well im asking what you think the purpose of it is. because i havent seen a thread with this question yet.
what is the purpose of religion?
I think religion is a natural and human reaction to the unknown. We won't feel so utterly small and vulnerable if we put labels on the things we don't understand. Then some people found out that preaching to the masses will earn advantages and respect. Thus the religion is in motion with more and more elaborate stories and explanations to the world.
So IMHO the purpose of religion is that it gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling, and power over peers.
I once heard that all human civilizations have developed a religion, one way or another.
So IMHO the purpose of religion is that it gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling, and power over peers.
I once heard that all human civilizations have developed a religion, one way or another.
I don't think that the only purpose is to have a warm fuzzy feeling, in fact some religions don't give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Take Chirstianity or Judaism which both have teachings about Hell and Satan and make thier god seem rather brutal in respect to non believers. Religion is more so the allow the followers of a religion the ability to come into communion with each other through thier beliefs (this is said on the most basic of secular reasoning assuming that there is no "right" religion) and to help each person grow closer to thier god. Whether or not that brings about a "warm fuzzy feeling" is secondary.
There can be different purposes for different people.
For most, it's for moral guidance and a sense of belonging in a group, big "family". Most religions have rules about how to act and what would result from your actions.
For some, it's for calming of fears, (fears of death, and the "afterlife", etc). It reassures people that they'd not just disappear into thin air after they die, and such.
And yet for others, mostly the ruling top of religious groups, it can often turn from pure spiritual satisfaction to fulfilling their own political agenda, which is one of the reasons why so many deaths resulted from religons.
For most, it's for moral guidance and a sense of belonging in a group, big "family". Most religions have rules about how to act and what would result from your actions.
For some, it's for calming of fears, (fears of death, and the "afterlife", etc). It reassures people that they'd not just disappear into thin air after they die, and such.
And yet for others, mostly the ruling top of religious groups, it can often turn from pure spiritual satisfaction to fulfilling their own political agenda, which is one of the reasons why so many deaths resulted from religons.
From reading religious texts, I think most of them started with the purpose of political control.
In modern America, I think most people participate in religions for the warm, fuzzy feeling and the social interaction.
Most people are too wussy to be athiest
. Can't really blame them, either o_O.
In modern America, I think most people participate in religions for the warm, fuzzy feeling and the social interaction.
Most people are too wussy to be athiest
. Can't really blame them, either o_O.People fear what they dont understand so they make it something they might understand. I also think that people believe in a god or godlike being because they need a role model.
All religions belive in one superpower. The god, but the community is devided over the persons who are followers of god. in hindus, there are rama, krishna, etc. in muslims it's the prophet, i christans, it's jsus and many more communities who have thre own versions of the true followers of the god.
what's the purpose of religion?
There are two major viewpoints of religion.
The first is the religious point of view.
Religion sees God as the Creator. He created us to worship Him. However an evil force, some say satan, opposed man with arrogance. And this led to God casting out satan. We are on this earth, as a test, to prove our loyalty to God. Whoever believes in God, is passing the test. Thus the religious view point, sees God first, then humans.
The atheists view point, see God as a creation, because people feel the urge to worship something. God was created to explain the unexplainable. But now that we have science, atheists are confident to abolish God. They see science as an explantion for the unexplanable. Now that science is here, it can replace religion. Thus the atheist view point, sees humans first, then God.
However, the battle between atheism and religion, will destroy religion. The only thing that can save religion is IF one particular religion is actually true. This is because if God has not left a right religion, noone will know what to hold on to, and thus people will fall to explainable. The unexplainable will be said not to exist.
In modern days, the purpose of religion is only for truth. Science has explained lots of things. Storms, electricity, space. Thus, there is a need for religion, only if you believe that religion is true. Only if you believe God comes first. You need to have a religious view point. Converts to religion have to change their viewpoint. Thus religion is now only for truth. If one of them is true, then it will last forever even if limited to one man. If all are false, then science shall destroy religion.
There are two major viewpoints of religion.
The first is the religious point of view.
Religion sees God as the Creator. He created us to worship Him. However an evil force, some say satan, opposed man with arrogance. And this led to God casting out satan. We are on this earth, as a test, to prove our loyalty to God. Whoever believes in God, is passing the test. Thus the religious view point, sees God first, then humans.
The atheists view point, see God as a creation, because people feel the urge to worship something. God was created to explain the unexplainable. But now that we have science, atheists are confident to abolish God. They see science as an explantion for the unexplanable. Now that science is here, it can replace religion. Thus the atheist view point, sees humans first, then God.
