The origin of "religion"

Ahhh religion, what is it? Who came up with it and why is the word so commonly used?

I am not religious, but I do believe in God (even the demons do that lol). I also have my own personal relationship with him but I am not a member of any religious organization. I feel that too many people have lost the interpretation of the word religion and have twisted it for a long time. I also think a lot of corruption in the church has manifested since the churches began, which is why I'm not a part of any church. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but lets talk about the origin of the word "religion".


Origin:
1150–1200; ME religioun (< OF religion) < L religiōn- (s. of religiō) conscientiousness, piety, equiv. to relig(āre) to tie, fasten (re- re- + ligāre to bind, tie; cf. ligament ) + -iōn- -ion; cf. rely

as provided here:

dictionary.reference.com...


The original meaning of this word, to tie to bind etc...indicate a sort of slavery. To be bound. The word in fact, was not even used once in the old testament. I believe the word was used in the new testament and taken way out of context over time.


In conclusion I do not believe that God wishes us to be slaves, but in fact opposite. Just my own thought. Any other thoughts on the subject are welcome!



[edit on 16-7-2009 by Wookiep]

reply to post by Wookiep


I strongly prefer spirituality to religion. I feel like I've become closer to God through spirituality.

One of the definitions of religion in the link you posted mentioned "ritual". That's why I never got anything out of church when I went. I didn't feel fulfilled doing the rituals, and repeating words and songs that other people wrote. It just felt like I was going through the motions.

And I don't like having to believe something or not believe it, just because someone tells me to! I hope that God is okay with us doing things on our own and making up our own minds about things!

I guess to each his own, though!

GReat question that i never even thought to ask.

That makes a lot of sense though considering what it is..

They are not forcing us into slavery as we openly CHOOSE Religion therefor in there eyes we openly choose slavery.

reply to post by Wookiep


I am not sure where the word 'religion' came from, but the concept is a divisive tool that separates people and causes war, famine, misery, and every evil thing in the world.

Mankind invented this concept, and we should all ignore it.

I, personally, believe in Jesus, but not churches.

Churches and religion are built on lies.

Maybe Satan came up with 'religion'.

Originally posted by spellbound
reply to post by Wookiep

 

I am not sure where the word 'religion' came from, but the concept is a divisive tool that separates people and causes war, famine, misery, and every evil thing in the world.

Mankind invented this concept, and we should all ignore it.

I, personally, believe in Jesus, but not churches.


Churches and religion are built on lies.

Maybe Satan came up with 'religion'.

I think we are on the same page here.

Originally posted by LucidDreamer85
GReat question that i never even thought to ask.

That makes a lot of sense though considering what it is..

They are not forcing us into slavery as we openly CHOOSE Religion therefor in there eyes we openly choose slavery.

Exactly. To be forced is to be a slave. Hence, making free-will obsolete.

reply to post by Wookiep


Yes, we are definitely in agreement.

Religion is an evil tool invented to control the people.

Churches are manmade - therefore they are corrupt and full of lies.

Originally posted by Halley86
reply to post by Wookiep

 

I strongly prefer spirituality to religion. I feel like I've become closer to God through spirituality.

One of the definitions of religion in the link you posted mentioned "ritual". That's why I never got anything out of church when I went. I didn't feel fulfilled doing the rituals, and repeating words and songs that other people wrote. It just felt like I was going through the motions.

And I don't like having to believe something or not believe it, just because someone tells me to! I hope that God is okay with us doing things on our own and making up our own minds about things!

I guess to each his own, though!

I agree. And "rituals" can be weird and....whats the word.... repetitive... ??

