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Why we still have religions.
January 7, 2013 at 7:55 am
This Picture sums it up completely.
![[Image: 582507_559531010741182_1268690828_n.jpg]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/582507_559531010741182_1268690828_n.jpg)
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful" - Edward Gibbon (Offen misattributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca or Seneca the Younger) (Thanks to apophenia for the correction)
'I am driven by two main philosophies:
Know more about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 7, 2013 at 7:58 am
The problem is more like: these people keep on breeding and indoctrinating their offspring which become new inured people... it's an endless loop!
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 7, 2013 at 8:56 am
I think a lot of people are motivated to hold a view point, not because that view has a good logical basis for them, but so that ratifies their allegiance to the group they want to be part of.
For instance I would propose, most Catholics do not agree with the teachings of the church, but they are catholic because that is how they wish to be identified. Because by identifying with that group it also can indicate social class, origins, and cultural affiliations of the individual.
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 7, 2013 at 8:59 am
For some people it is very comforting and in alot of cases a religious belief isnt a bad thing.
I am not the kind of person who attempts to rip away someones beliefs and forbids them.
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 8, 2013 at 9:51 pm
Religious belief has endured for several reasons, other than indoctrination, which is necessary but not the only factor holding religious belief in place.
1) An answer - It is human nature to want to understand the reasons for life and the purpose of our existence. Religion provides this to many people, and ultimately supplies their lives with meaning.
2) Community - Since religion can provide an individual with meaning, it is very easy to develop connections with others who share the same beliefs. Surrounding yourself with others who share the same values can be advantageous for several reasons. Being in the in-group provides various forms of assistance when necessary. Furthermore, feeling connected with a community has been correlated with improved quality of life, happiness, etc. The in-group/out-group dynamic would have been particularly useful many years ago, but can still be easily seen today.
3) Comfort - Since religion can provide an answer on life (point 1), it is believed that it can provide an answer on death. Nothing would be better than too know when your loved ones die, they are literally in a better place. It can comfort the inconsolable with the hope of seeing a loved one again. This is another reason why increased levels of depression and a perceived lower quality of life has been correlated lack of religiosity.
(Remember, correlation does not mean causation, but merely a statistical relationship).
There are probably more factors but these are what stick out the most. Indoctrination is a necessary factor....the foundation if you will, but these other factors only strengthen belief. All of them actually revolve around increasing comfort in some capacity.
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 9, 2013 at 10:29 am
Those who keep their beliefs to themselves are wonderful people. I always tell Christians who are trying to force their beliefs on others that it's okay to have a religion, believe in it, let it enrich your life and make you a better person but do not shove it on to others.
Sadly most (though not all) Christians, and people of other religions are absolutely incapable of live and let live.
~*~Your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does ~*~
~*~Live a good life. If there are Gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are Gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no Gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones - Marcus Aurelius~*~
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 9, 2013 at 11:06 pm
(January 7, 2013 at 7:55 am)Gooders1002 Wrote: This Picture sums it up completely.
There are still religions because there is a way to make a living from promoting them. Take away the income and the religion goes away. Unless the god is speaking for itself in clear sentences in the language of the listeners obedience to the gods is always obedience to the priests. With that comes power, income, respect even reverence, deference, you name it.
A friend actually tried it. Got the cheap black suit, bib and collar and wore it on a flight from Syracuse to DC. He couldn't carry is own bags. People made way for him. Stews were always watching for his needs. He was sort of in awe of the difference in the way he was treated. Frankly I can't imagine wanting that kind of treatment and my friend never did it again for not liking it. But there are people crowding divinity schools to get that treatment because it comes with the territory.
And the rare sect idea of a minister having to support himself never quite works out either because whatever the work he does it is never on an even footing, never without special treatment. The preacher might make the worst furniture in town but everyone is going to buy some.
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 9, 2013 at 11:39 pm
Quote:It is human nature to want to understand the reasons for life and the purpose of our existence.
Well...more precisely it is human nature to think that we are so fucking special that we must have a "reason" for life beyond merely reproducing.
Cows and sheep don't seem to suffer from this disadvantage. They eat, shit, fuck and die without a care in the world for some silly afterlife.
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RE: Why we still have religions.
January 10, 2013 at 7:55 pm
(January 9, 2013 at 11:39 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:It is human nature to want to understand the reasons for life and the purpose of our existence.
Well...more precisely it is human nature to think that we are so fucking special that we must have a "reason" for life beyond merely reproducing.
Cows and sheep don't seem to suffer from this disadvantage. They eat, shit, fuck and die without a care in the world for some silly afterlife.
I can agree with that!
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