However, the battle between atheism and religion, will destroy religion. The only thing that can save religion is IF one particular religion is actually true. This is because if God has not left a right religion, noone will know what to hold on to, and thus people will fall to explainable. The unexplainable will be said not to exist.
In modern days, the purpose of religion is only for truth. Science has explained lots of things. Storms, electricity, space. Thus, there is a need for religion, only if you believe that religion is true. Only if you believe God comes first. You need to have a religious view point. Converts to religion have to change their viewpoint. Thus religion is now only for truth. If one of them is true, then it will last forever even if limited to one man. If all are false, then science shall destroy religion.
| loyal wrote: |
| ....
There are two major viewpoints of religion. The first is the religious point of view. Religion sees God as the Creator. He created us to worship Him. However an evil force, some say satan, opposed man with arrogance. And this led to God casting out satan. We are on this earth, as a test, to prove our loyalty to God. Whoever believes in God, is passing the test. Thus the religious view point, sees God first, then humans. ...... |
I agree with what you say, in spirit.
But i think we should broaden the view of religion to incorporate all kinds of religions in this thread.
Not only old testament offsprings but we should also include Nordic folklore, Naturism, belive in "Bob", or even satanism etc. etc.
If we include naturism (naturalism?) in the definition of religion i think we should exclude the social interaction from the purposes of religion. Those guys seems to prefer to worship in solitude.
The purpose of religion, in my view, is the same as the purpose of mythology. And Joseph Campbell probably described that purpose best as "four functions":
- The mystical. To put the human in touch with the wondrous. To make us realize "what a wonder the universe is, and what a wonder [we] are, and experiencing awe before this mystery."
- The cosmological. To give an image of the universe and infuse it with meaning - connecting everything. What people like to call religion "explaining the unexplainable". And no, science has not made this function obsolete. Not to me, and not to a religious person.
- The sociological. To introduce specific norms on how people are to behave - to enforce a chosen morality - and support a specific social order.
- The psychological. To explain "how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances". Which is, to give meaning to the individual's life.
This is why myths are/were told, and this is why, in my opinion, religions exist. To make people wonder at the world and themselves, understand and accept, behave and belong, feel purpose and meaning.
A lot of religious people deplore modern society's lack of religion, myth, god - because it's clear that a large amount of people lack the values and feelings that these concepts provide. Countless scholars have written books on subjects like "Why Religion Matters". Many more people have experienced a religious person judging their life as hollow and purposeless, questioning their morality etc. - whether they're atheists or people of a different religious background.
Do we need myths? Most likely. That's why humanity has culture/art - literature, music, painting, cinema, comics, architecture etc. It's why we tell stories. Everyday stories, mini-myths, whole mythologies, "religion in narrative".
Do we need religion, though? More questionable. Religion does not hold a patent on awe, understanding, morality or purpose. Do I have these four concepts, being an atheist? Certainly. In some cases more so than the devout religious person. What distiniguishing feature does religion add to the concept of myths? Just one that I can think of: Authority. Which is where myth becomes potentially dangerous.
- The mystical. To put the human in touch with the wondrous. To make us realize "what a wonder the universe is, and what a wonder [we] are, and experiencing awe before this mystery."
- The cosmological. To give an image of the universe and infuse it with meaning - connecting everything. What people like to call religion "explaining the unexplainable". And no, science has not made this function obsolete. Not to me, and not to a religious person.
- The sociological. To introduce specific norms on how people are to behave - to enforce a chosen morality - and support a specific social order.
- The psychological. To explain "how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances". Which is, to give meaning to the individual's life.
This is why myths are/were told, and this is why, in my opinion, religions exist. To make people wonder at the world and themselves, understand and accept, behave and belong, feel purpose and meaning.
A lot of religious people deplore modern society's lack of religion, myth, god - because it's clear that a large amount of people lack the values and feelings that these concepts provide. Countless scholars have written books on subjects like "Why Religion Matters". Many more people have experienced a religious person judging their life as hollow and purposeless, questioning their morality etc. - whether they're atheists or people of a different religious background.
Do we need myths? Most likely. That's why humanity has culture/art - literature, music, painting, cinema, comics, architecture etc. It's why we tell stories. Everyday stories, mini-myths, whole mythologies, "religion in narrative".
