[Brutha]

Originally Posted by Michael Chui

Read what I said again. I said that numerology is the synthesis between mathematics and religion: not that it was pure mathematics.

The numbers are still mathematics. Numerology is about more than just numbers, just as gematria is about more than just letters and stories are more than just words.

Do you have a sense of what mathematics is in it's spirit?
The spirit of numerology is totally different.

Define success.

Building a frame that gives it's members advantages which result in evolutionary advantages of the whole group.

That's a really hard sell. Religion is about trusting people? Show me. And also explain the Spanish Inquisition, while you're at it.

Religion is about trusting people in your group. Because it is so effective at that task you see the contrast to how people from other groups get treated.


You say This. I say That.

My theory for the origin and evolution of religion is based on my readings of anthropology and comparative mythology.

What's your theory based on?[/quote]I think it is mainly build on the western dogma that the individual and it's needs are everything (which is expressed in a lot of western writing).

In general you haven't shown my why what you wrote is right, but I will lay my position out anyway:
One example for a source that influences my views is THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2008 — Page 9 .
To be a bit more historic, what did the Jew wanted in a Messias? A king that frees them from the Romans.
Nietsche talks about how Zarathustra inventid good and evil to prevent the gods of other tribes from getting power which they used to damage his Zarathustra people.

I also read a lot more modern stuff about how stories work. You completly ignore the function that science and religion plays for the society but only see the ideal of science to ask question.
In practice scientist give answer and people believe their answers. You don't have those pure idealistic individuals but groups that tell stories.

What do you think, are more people Christian because of social factors (there friends and/or their famaly being Christian) or are more Christian Christian because they were atheists and those atheists felt a need to know what happens after death and therefore converted to Christianity?
You completly ignore those social factors which are the basis of religion.

Show me that the main function of religion is "providing a group identity with basic rules of how to treat other members". Show me that religion is about trusting fellow members of the religion, when Shinto samurai had no problem cutting each other up,

Shinto smurais have also no problem cutting themselves up. Just because you don't like the rules, it doesn't mean that there aren't rules in the first place.

when the Islamic empire collapsed upon itself,

Don't forget that it was build be Mohammad who wanted to unit people under one law.