NrFive

Could that be possible?
Well, that depends on how someone would define the word religion.
Since religion often try to explain those things that science can´t explain to us, it tend to drift abit from what one usually would say was logic.
After all, religion tries to explain why we humans inhabit this earth, what the greater meaning of life is. Science is more into explaining how we came to exist and the rules of the universe.
So, how come so many religions keep on existing and thriving in a society where more and more scientific discoveries are revealed?

To begin with, Im gonna try to explain it from the perspecive of an Jehovah´s Witness. Or to be more precise, a former Witness.
I spend 24 years with the congregation here in Sweden. It was something I was borned into, and felt very naturaly when i grew up. Several familymembers choosed not to adopt the ways of the religion, and from a rather early start I had the "privelige" of having parent both in and outside of this religion. I have always thought that it helped me to have a broader viewpoint, but the latest year have thaught me that aside everything, I was still rather narrow-minded.

When someone asked me how I could belive in a book written several thousand years ago, a book that has been changed by humans of the centuaries, I often said that the Bible was blessed by God, and his tool to make sure that we humans got the "right" message. I know, for a lot of you out there, it sounds crasy, and in no way based on logic. But there and then I belived so. The evidence from the bible was proof enought. I´m not gonna get into the evidence here, since I don´t remeber them all. But when I was a Witness I truly belived that God had blessed the bible and it was God´s words that I was reading. I always thought that logic was something present in the word of the bible. And in some extent, it is. There is a whole lot of things in there that we can use. Especially from the new testament, and with Jesus.

Anyhow, I know the feeling of beeing sure about something. To have faith. But there is something dangerous about faith to. Faith have a tendence to ignore facts and logic. And sure, somethimes thats something good, but perhaps not when it affect everything in your life.

It took something really serious for me to start challenging my believs. Lifechangning things. If those thing never had happend, I would probably still be a Witness today. But I´m not. And as we all know, hindsight´s a bitch...
It´s easy to sit here now, and condemming the choises I made then, to think: what if?
But i try not to.
During the last year I´ve read and studied some religious litterature aside what comes directly from the Witnesses. Not the books from other ex.wittness since many of them are angry and value bitternes higher than logic reasoning.
But the books I´v read have actually helped me put some perspecive to my former religion. The abbility to see the same situation from different viewpoints. It´s hard, but good, since it helpes me grow my own opinion.

Anyhow, back to topic. My own experince have taught me that Religion probably can´t be based on logic, since a big part of relgiion is faith in others, and faith in a God. And even if I do wanna belive in a Almighty God that wan´t me good, I have no desire to belive in people that belive them self to be the voice of God!

Almost all religon is controlled, or guided by people actiong as guides to God. And in these people I don´t trust...