RE: Why would you want to believe in god?
June 29, 2015 at 5:12 pm
(This post was last modified: June 29, 2015 at 5:15 pm by Metis.)
I can see reasons why one might want to, obviously there is the comfort aspect of having a parental figure always watching over and helping you but the aspect that has always interested me far more is the cultural aspect.
All cultures have little shared memes, to borrow the term, that are both relatable to everyone else in the culture and serve as a building point for a social bond, weaker than kin but a recognition of some similarity between you. It could be foods only served in a specific locale, a local dialect, a predominant style of dress in an area.
Religious beliefs are far more interesting in that they can transcend familial and cultural bonds and as we can see in the cases of religious fanatics loyalty to fellow believers actually can come above blood and marital ties in priority of importance. Religion can create very tightly knit communities who given the right situation can achive goals that other wise would appear impossible. Almost all of the Orthodox Churches across the US were founded by some old granny and her fellow vultures from Eastern Europe who devoted their spare time to fundraising for it to lead to the construction of some gigantic local landmark.
I mean seriously, for what other cause but religion would minorities at the time known for being deep in poverty gang together to cough up something like this?
![[Image: OCA-banner.png]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=stcyril.us%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F05%2FOCA-banner.png)
The level of intimate connection and trust the devout believers feel towards others of the faith is something that continues to astound me, and sometimes I do wonder what that must be like. In some Churches, oddly enough the Westaboro Baptist Church are an excellent example of this, they have a very closely knit support network. Communal identity and a sense of belonging are often tied to, produced and maintained by religion.
All cultures have little shared memes, to borrow the term, that are both relatable to everyone else in the culture and serve as a building point for a social bond, weaker than kin but a recognition of some similarity between you. It could be foods only served in a specific locale, a local dialect, a predominant style of dress in an area.
Religious beliefs are far more interesting in that they can transcend familial and cultural bonds and as we can see in the cases of religious fanatics loyalty to fellow believers actually can come above blood and marital ties in priority of importance. Religion can create very tightly knit communities who given the right situation can achive goals that other wise would appear impossible. Almost all of the Orthodox Churches across the US were founded by some old granny and her fellow vultures from Eastern Europe who devoted their spare time to fundraising for it to lead to the construction of some gigantic local landmark.
I mean seriously, for what other cause but religion would minorities at the time known for being deep in poverty gang together to cough up something like this?
The level of intimate connection and trust the devout believers feel towards others of the faith is something that continues to astound me, and sometimes I do wonder what that must be like. In some Churches, oddly enough the Westaboro Baptist Church are an excellent example of this, they have a very closely knit support network. Communal identity and a sense of belonging are often tied to, produced and maintained by religion.
