you and that you have to answer to is necessary for many people to have comfort, and in many cases more than the basic amounts of morality.
Those that share that outlook believe that without the rule of law, society would crumble. Without the fear of reprimand, crime and evil behaviours would run rampant. Without the threat of Hell no one would work to get to Heaven. These are all pretty reasonable claims and they all play directly into the quote. I think, that many would *try* to use the lack of law or consequence to their advantage but people would form a society not too much unlike the one we have now to protect themselves. Fear is a powerful motivator and a few bad apples are more than capable of not only spoiling a bunch but fundamentally changing how they view and approach situations (see the lack of fluids allowed on a plane as an example) I do not believe we would eat each other, but I do believe that without the proper system in place, people would try to take advantage to further their own gains (not like the system we have is stopping that all that much now anyway but I'm jus pontificating here).
What do YOU think?
*Usually here is where I post a related video but due to copyright laws I cant post it, which is a shame because its an amazingly accurate link that sums up almost exactly why I even wrote this post but I can put the link for you to click and seek it out HERE *
@ItsJus2Easy
"If God didnt exist it would be necessary to create him" - François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire
In my humblest opinion I love this quote. Its great and accurate. I'm personally extremely uncomfortable with the idea of organized religion because telling the difference between the ones are "correct" and the one that are "fake". Religion is ALWAYS going to be a touchy, divisive topic and this quote is as juicy as they come. Some people feverishly believe in God and all the things that their religion preaches. Some believe but want no affiliation with the church because they believe it to be man-made and therefore flawed. Some don't know what to believe and don't know where to turn so they often become indifferent. There are so many ways for this to play out. Personally, I can't get around the feeling that there is indeed a massive force at work. Does that make me a religious person? Not even remotely. I believe in principles, kindness, respect, virtue, mercy and pretty much everything that you're supposed to take from religion but the messengers give me pause. This is not to offend those who are giving me the message, at least not all of them but the fact is religion is pretty much entirely man made. Jesus wasn't a Catholic or Christian. Muhammad wasn't a Muslim and Budda wasn't Buddhist. Obviously they couldn't be, those churches formed after their deaths but I think that is a major factor that often gets overlooked.
People often focus so much on the functions of the church and merely taking attendance rather than the weight of one's actions. I could never go to church again but if I spend my life advising and helping at-risk youth, teaching them and helping them navigate their way to adulthood through those virtues I discussed would those accomplishments be looked on the same way? How about if I was an atheist who believed in and taught all of those virtues? Perception automatically shifts once religious background comes into play and that is a problem. Many religions have become bigger than the deities they're supposed to be worshipping and that is a MAJOR problem in my eyes.
Your Note From This Quote:
Sometimes its necessary to create falsehoods in order to protect people from themselves. We've seen the affect believing in fairy tales and myths have on children and their behaviour and in terms of adults may need a similar system. That is not to imply that God is by any means non-existent but clearly an omnipotent force that watches over you and that you have to answer to is necessary for many people to have comfort, and in many cases more than the basic amounts of morality.
Those that share that outlook believe that without the rule of law, society would crumble. Without the fear of reprimand, crime and evil behaviours would run rampant. Without the threat of Hell no one would work to get to Heaven. These are all pretty reasonable claims and they all play directly into the quote. I think, that many would *try* to use the lack of law or consequence to their advantage but people would form a society not too much unlike the one we have now to protect themselves. Fear is a powerful motivator and a few bad apples are more than capable of not only spoiling a bunch but fundamentally changing how they view and approach situations (see the lack of fluids allowed on a plane as an example) I do not believe we would eat each other, but I do believe that without the proper system in place, people would try to take advantage to further their own gains (not like the system we have is stopping that all that much now anyway but I'm jus pontificating here).
What do YOU think?
*Usually here is where I post a related video but due to copyright laws I cant post it, which is a shame because its an amazingly accurate link that sums up almost exactly why I even wrote this post but I can put the link for you to click and seek it out HERE *
@ItsJus2Easy
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