Do we need religion, though? More questionable. Religion does not hold a patent on awe, understanding, morality or purpose. Do I have these four concepts, being an atheist? Certainly. In some cases more so than the devout religious person. What distiniguishing feature does religion add to the concept of myths? Just one that I can think of: Authority. Which is where myth becomes potentially dangerous.
| curnow wrote: |
| well im asking what you think the purpose of it is. because i havent seen a thread with this question yet. |
I think that the best way to answer the question is to first ask a prior question: What is the nature of religion?
"Religion" has two meanings: the subjective (man-based) and the objective. The subjective meaning of religion is found in the innate desire of every man to worship the gods. This is primal. It is like the thirst for water or the hunger for food. Atheism as we know it is rather a modern invention.
The objective meaning of religion is the one that people normally refer to here in this forum. The manifestation in structures and external behavior of the worship of the gods or God.
Based on these two points, what is the purpose of religion? Taken objectively, religion are the insitutions, rites and rituals, symbols used to commune with the gods or God. The purpose is "communion" and from this basic idea are rooted the others: the expression of the desire for salvation, of being released from the chaos of this life.
The subjective meaning is quite obvious. If religion is the innate desire for God then the purpose is the "possession" of God, or -- as Augustine would put it -- delighting in God.
| supposing wrote: |
| From reading religious texts, I think most of them started with the purpose of political control. |
^^ Agree. And it helps church to make a loads of cash and make it the richest empire on the earth.
Also the purpose of religion is to try simply answer on hard questions about existance and surounding us world, unfortunaetly those answers are wrong and still changing
.the purpose is of course for the leaders to control the masses.
One of the key idea is accept to be poor, to work a lot and be unhappy, you will be rewarded later.
It is a genius idea ! How they succeeded to make it work. Give me everything, give me your life, you will be rewarded when you will be dead !
One of the key idea is accept to be poor, to work a lot and be unhappy, you will be rewarded later.
It is a genius idea ! How they succeeded to make it work. Give me everything, give me your life, you will be rewarded when you will be dead !
The purpose of religion is to teach people about the spiritual life.
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Agree. And it helps church to make a loads of cash and make it the richest empire on the earth. Also the purpose of religion is to try simply answer on hard questions about existance and surounding us world, unfortunaetly those answers are wrong and still changing |
Well you cannot blame the church for Christianity. You should not judge Christianity by its followers. Judge it by its teachings. Those hypocrites that make the money will get a punishment.
Religion is not always wrong you know. Take Islam. Many scientific facts established in the old Islamic empire were from the Qur'an. Or what about the Bible claiming the earth is round. That's pretty amazing.
| loyal wrote: |
| Well you cannot blame the church for Christianity. You should not judge Christianity by its followers. Judge it by its teachings. Those hypocrites that make the money will get a punishment.
Religion is not always wrong you know. Take Islam. Many scientific facts established in the old Islamic empire were from the Qur'an. Or what about the Bible claiming the earth is round. That's pretty amazing. |
Yeah teachings are also irrational. I would say 90% make money.
Haha when you have to chose beetween flat and round its 50% chances.
Also Old Testament in Bible were written in mesopotamia where Summers lived. That's Summers who belived that earth is rounded (also Pythagoras or Plato which were known as good mathematics), circles around sun, they invented wheel, divided day into 24 hours, hour to 60 seconds, and from there probably comes maths and astrology. What's more interesting from there comes the myths, about which you can read in Greek mythology, Roman mythology, and... Bible. No wonder Bible says earth is rounded.
| schnitzi wrote: |
| I believe religion can be largely explained as a series of memes. |
I think religion is an attempt at finding order and explanations of the unknown. Most of the problems with religion stem from the establishment of religious authority. Most religious authorities have bitten off more than they can chew. I think religions should limit the scope of their guidance to helping us get along with each other, leaving recruiting to reputation. Using a revered example such as (insert name of deity, saint, prophet or guru) is a good way to provide guidance for the next generation. The most serious mistake most religions have made is teaching that there is one true religion and all others are wrong. ALL religions have been invented by people and people make mistakes. For example, any religious authority that advocates violence or punishment has missed the point.
