So many people have been hurt and disappointed by traditional religions. When they realize that the dogmas they were taught are absurd if taken literally and scrutinized rationally, they feel that they have been tricked.
They do not understand that many of the traditional dogmas are myths, wonderful but imperfect metaphors used to think about things we cannot explain or understand but also cannot dismiss or ignore. Dogmas, ideas that religions claim to be "true" are merely language. Language, however, cannot capture the religious experience which is beyond the human mind.
It takes a lot of courage to admit that we cannot express in language something we sense to be true. It takes even more courage to admit that we do not know what is true or not true.
It is difficult for people who have a sense of a connection with something beyond themselves to accept that their ideas of "God" as they express them within the limits of language may not be universally accepted as "true." They forget that those ideas like other definitions are verbal tools, nothing more.
A sense of "God" or meaning in the universe beyond what can be explained within everyday human experience is not bound by language. Therefore language, which is a human creation, cannot express it. Who can adequately describe a sunset. We can understand the science of it to some extent and describe that, but we cannot understand why a sunset can inspire such awe in us.
= new reply since forum marked as read