(July 30, 2015 at 5:47 am)InsomniacMike486 Wrote:

(July 30, 2015 at 5:36 am)Ashground Wrote: I don't think religion will die out. Although it may change to become more acceptable to a changing audience.
Maybe at one time religion served as a unifying and stabilizing influence but now that's long over.

Personally I think religion is the ultimate thief. It steals faith from individuals and then literally tries to sell it back to them. I think the largest group of victims of religion are their flock.

Could you elaborate more on how religion steals faith from its followers?

Quote:What is the function that a clergyman performs in the world? Answer: he gets his living by assuring idiots that he can save them from an imaginary hell.
— H L Mencken,

Since Hell isn't a real place, I'd say no, there's not really an appropriate place for religion.

(July 30, 2015 at 5:30 am)InsomniacMike486 Wrote: Does anyone actually see religion dying out in the future?

 

Possibly, certainly not in my life time. But I don't see it as likely.

(July 30, 2015 at 5:30 am)InsomniacMike486 Wrote: What (if any) position does religion hold in the future world?

Hopefully it will continue to be (or more and more be in some places) an institution completely removed from government.

(July 30, 2015 at 5:30 am)InsomniacMike486 Wrote: Should it even have one?

Not for me to say. Should stamp collectors have a future? Should investment bankers? Climate change deniers? Of the one you ask about and the three I brought up, if I could only only eliminate two, religion wouldn't make the cut.

'Stamp collectors' at least, do no harm.

I doubt religion in general will die out but I think dogmatic religion will. Like it or not, we are becoming an ever more global society. Religions that preach my way or the highway will simply lose their utility in that environment.

I also doubt religion will die out completely, but it will continue to be defanged, declawed and put into an ever-tightening leash as is slowly being demonstrated in recent decades. Optimistically, I see it becoming more and more of a background hum amongst people as poverty rates slowly decline, global education and communication becomes more and more widespread, and technology improves. These are natural trends, I think, and I take it as a sign that we are starting to grow up.
It probably won't happen in our lifetimes, but several generations hence.

(July 30, 2015 at 6:15 pm)Redbeard The Pink Wrote: Since Hell isn't a real place, I'd say no,  there's not really an appropriate place for religion.

I have to respectfully disagree. The closet, as jeebus preached, would be a great place for religion.

(July 30, 2015 at 6:22 pm)Whateverist the White Wrote:

(July 30, 2015 at 5:30 am)InsomniacMike486 Wrote: Should it even have one?

Not for me to say.  Should stamp collectors have a future?  Should investment bankers?  Climate change deniers?  Of the one you ask about and the three I brought up, if I could only only eliminate two, religion wouldn't make the cut.

(July 30, 2015 at 6:25 pm)Minimalist Wrote: 'Stamp collectors' at least, do no harm.

Right so if I could only do away with two of them, I'd keep the philatelists and give the religionists a pass.  But the vulture investment bankers and climate change deniers, I'd do them in first.

(July 30, 2015 at 10:23 pm)Whateverist the White Wrote:

(July 30, 2015 at 6:22 pm)Whateverist the White Wrote: Not for me to say.  Should stamp collectors have a future?  Should investment bankers?  Climate change deniers?  Of the one you ask about and the three I brought up, if I could only only eliminate two, religion wouldn't make the cut.

(July 30, 2015 at 6:25 pm)Minimalist Wrote: 'Stamp collectors' at least, do no harm.

Right so if I could only do away with two of them, I'd keep the philatelists and give the religionists a pass.  But the vulture investment bankers and climate change deniers, I'd do them in first.

The thing is, there is a good deal of overlap between those categories.  I suspect that if you got rid of the religionists and the investment bankers, you would have few, if any, climate change deniers left.  So my advice is to select the religionists and investment bankers.

I can barely imagine a more disorganized 'religion' (besides LDS) than the Higher Power stuff at 12 Steppers. Having said that, I realize for some (many?) addicts, that Higher Power stuff is a necessary fiction due to the twisted pathology/insanity of most addicts.

While it is encouraging some select addicted others and myself have figured out the 'necessary fiction' angle, I wouldn't want to see 12 Steppers run without it. (and yes, I've had some experience with RR, I just don't see RR working for everyone the same way I don't see 12 Steppers working for everyone either)

--also--

if it wasn't for religion, we wouldn't have AF, and that would really suck