Ritualistic performance and faking it to make it always bothered me. The great spiritual teachers taught how to be the creators of your own desires and also illustrated the interconnection of all that is or will be. We tend to operate on polarities, however, things like opposites, theses and antitheses, etc., so selfish, insecure individuals infiltrated newborn spiritualities (especially in the mid-east westward, but really everywhere) and claimed to be the only bridge to God, the Source, the Truth, the Logos, whatever you choose to call it. By claiming to be the bridge, they got people looking outwards for the One, the Alpha and the Omega, but that only led to a world of pretense, of lies, of deceptions. This led to a world where there is vast and increasing insecurity, as people devote a great deal of energy to fear of the image of others, and of the image they themselves project. The fear leads to pride, for we must hold dear to one thing for fear of another. We are so sure we are right because we are so afraid of being wrong. We are also so sure of our CURRENT selves, because we are oh-so-terrified of death (Having an experience, really accepting an experience, that changes our mindset, our consciousness, leads in a very real sense to the death of ourselves.). This pride pulls the plug on personal growth, and it plants a new seed. This seed sprouts into vanity, a desire to look at one's self (Regarding vanity in this topic, I am talking about the self as your PERCEIVED personality, not your body. Also, I must state that being connected to yourself is of course not bad at all; it is the reason, it is the why that is behind it all that sets and aligns our orientations, that magnetizes our compasses so to speak). However, this self-attraction followed the fear state, so we look at and reflect upon the false selves that the world implanted upon us. We cling like traumatized infants to the definition, the very shape and form and color, given to us (and also accepted and interpreted by us) by the world. This sort of prideful vanity also acts as a distorted lens, contorting and shattering the truth. If we are to neatly fit in this system, at least a fragment, a mere shard of us, the vanity evolves into outright narcissism, a total clinging to the self, total false self-connection. Once we are locked in this box of narcissism, there is no longer an other. There is only me. Everybody else exists as a play actor in my personal fantasy. The problem is, this narcissism only regards others to the extent that they are clearly useful or delightful to me, so it blocks out the essence of others completely. When we get totally wrapped up in ourselves, and disregard the very nature and existence of others, when we lose a real sense of empathy, we then succumb to lust. If we are seeing everything as a means to an end of some sort, we inevitably degrade from seeing the big picture, the true, grand, interconnection of it all. We then get caught on our basest desires, which leads me to this riddle:

We are locked in a room with 2 computers. 1 supposedly always tells the truth, the Other computer, or 0, supposedly always lies. There are two doors leaving the room. 1 apparently leads to everlasting life. The Other apparently leads to certain death. We have but a single question to ask, and this question can be asked to only a single computer. What question do we ask? We ask either computer what the other would choose as the door to life, and we do the precise opposite. Why? Because if we ask the truth teller what the liar would do, it will of course be a lie. If we ask the liar what the honest computer would do, it will of course also be a lie. We MUST do the opposite of what our basest instincts say to do in order to act according to long-term interests, in order that we be full of life, fulfilled, in order that we can further our journeys.
You see, by giving in to lust, we act contrary to our interests.

I ran out of room in the previous post. I first must say that I used the computer riddle, because that lowest part of our brains acts like an on/off switch, yes and no, true and false, etc. It can easily get us trapped in our little reality tunnels.

I must also say that by taking that leap of faith and doing something grander than that basic lust, we can escape the false image, pride, vanity, fear, narcissism, lust sequence. Once out, we must live a life without fear. But in order to not be fearful, we must truly appreciate the value of the OTHER and the vast interconnection of it all. Remember, this world HAS TO EVENTUALLY GET BETTER, because a parasite needs a host, and not the other way around. When dealing with humanity, it is only necessary to make a sufficient number realize their host states, through love, and to be fair, to make some calloused-over parasites aware that they are indeed parasites. Love people, then make others aware of the interconnected factor.

BTW, this may come across as too instructional. If it does I apologize. It is just that I have done a great deal of thinking about the subject, and I believe I have good knowledge to share. Of course, don't take everything literally, but please read with an open heart and mind and a genuine desire for truth. I believe you might find something wise in it.

[edit on 16-7-2009 by orwellianunenlightenment]

If we look at the book of Genesis we read that Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. They had a personal relationship with Him, and therefore this was the origin of the first true religion. Unfortunately we also read that they sinned against God and were removed from a position where they could directly come in contact with God, so as generations of people went on the close relationship was lost.

I think in these modern times we've become so far removed from our original standing that much has become forgotten, corrupted, changed, etc..

Religion now is not what it was. It used to be a very close relationship with God.

Originally posted by one_enlightened_mind
If we look at the book of Genesis we read that Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. They had a personal relationship with Him, and therefore this was the origin of the first true religion. Unfortunately we also read that they sinned against God and were removed from a position where they could directly come in contact with God, so as generations of people went on the close relationship was lost.

