RE: What is the function of religion?
May 14, 2014 at 10:37 am
(This post was last modified: May 14, 2014 at 10:38 am by Whateverist.)
(May 14, 2014 at 8:19 am)Hegel Wrote: (1) What are/is the function(s) of religion?
You are asking what positive role explains its prevalence in human societies everywhere. Good question. It is easy to identify faults with every particular manifestation. So the question is what it is we've gotten in return that has kept it in play so long? [I don't have the answer but it is a question that interests me.]
(May 14, 2014 at 8:19 am)Hegel Wrote: (2) Should someone who does not believe in the truth claims of organized religions (atheists in particular) change his/her view towards religion if it is accepted that religion actually has beneficial function for a society that our secular age is in danger of destroying?
Yes. We shouldn't be so hell bent on throwing out the whole thing until we've identified the 'baby' in the bath. At the same time, theists who come here to preach will find their critical thinking skills challenged and, sometimes, their faith as well. (Participation here is not mandatory.)
(May 14, 2014 at 8:19 am)Hegel Wrote: (3) How could these functions, if one remains thoroughly secular in one's ethics and thought, be implemented within a secular framework; should an atheist or a secularist develop a secular religion, and if so, what could it look?
Make up an ideal religion without all the bad parts? No need. Kurt Vonnegut already did that in his Cat's Cradle novel. Spiritually, I'm a Bokononist.
But seriously I have my doubts about deliberate attempts to manufacture religion. There may be existential value in religious experience of the Shamanic variety, but to have benefit to the society as a whole, that probably works best in a tribal setting. Perhaps we could scavenge a few useful bits from Shamanism for modern consumption. Wait, we already have access to peyote, 'shrooms and such like. The trick then is to provide settings where these can be taken in a sacred/serious setting rather than just for larks. Or maybe we should just go 'walk about' at some point in our lives. Or we could go camping alone on a vision quest with a little substance to put the mind in a different place. Perhaps there should be a recommended reading list for those who go seeking to prepare the conscious mind for surprises.