I try to live my life by simple principles. In no particular order:
1 Accept that your life has no cosmic significance.
2 Know the difference between doing harm and doing good.
3 Understand that there are things you will never understand.
4 Admit you don't have all the answers.
5 Everyone has an opinion which they think is valid.
6 Some things are just not worth the effort of getting upset.
7 Learn everything you can.
8 Do your best.
We cling to the idea that people who do evil will get what they deserve just as good people will be rewarded. It's a nice idea but it doesn't solve any problems. Why can't we just admit we don't know what happens after we die and get on with living?
| schnitzi wrote: |
| I believe religion can be largely explained as a series of memes. |
dammit i was just about to be a smart arse and say this! i have to agree and i'm sure scourge of god(s) (or servent of the devil) richard dawkins would agree with you.
i see it that as social pressure to be religious drops in the western world, and that the power (i.e. fitness) of the meme for providing for it's own survival drops, the number of people who invest in religion will drop too.
religions are probably seperate memes that have evolved (god the creationists will hate this one) from a few proto-memes, they show direct lineages (christianity and islam are descended from judaism etc)
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christianity and islam are descended from judaism etc |
This is commonly thought but wrong. Islam does not descend from Judaism. Islam is from an arab tribe in Mecca. The prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings upon him, knew little about Judaism. And yet he preached a similar religion...concidence? It was only untill he went Medina did he meets lots and lots of Jews and learn lots of things. Islam does not come from Judaism, although it has copied stuff, from when the prophet was in medina.
I don't understand religion much or as much as i would like to undertand it.
With that said, i think the main reason we have the idea of religion is because we need something to go to when we have unanswered questions, ideas, or problems. If science could solve everything and prove everything there would be no religion. But as long as science can't answer all the questions, may it be death, birth, life, beggining or end, there will always be religion.
With that said, i think the main reason we have the idea of religion is because we need something to go to when we have unanswered questions, ideas, or problems. If science could solve everything and prove everything there would be no religion. But as long as science can't answer all the questions, may it be death, birth, life, beggining or end, there will always be religion.
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions
beacause i'm obviously wrong
beacause i'm obviously wrong
They are derived from Abraham. Not Moses. Jews' prophet is Moses.
Besides, wikipedia is written by atheists and is not maintened by scholars so you should not trust it. I know more about my religion than wikipedia probaly.
Besides, wikipedia is written by atheists and is not maintened by scholars so you should not trust it. I know more about my religion than wikipedia probaly.
To praise God.
supplying happiness for humanbeings in this world and hereafter
| palavra wrote: |
| supplying happiness for humanbeings in this world and hereafter |
So why is so much misery perpetrated in the name of religion?
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So why is so much misery perpetrated in the name of religion? |
It is not all in the name of religion. Atheists too cause lots of misery.
Religions are all good (except satanism). They promote goodness, charity, unity of mankind. The only thing wrong, is people. They do not follow their religions.
You have sucide bombers ignoring the commandments to not kill except in war or self-defence.
The problem is hypocrites.
| loyal wrote: |
| Religions are all good (except satanism). They promote goodness, charity, unity of mankind. The only thing wrong, is people. They do not follow their religions.
You have sucide bombers ignoring the commandments to not kill except in war or self-defence. |
The problem is that people interpret religion however they damn well please.
For instance, which commandment is it that says don't kill except in war or self-defense?
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| The problem is hypocrites. |
Hypocrite.
| loyal wrote: | ||
It is not all in the name of religion. Atheists too cause lots of misery. |
I didn't say ALL misery was made in the name of religion. I also didn't say that religion is the cause of misery. I said some people use religion as their excuse when they are inflicting so much misery on others.
To paraphrase Hippocrates from another context "do no harm" is a very good basic rule for living our lives.
| schnitzi wrote: |
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The problem is that people interpret religion however they damn well please. For instance, which commandment is it that says don't kill except in war or self-defense? |
Glorious Qur'an [4:29]: O you who believe, do not consume each others' properties illicitly - only mutually acceptable transactions are permitted. You shall not kill yourselves. GOD is Merciful towards you.
Glorious Qur'an [4:89]: They wish that you disbelieve as they have disbelieved, then you become equal. Do not consider them friends, unless they mobilize along with you in the cause of GOD. If they turn against you, you shall fight them, and you may kill them when you encounter them in war. You shall not accept them as friends, or allies.
Glorious Qur'an [17:33]: You shall not kill any person - for GOD has made life sacred - except in the course of justice (e.g. self-defence). If one is killed unjustly, then we give his heir authority to enforce justice. Thus, he shall not exceed the limits in avenging the murder, he will be helped.
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| Hypocrite.
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Why did you just insult me?
May God bless you.
another way to fulfill ones life. Other ways are the physical (body) and the mental (mind). Religion is for the soul (heart). Not an atheist but also a believer in one of the oldest (if not THE oldest religion) - the Vedas. And for all ye out there - Vedas just means knowledge or "To Know", "To Learn". And the one who has learned everything and who knows all is one with the universe!
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