What human purpose does religion fill?

[kramazeek]

I've often wonder why people gravitate towards religion and have found that the answer is difficult to find amongst those that do no believe. So let's spitball; what does religion provide that logic day to day existence does not? What did those that existed two thousand years ago get from an unprovable fantasy? The mind or the ego wanted something; what?

there are so so so many factors leading up to the creation of, and the continuation of, religion. The earlier purpose of religion was a feeble attempt to explain things that were otherwise inexplicable. the human brain has an innate, knee jerk reaction to fill itself full of possible explanations to fear of the unknown. when a child hears a noise in a dark room, it's the boogie man, or the monster under his bed. when a young human species encountered things like earth quakes or natural disasters, it's an angry god. However in this day and age when we are finding more and more scientific explanations for the happenings in the world around us, religion serves as a place to belong. It serves as a direction to follow. It serves as a "greater good". which i think that last part is certainly up for debate. one thing that has remained true about the purpose of religion since the beginning is that is serves as a way for the few to control the many. 

but what do i know. i'm just an idiot punching away at tiny squares on a box that magically talks to other peoples magic boxes.

I agree, but I think at the consumer level it's simpler. I person either wants to understand what is unknown or they want something other that what is known and undesirable. It's as though religion becomes a placeholder for human development and later that placeholder becomes an impediment for the very same reason. Where once it provided comfort against the unknown it now provides comfort against the known. A no win for rational thought and progress?

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I've often wonder why people gravitate towards religion and have found that the answer is difficult to find amongst those that do no believe. So let's spitball; what does religion provide that logic day to day existence does not? What did those that existed two thousand years ago get from an unprovable fantasy? The mind or the ego wanted something; what?

Logic doesn't and never will tell you what moves you or what will bring you fulfillment.  For that you have to look to something within which is not answerable to logic.  That is where religion got its toe-hold.

Isn't that something fear? Or some other common human reaction to the human condition? I certainly agree but isn't it common and simple at the root? I fear death so I won't die? I hate that my neighbor is eyeballing my Biblically hot wife so enough of that? What would the Christian Bible look like if it were written today? What common fears do we all possess and what would the psychological manifestations look like in the form of ra modern religion?

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Logic doesn't and never will tell you what moves you or what will bring you fulfillment.  For that you have to look to something within which is not answerable to logic.  That is where religion got its toe-hold.

In other words, people need religion to lie to them, to reassure them things whose real basis in reality can't be admitted to is well founded upon something made up that is putatively glamourous.

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I think yes; what does the core of religion look like and what shelter does it provide to humanity en masse? Is it a shelter from an uncomfortable psychological reality? Does man build a religion to shelter himself from an uncomfortable reality in the same way man builds a shelter to keep out the cold?

[brian1570]

another interesting point to counter the question of "what if the christian bible had been written today?" is:

What if the christian bible of old was presented to a modern, educated person, that had not yet any encounter or familiarity with religion? He would think it was absolutely mad.

[Whateverist]

Logic doesn't and never will tell you what moves you or what will bring you fulfillment.  For that you have to look to something within which is not answerable to logic.  That is where religion got its toe-hold.

In other words, people need religion to lie to them, to reassure them things whose real basis in reality can't be admitted to is well founded upon something made up that is putatively glamourous.

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I've never thought religion served an empirical function.  It isn't just a primitive science substitute.  I think the conscious mind is such a huge departure from every other creature and our reliance on collaboration was so great that we needed to harmonize our sense of purpose and meaning.  Religious experience and later religion filled that role.  I don't think it is 'needed' but I suspect the images and ideas, any and all of them, are so time tested that people can still find meaning and purpose with them.  Culturally I think many people still find comfort in symbols and stories which are shared by their whole community.  It doesn't work for me but it is important to me to understand what other people get from it that isn't dismissive.  I think we can do better than critique its weakest cases.

[Minimalist]

[Aroura]

Human beings naturally seek explanations, see patterns, and recognize cause and effect.  This is actually an advantage we have, as a species.  When the grass moves, we can guess there is a tiger hiding in it, even if we cannot see the tiger.  
If there is a thunderstorm one night, and the next night half of the village comes down with the plague, people WILL ask why, and they WILL connect the two.  It's natural to invent the supernatural, when you haven't got a better explanation yet.