I think in these modern times we've become so far removed from our original standing that much has become forgotten, corrupted, changed, etc..

Religion now is not what it was. It used to be a very close relationship with God.

I would say that the "relationship" between God and man is very differnt than it used to be. I"m not sure if religion by defenition was even a concept until the times of Christ. It seems like many people twisted Gods message and the meaning of Christ and ran with it for personal gain, and in many cases ended up corrupting the Church as a whole. Afterall Christ is supposed to bridge the "gap" between God and man, and not to make us slaves.

reply to post by orwellianunenlightenment


Thanks for your post, very thought-provoking.

Originally posted by Wookiep

Originally posted by one_enlightened_mind
If we look at the book of Genesis we read that Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. They had a personal relationship with Him, and therefore this was the origin of the first true religion. Unfortunately we also read that they sinned against God and were removed from a position where they could directly come in contact with God, so as generations of people went on the close relationship was lost.

I think in these modern times we've become so far removed from our original standing that much has become forgotten, corrupted, changed, etc..

Religion now is not what it was. It used to be a very close relationship with God.

I would say that the "relationship" between God and man is very differnt than it used to be. I"m not sure if religion by defenition was even a concept until the times of Christ. It seems like many people twisted Gods message and the meaning of Christ and ran with it for personal gain, and in many cases ended up corrupting the Church as a whole. Afterall Christ is supposed to bridge the "gap" between God and man, and not to make us slaves.

Good answers...

It is the Roman Church (part of the Roman Government) that laid down the rules that churches abide by today.

The Carpenter Jesus never once made mention of any church such as the Roman church or the catholic church or any other denomination or break away sect....

Why ???

Was the teachings of Jesus intended to become a religion or was it something else now hidden by humankind ???

In the Gospel of Thomas it is written....

V. 39

Jesus said,

“The Pharisees and the Scribes
have taken The Keys of Knowledge
and Hidden Them.

They themselves
have NOTentered,
nor have they
allowed to enter
those who wish to".

Hmmmmm... ???

There are perhaps many origins, of different religions, but most are about the same subject...

In fact a lot of the decoration, in the Architecture, of many Temples is basically of the same Geometry as in Christianity.

But Religion is used to perform, many different undesirable tasks.

The original Roman church was part of the Roman structure of Government.

And still is today.

Read up on Structure of The Holy Roman Government, dating back to the days of Jesus.

Most of the early Christian writings, are not included in the Roman collection of Greek and Hebrew writings, known as the bible today.

See the above quote from "The Gospel of Thomas" !

And there are also Many different Versions !

All written by the Scribes and NotThe Carpenter Jesus !

The King James Version is only One Version !

And on top of that, What writings were chosen, have been Bastardised and represent something to day, that the knowledge was not intended for.

If there was to be a Book for us to follow don't you think that Jesus would have written it.

If he can do these Great Miracles then, (which I may Not doubt) Producing a book if require would be a very small task indeed.

Why would he have to rely on humans to do this, knowing that humankind is corrupt ???

Then again, a Book that The Christ wrote, does exist !

But Where ???

Well he tells you in the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ !

I'm not a very relgious guy and currently im studying history in college so i always look at the origins of relgion through empirical eyes. but here's my take

imagine that you have no idea what causes natural events around you to happen. you dont know why their are flashes in the sky when it rains and u dont know why a big orage balls flys across the sky,

so in attempts to explain these events you give them stories and represent them with what u know best... people. the lightning u see is some greater being becoming angry, the big orange ball is some dude in a horse drawn chariot. but over time humans became smarter and started to figure out what these natural events actually were and this idea of a lot of gods representing all these things (polytheism) bit the dust. this leads to what kind of religion we have today monotheism... because we've become so smart that there are only one (or a few depending on what u think) question we havent answered... what happens to us when we die. so taking this from a historical perspective it seems like science will overrun religion and we wont have it soon. and it seems with progressons in metaphysics that time may be sooner rather than later...

just my take though

Originally posted by The Matrix Traveller
Originally posted by Wookiep
Originally posted by one_enlightened_mind

Good answers...

