RE: The Purpose Of Religion
April 10, 2014 at 8:48 am
(This post was last modified: April 10, 2014 at 8:53 am by Faith No More.)
I think anyone that thinks religion rose as a means of control is ignoring the driving force behind religion, and that is to have answers to the questions to which there are no answers, at least that we'll ever know. As was already pointed out, religion is more likely an evolutionary relic from our more primitive ancestors, not some sort of carefully construced tool of manipulation. Sure, people learned how to use religion as control, and that concept then latched itself onto religion.
But to say that religion was created specifically for that purpose fails to account for why religion is so attractive to the masses, and that is because it gives them answers to life's existential questions, which, in turn, gives them a sense of control over their lives. It appears to me that it's much more likely that that reason was truly the original purpose for religion, because our emotional needs evolved much earlier than the intellectual ability to manipulate others with ideas.
But to say that religion was created specifically for that purpose fails to account for why religion is so attractive to the masses, and that is because it gives them answers to life's existential questions, which, in turn, gives them a sense of control over their lives. It appears to me that it's much more likely that that reason was truly the original purpose for religion, because our emotional needs evolved much earlier than the intellectual ability to manipulate others with ideas.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