It takes people continuing to seek patterns and ask why to get to where we are today.  Yes, they had some stupid ass ideas from our perspective, but for their time, it was the best they could do.

As to why people cling to it today, I'd say because it is:
a) a form of control for leaders to excercise, so they keep the illusion up
b) it is conditioned into most children by their own parents, and into most societies as well.  Human children trust what an adult says.  This is also important to our survival as a species, but has the obviously terrible flaw of people accepting information just because it came from an "authority figure"
c) Death and social needs.  It soothes fear, and fills the desire humans have to form tribes of like minded people.

[robvalue]

There are several explanations which have already been covered. But I still think the biggest reason is indoctrination. People are psychologically programmed, most effectively when they are very young, and it breaks them. It implants a bunch of nonsense, with the brain being forced to put it in the "true" box. When they get older, the mind throws up all kinds of defences to try and stop those ideas coming under proper scrutiny. Those things are true, they are in the true box. So whatever argument says they are true must be a valid argument. Anything that says they are probably false must be an invalid argument.

I see it all the time, even on this forum. People who otherwise are I'm sure very intelligent talk absolute nonsense, using garbage arguments and hand waving they wouldn't use for any other subject. But to them, what they're saying doesn't sound like nonsense. And their beliefs don't register as the absurd childish imaginary beliefs that they are.

It takes a strong will and a desire to seek the truth to stop and really examine whether these beliefs should still be in the "truth" box. If they do that properly, they will find they should not be there, as many ex-theists on here have shown. But I think most people pretend (even to themselves) that they are examining them, when really there is no way they're going to change their mind.

[Longhorn]

It fills the pockets of the ones who know it's all bullshit, but I'd prefer if it filled the anuses of believers instead ._.

[Sappho]

There are several explanations which have already been covered. But I still think the biggest reason is indoctrination. People are psychologically programmed, most effectively when they are very young, and it breaks them. It implants a bunch of nonsense, with the brain being forced to put it in the "true" box. When they get older, the mind throws up all kinds of defences to try and stop those ideas coming under proper scrutiny. Those things are true, they are in the true box. So whatever argument says they are true must be a valid argument. Anything that says they are probably false must be an invalid argument.

I see it all the time, even on this forum. People who otherwise are I'm sure very intelligent talk absolute nonsense, using garbage arguments and hand waving they wouldn't use for any other subject. But to them, what they're saying doesn't sound like nonsense. And their beliefs don't register as the absurd childish imaginary beliefs that they are.

It takes a strong will and a desire to seek the truth to stop and really examine whether these beliefs should still be in the "truth" box. If they do that properly, they will find they should not be there, as many ex-theists on here have shown. But I think most people pretend (even to themselves) that they are examining them, when really there is no way they're going to change their mind.

I've been looking for this.
Someone who does not paint believers as unintelligent because of their believes.
Thank you.

[robvalue]

You're welcome I call the beliefs stupid, because in the cold light of day they are nonsensical to me, but I don't think people are stupid for believing them.

I have a lot of sympathy, I view the indoctrinated person as a victim. I've not been through religious programming myself, but I have suffered a similar kind of psychological abuse which implanted false statements in my mind as true. It's taken a long time to fight these including much therapy, and my mind naturally throws up the same kind of mental defences, to try and hold onto these implanted beliefs. Although I now "know" these beliefs aren't true, they still affect me and I have to actively keep them in their place. So I'm aware of the sheer power of indoctrination.

Challenging deeply held beliefs is uncomfortable, and it's always easier to fudge the issues and hold onto them than risk uprooting things and having your world turned upside down.

[Sappho]

You're welcome I call the beliefs stupid, because in the cold light of day they are nonsensical to me, but I don't think people are stupid for believing them.

I have a lot of sympathy, I view the indoctrinated person as a victim. I've not been through religious programming myself, but I have suffered a similar kind of psychological abuse which implanted false statements in my mind as true. It's taken a long time to fight these including much therapy, and my mind naturally throws up the same kind of mental defences, to try and hold onto these implanted beliefs. Although I now "know" these beliefs aren't true, they still affect me and I have to actively keep them in their place. So I'm aware of the sheer power of indoctrination.

Challenging deeply held beliefs is uncomfortable, and it's always easier to fudge the issues and hold onto them than risk uprooting things and having your world turned upside down.

It makes those people feel unconfortable, and it works as you said before.
The question is: let them stick with their believes or try to change them?