At what point did mankind feel so lost that they had to invent religion? It's a question that has been studied for many years. In a semester long course, we weren't able to even skim the history of that topic. A question I always ask, which was never brought up in the course is: At what point did mankind feel so lost that they had to start believing in fellow human beings as God or saints?
In Hinduism, the framework of the religion lies in philosophy and achieving a certain mental state. All the prayers and worship done at temples and in Hindu households are based on mythology and traditions. There are those who believe the mythological characters walked the Earth, but for the most part, Hindus know these are fictional characters written about to teach lessons and help them reflect on their own lives. Similarly, the traditions are a way to manifest the philosophy into something more palpable. Of course, many of them are purely cultural.
In Buddhism, the framework again is philosophy. What I respect most about the religion is that Gauthama Buddha (the one who the world thinks invented the religion) merely brought awareness to the world about certain aspects of life. He took Hindu philosophies and added his own touch, and made others think more deeply about life. Every human being can be a buddha.
This brings me to my point(s):
1. Religion was an escape for humans to answer questions that they could not answer through empirical evidence. Inventing a God was a brilliant idea, as anything unexplainable could be attested to that higher power. Why then, was it necessary to start worshiping a human being who only has the powers every other human has? I understand saints have done many good deeds, but should not the people whom were directly affected be the only ones to worship those men and women? Generations later, people pray to saints and other humans as if they were God, without even knowing why that person was initially revered. I can guarantee you every single human being that has been worshiped has stories associated with him/her that are exaggerations of the truth. They are given magical powers they did not really have. This, in turn, has just made them yet another mythological character. So why then are people praying to the human still? In reality, they are again just praying to a manifestation of their imaginations.
2. If a person is to be revered so, let it be because they changed the face of humanity. Gauthama Buddha did just that. He changed the way of thinking of millions of people, rather than provide emotional/mental support through his own religious knowledge. I cannot really explain this argument in proper words.
3. What does it matter to me that people worship other people? It matters to me that people I know and love wouldn't just see the God in themselves. It's okay to imagine a higher power who reprimands you for actions you think are wrong and rewards you for good deeds, but why let another real person dictate that (directly or indirectly)? Why should someone else guide you in your beliefs? After all, they are your beliefs; they are your opinions. Not only that, every single person has a fault of their own. EVERY SINGLE ONE, including all of the holy saints.
That's where I stand as of now. Maybe after retirement when I have more time on my hands, I can revisit the "philosophy of religion" to better understand other views. I'm sorry if anything I said is offensive, and I'm always open to discourse on this subject.
***Please note that in order to avoid saying something I knew for sure would be offensive and to maintain some sort of scholasticism, I referenced Hinduism and Buddhism- two subjects I have studied extensively through college.***
