I hope to learn something here, what you think.
My thought is the purpose of religion is to bring ones own life into harmony with the will of God. Agree or disagree .
Curious what you think , believer and atheist .
What is the purpose of religion
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Clownboat
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Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #31Demonstrably wrong...dio9 wrote: I hope to learn something here, what you think.
My thought is the purpose of religion is to bring ones own life into harmony with the will of God. Agree or disagree .
Curious what you think , believer and atheist .
Due to the fact that religions do not point to any one will of any one god. As we all know, each religion points to their own version of a god.
If you said that the purpose of religions were to bring ones own life into harmony with that particular religions version of a god, then you might have a point.
IMO, the purpose of religion is to provide answers to unknowns.
For example:
How did we get here?
Why are we here?
What happens to us and our loved ones when death occurs?
What causes thunder and lightning?
You may find this interesting:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... ble-beings
Belief in such supernatural agents appears to be a near universal feature of human societies. There is some evidence that a predisposition towards beliefs of this kind may actually be innate - part of our natural, evolutionary heritage.
Barrett suggests we have evolved to be overly sensitive to agency. We evolved in an environment containing many agents - family members, friends, rivals, predators, prey, and so on. Spotting and understanding other agents helps us survive and reproduce. So we evolved to be sensitive to them - oversensitive in fact. Hear a rustle in the bushes behind you and you instinctively spin round, looking for an agent. Most times, there's no one there - just the wind in the leaves. But, in the environment in which we evolved, on those few occasions when there was an agent present, detecting it might well save your life. Far better to avoid several imaginary predators than be eaten by a real one. Thus evolution will select for an inheritable tendency to not just detect - but over detect - agency.
You can give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day, or you can teach a man to pray for fish and he will starve to death.
I blame man for codifying those rules into a book which allowed superstitious people to perpetuate a barbaric practice. Rules that must be followed or face an invisible beings wrath. - KenRU
It is sad that in an age of freedom some people are enslaved by the nomads of old. - Marco
If you are unable to demonstrate that what you believe is true and you absolve yourself of the burden of proof, then what is the purpose of your arguments? - brunumb
I blame man for codifying those rules into a book which allowed superstitious people to perpetuate a barbaric practice. Rules that must be followed or face an invisible beings wrath. - KenRU
It is sad that in an age of freedom some people are enslaved by the nomads of old. - Marco
If you are unable to demonstrate that what you believe is true and you absolve yourself of the burden of proof, then what is the purpose of your arguments? - brunumb
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Tcg
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Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #32If this part of your claim is true:
There are always exceptions but it is clear somethings are absolutely wrong,
Then your claimed purpose of religion given here:
Religion's absolute purpose is to point the way toward absolute value .
Then religion serves no function at all because it's purpose is to point to that which clear without it.
Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.
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Not believing isn't the same as believing not.
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I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
- Irvin D. Yalom
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Not believing isn't the same as believing not.
- wiploc
I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
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Filthy Tugboat
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Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #33Is tribalism such a bad thing? It worked well for most of human history, we flourished quite well, spread all around the globe and thrived in a great many environments all while operating under tribalism. We didn't leave a massive path of destruction in our wake either. Arguably if religion is what took us out of tribalism then religion is the problems that have come about since. Inequality and advanced warfare being pretty bad and arguably the subservient status given to women came about around the same time too.Matthew S wrote:It's our faith in religious morals and God's Judgement which regulates us--be it consciously or subconsciously--from destroying one another over material gain and tribalism. It's religiosity which encourages us to value one another and be content with our circumstances in this life.
Isn't this the world we live in today though? When has religion stood in the way of nationalism, racism, wealth and global domination to any substantiate degree. Indeed religion spurred on and benefited from these things for quite a long time. I'm not going to say that this was inherently a religious practice but religion worked with the state and sometimes against the state to achieve these ends for millennia.Matthew S wrote:On the contrary though, nationalism, racism, wealth and global domination are far greater threats to human civilization. Once you remove the ability to shame people for practicing injustice, you'll have nothing left to resort to against tyranny. In such a state, the 'King of the Jungle' approach is the most rational, and metaphysical concepts such as equality and empathy are but a hinderance to worldly success.
But it was religion that perpetrated the genocide during the second. And religion was the means by which the aristocracy and royalty ruled these countries that went to war. Divine rule is what led monarchies and empires since those "tribalism" days.Matthew S wrote:P.S. It wasn't religion that was responsible for the 100 million soldiers who died in the 2 World Wars. Indeed, human-beings also have the propensity to become violent over secular ideologies.
Religion feels to me a little like a Nigerian Prince scam. The "offer" is illegitimate, the "request" is unreasonable and the source is dubious, in fact, Nigeria doesn't even have a royal family.
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Tcg
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Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #34If this claim is true:
There are always exceptions but it is clear somethings are absolutely wrong...
Then the function of religion as you've explained here:
Religion's absolute purpose is to point the way toward absolute value .
Shows that religion is useless as it's purpose is to point out that which is already clear without it.
Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.
- American Atheists
Not believing isn't the same as believing not.
- wiploc
I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
- Irvin D. Yalom
- American Atheists
Not believing isn't the same as believing not.
- wiploc
I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
- Irvin D. Yalom
Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #35[Replying to Clownboat]
I rather say religions point to their best understanding of almighty God.
And I'd say science is a better answer to questions such as:
How did we get here?
Why are we here?
What happens to us and our loved ones when death occurs?
What causes thunder and lightning?
But I refer you th the wisdom of Buddha on the question of what happens to our loved ones when death occurs. He basically said who knows?
I rather say religions point to their best understanding of almighty God.
And I'd say science is a better answer to questions such as:
How did we get here?
Why are we here?
What happens to us and our loved ones when death occurs?
What causes thunder and lightning?
But I refer you th the wisdom of Buddha on the question of what happens to our loved ones when death occurs. He basically said who knows?
Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #36[Replying to post 33 by Tcg]
do you really believe absolute values are so clear? unless pointed out. The only hope we have for moving toward a better world is through education and that has to include absolute values.
do you really believe absolute values are so clear? unless pointed out. The only hope we have for moving toward a better world is through education and that has to include absolute values.
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Tcg
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Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #37I based my reply on your claim. You'll need to address this question to yourself.
Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.
- American Atheists
Not believing isn't the same as believing not.
- wiploc
I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
- Irvin D. Yalom
- American Atheists
Not believing isn't the same as believing not.
- wiploc
I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
- Irvin D. Yalom
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William
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Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #39[Replying to post 37 by historia]
The purpose of any religion, is displayed in their outward expressions. Therein is the evidence.
The purpose of any religion, is displayed in their outward expressions. Therein is the evidence.
Re: What is the purpose of religion
Post #40[Replying to William]
but we really can't depend on peoples behavior as the purpose , that's only an objective or goal . It was the behavior of Christians Nietzsche observed which caused him to declare god was dead. It's not what expression religion takes, religion only points the way.
My roots are Catholic Christian but I think Zen best points the way and that's not even a religion.
What we have is one supreme being and many religions.
Any religion might get you there or at least pointed in the right direction. The only way to know is to go.
but we really can't depend on peoples behavior as the purpose , that's only an objective or goal . It was the behavior of Christians Nietzsche observed which caused him to declare god was dead. It's not what expression religion takes, religion only points the way.
My roots are Catholic Christian but I think Zen best points the way and that's not even a religion.
What we have is one supreme being and many religions.
Any religion might get you there or at least pointed in the right direction. The only way to know is to go.