It is the Roman Church (part of the Roman Government) that laid down the rules that churches abide by today.

The Carpenter Jesus never once made mention of any church such as the Roman church or the catholic church or any other denomination or break away sect....

Why ???

Was the teachings of Jesus intended to become a religion or was it something else now hidden by humankind ???

Excellent post! It seems the Roman church took only the parts they felt needed to satify their own "agenda"

In the Gospel of Thomas it is written....

V. 39

Jesus said,

“The Pharisees and the Scribes
have taken The Keys of Knowledge
and Hidden Them.

They themselves
have NOTentered,
nor have they
allowed to enter
those who wish to".

THIS is a great example. Who has this "knowledge" then? The pharisees? They were against Christ from the beginning, even the 4 gospels show that quite clearly.

Hmmmmm... ???

There are perhaps many origins, of different religions, but most are about the same subject...

In fact a lot of the decoration, in the Architecture, of many Temples is basically of the same Geometry as in Christianity.

But Religion is used to perform, many different undesirable tasks.

The original Roman church was part of the Roman structure of Government.

And still is today.

Read up on Structure of The Holy Roman Government, dating back to the days of Jesus.

Most of the early Christian writings, are not included in the Roman collection of Greek and Hebrew writings, known as the bible today.

Again, a very true analysis. Many books were written but not included in the bible as decided by the "chruch". My favorite one is the book of Enoch.

en.wikipedia.org...

If there was to be a Book for us to follow don't you think that Jesus would have written it.

If he can do these Great Miracles then, (which I may Not doubt) Producing a book if require would be a very small task indeed.

This part as written in the new testament, is explained by the 12 deciples. I believe Christ appointed them to have it written as the true intent. We have to understand that Christs' place here on earth was not to write books, but to preach Gods' message and then ultimately die on the cross for the sins of every man woman and child. This is a huge goal considering humanity is at stake. This is also another reason we can't cast off the well-known 4 gospels. There was a message that Christ wanted to make and it is indeed in those 4 gospels. However, there was more that was written, that has been lost and corrupted throughout time.

Why would he have to rely on humans to do this, knowing that humankind is corrupt ???

Good point! Perhaps this is the greatest mystery. I think at some point corruption only leads to the truth. That is just speculation, but we as humans always seem to revert back to the truth.

Then again, a Book that The Christ wrote, does exist !

But Where ???

Well he tells you in the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ !

Do tell! I'm intruigued and appreciate all of your input!









[edit on 17-7-2009 by Wookiep]

reply to post by Wookiep

Let's see if we can raise the intellectual tone of this thread to match the OP.

Yes, religion is derived from ligare, Latin for 'to bind'. Best not to read too much into this. Religion has been with us for a lot longer than the Latin tongue and, unlike the former, it is universal.

The Latin word religio is older than Christianity and carries none of the sense of binding obligation you mistakenly suppose it does. Graeco-Roman religion did not have a strong moral dimension - if you're familiar with Classical mythology, you'll know their gods behaved just as badly as human beings. Religio didn't mean enslavement to a moral code; it meant scrupulousness and constancy in ritual, which was a public and civic duty, not a 'spiritual' one - although of course the Romans also petitioned their gods in private.

A far more interesting question, one I was disappointed to find the OP wasn't asking, is the origin of religion - the thing, not the word. How and why did mankind come to invent or evolve religion? I have my own theory. What's yours?

reply to post by Astyanax


My theory of the Origin of Religion.

Originally, 'religion', not the word nor the construct as understood by today's standards, was tied to the Earth and her cycles of birth, growth, harvest, death and rebirth.

Lead, by women, who were seen to be closer to the earth's cycles,primarily because of menstruation and the bringing forth of new life, ancient races gave thanks and praise for a good hunt or harvest, asked for good weather conditions, sought plenty of healthy births.

It was this bringing forth of new life and the perceived closer attachment to the Earth that gave the impression of women being in possession of great power.

Once the connection between sexual congress with men and women and new births was made, men realised that they too had power and so wrestled control of ancient spiritual practices away from women.

Religion is about power and control.

Faith in God is about being transformed by letting go of the self, the ego.

reply to post by Wookiep


I refer to The Book of The Revelation...

