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Social void & questions
March 7, 2018 at 8:39 pm
This thread is intended for discussion but I also happen to be experiencing this situation, if it were to affect your comment.
Some may disagree, but I think its hard to deny the social ‘benefits’ of religion or that the functional perspective of religion is accurate. So, I have a couple questions for those who have experienced or have experience related to the social void that comes with no longer being involved in a religion.
What have you done or are currently doing to refill this void and how has it affected your well-being?
What is an ideal solution that does not yet exist, if any?
Also, if you do not agree with or think there is a better question, given the situation, what question(s) would you ask?
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RE: Social void & questions
March 7, 2018 at 8:49 pm
(March 7, 2018 at 8:39 pm)rskovride Wrote: This thread is intended for discussion but I also happen to be experiencing this situation, if it were to affect your comment.
Some may disagree, but I think its hard to deny the social ‘benefits’ of religion or that the functional perspective of religion is accurate. So, I have a couple questions for those who have experienced or have experience related to the social void that comes with no longer being involved in a religion.
What have you done or are currently doing to refill this void and how has it affected your well-being?
What is an ideal solution that does not yet exist, if any?
Also, if you do not agree with or think there is a better question, given the situation, what question(s) would you ask?
I have never voluntarily belonged to a church. I am 58 and left the Catholic Church at 13 without shedding a tear. I did join a Sufi order when in my early 20's but was not really involved in any group activities for long. I have lived a rich life and have met many great people.
God thinks it's fun to confuse primates. Larsen's God!
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RE: Social void & questions
March 7, 2018 at 9:13 pm
(March 7, 2018 at 8:39 pm)rskovride Wrote: This thread is intended for discussion but I also happen to be experiencing this situation, if it were to affect your comment.
Some may disagree, but I think its hard to deny the social ‘benefits’ of religion or that the functional perspective of religion is accurate. So, I have a couple questions for those who have experienced or have experience related to the social void that comes with no longer being involved in a religion.
What have you done or are currently doing to refill this void and how has it affected your well-being?
What is an ideal solution that does not yet exist, if any?
Also, if you do not agree with or think there is a better question, given the situation, what question(s) would you ask?
Was your church your social life? Because for many Christians it is. If you need that kind of a group I suggest getting active in a club that appeals to your interests. Don't just join, volunteer your time. Get to know people.
It could be anything from auto restoration, to knitting, gardening. Consider volunteer positions that lead to social interactions like Habitat For Humanity. The bottom line is that the church isn't the only social group available.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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RE: Social void & questions
March 7, 2018 at 11:24 pm
(This post was last modified: March 7, 2018 at 11:32 pm by rskovride.)
(March 7, 2018 at 9:13 pm)Jenny A Wrote: (March 7, 2018 at 8:39 pm)rskovride Wrote:
Was your church your social life? Because for many Christians it is. If you need that kind of a group I suggest getting active in a club that appeals to your interests. Don't just join, volunteer your time. Get to know people.
It could be anything from auto restoration, to knitting, gardening. Consider volunteer positions that lead to social interactions like Habitat For Humanity. The bottom line is that the church isn't the only social group available.
For a period of about two years yes, my church was my social life. I left that and moved about 3 months ago. My life before was much worse, including about a decade of drug abuse and everything that came with it... So, I don't really have anything to fall back on or revert back to. I moved to a very rural area for work and there are 3 churches within five miles and the closest group of like minded people (atheists, humanists, rationalists) are an hour drive and that seems to be a problem not just for me but for our society if we are ever going to grow out of religion.
I have heard ideas about the social aspect of religion not having any secular parallels that are easily accessible and we as a society will not see significant movement away from religion until there is such groups or communities. For example, the unitarian universalist church is part of the way there. They do not have a religious creed but still offer social capital similar to religious churches. What is the next step? This is more the question I wanted to explore.
Personally, I have joined a couple of secular groups and have a support community in recovery but it feels much weaker.
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