There are actually if I remember correctly there are 110 different Greek versions of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, or also known as The Revelation of St. John The Divine or The Revelation.

1st look at The Revelation Chapter 13 verse 8

From the Greek-English Interlinear New Testament.

I can also provide a much much earlier Manuscript but this will suffice.

Quote....

All.........not written in The Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World".

No the bible is NOT The Book of Life!
Note here...

Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World (Not The Earth)

Incidental I should point out that Jesus is Not the Lamb as He was known as The Good Shepherd, and a Shepherd is Not a Lamb !

Also they were Not Scrolls but Books!

But Notice "The Book of Life"

Jesus Himself said in some text "I Am The Way The Truth and The Life" and in other text... "I Am The Way The Truth and The Light".

The Light (Phos in Greek...) of a Luminous body such as Sun Light or Star.

The Greek Word "Phos" does Not mean anything else, it does Not mean Understanding or to make light of something ie Understanding....

The Light of Man, ( Not A'Dam ) is the Life of God! See The Book of St. John..

The Book of The Revelation Chapter 20 verse 15.

And anyone..... in The Book of Life was...... etc.

The Book of Life is Not on Earth but is in The Libraries of The Soul.

These are the Manuals etc of The Soul and The Worlds, ie Universes and Worlds that don't represent Universes !

See Philippians Chapter 3 verse 20

For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we eagerly wait for The Savior.....

First Note "For our Citizenship is in Heaven" Not of Earth...

The Heaven of The Outer Kingdom is the Dwelling Place of the Souls.

I, that is The Mind or Conscious entity Looks and sees the Universe manifest in My Soul Not outside the Soul as manyText would have you believe !

So we Look from Heaven, into The Experience you call the Earth and Universe. This is why it is said in the bible "No Man Hath Ascended into Heaven Save Him who Came Down From Heaven"!

If we look from The Heaven we can't go up to Heaven because we are already there ! LOL...

A'Dam or the Dammed One, is the Flesh but Man is The Soul.

The churches of humankind mixed the two both A'Dam and Man as though the one Entity ! But they are Two Different entities Flesh and The Soul.

And in The Book of The Revelation Chapter 5.

There are other References to This Book in other manuscripts also.

Check out The small book Called "The Thunder Perfect Mind"

This is Jesus's description of Himself... It is worth reading... It is a very very small Manuscript only a few pages long.

There is a way to see these Books even "The Book of Life" but it is Not just about human beings !

It also Contains The Book of "The Man Child" or Son of Man as referred to in the bible.

The Matrix I show in my Avatar, ( Top Left ) is The Partition Map called "The Man Child".

This Map is on the Underside of The Nucleus of Every Soul and a Larger version in the Base of Every Soul.

The Map is used in the Processing System of the soul.

I have over 30,000, Yes I did say 30,000, Drawings giving the Full workings of the Processing System of The Soul.

Shown here is the 3D version but the Soul now exists in 2D after going through the Metamorphosis of The Soul.

The Man Child ( Shown in my Avatar Top Left ) is the New City or organised Structure ( The Partition Map of the New Soul ) mentioned in The Revelation.




The Description can be found in the Book of The Book of Ezekiel Chapter 40 onwards.

But be prepared to spend many hours to study this... It has also been Corrupted by the Scribes!

[edit on 17-7-2009 by The Matrix Traveller]

I laugh everytime I see these questions on Jesus and God. Jesus never existed. The Christian bible as well as other cultures bibles are just tools for social control.

Jesus was actually named after the star 'Sirius'. Most stories and phrases from the bible are misinterpretations all taken from Astrology. The 12 desciples are the 12 contellations.

Crucifixtion is when the Sun sits in the stars called The Southern Cross (Crux). Then the 3 day death, burial or entombment is when the Sun drops (Goes South) from view during Dec 22nd, 23rd, 24th. Then the Ressurection is when the Sun comes back (Goes North) 25th. All religion is based on Astrology. The Jesus and God story is a myth of misinterpretations.

And of course the Romans in 300 AD used it to control the masses!

Sheesh!! Religion is a farce! Just a control tool

[edit on 17/7/2009 by stevcolx]