Why do we have religion? My feeling on the matter is that it simply exists to help us, as humans, to be put at at ease and make us feel we know the answers to questions we are unable to comprehend the answers to. For example, if you think about it (and I mean really think) no-one on this planet knows for sure how our existence as we know it came to be. Before all you quantum physicists bombard me with the big bang theory, my question in response to all your “facts” would be “yes, but where did THAT come from?”. It’s a futile argument, and we realised that long ago; hence religion. When religion came along, everyone was finally able to say “Ahhh, so THAT’S the answer. (Insert name of appropriate omnipotent being here) did it.”
Why, in this age of reason, do people still blindly accept their version of “the truth”? Would we all go into some sort of mass frenzy if everybody suddenly dropped their faith and accepted as a fact that the answer is unattainable?
We have organized religion to opiate us against the despair of our dreary lives, to prop us up like a crutch, to soothe our petty souls with the smug knowledge that we are right and the [insert religion here]s are all wrong, wrong, wrong. To use simple formulas to answer complex ethical problems, persecute those who are in the minority for our own gain, to use as a political weapon.
Also, to give us a reason to behave. The idea that the gods know what you did, even if your neighbors don’t, and are waiting to punish you in the hereafter is a powerful one.
I went to a religious school. Our teacher told us that on Judgement Day, we would have to confess every sin in front of everyone, and every thought that had ever went through our minds would be known to all. I think the general idea was to spare yourself the embarassment by policing yourself carefully.
I am 100% for personally fulfilling spirituality. I am also 100% in favour of a supportive spiritual community for individuals to come together to share their experiences.
I am against organized religions where everyone has (and/or is required to have) uniform beliefs, and where the authority of the Church is absolute. Such institutions are rotten with corruption.
It is the oldest, most brilliant scam in existence, cleverly designed to take property from you, the Repentant Fool, and place it with me, the Holy Roller. I get rich and you get nothing. . .and the best thing, is that you are happy about this arrangement and continue to give, give, give!!
Although I agree with most posters so far on religion’s value (I’m an athiest), I think religion came into being for the following reasons (among others, of course):
as stated above, to give people “explanations” for things they did not understand.
to provide a community of people who believe similar tenets, and to provide support for/among those people: like a party system in government, or even a club of some sort.
to provide (for many religions) a base value system, or at least a guideline for living.
Personally, I think most religions agree on the general stuff and are arguing/fighting over dumb details. But hey, that’s just me.
Jenkinsfan I can’t speek for any one but my self, but I have no religion because the facts and the theorys I beleve explain the universe to me. How ever if some one were to produce some ‘good’ evidence of creationisum to me then i would consiter it a good theory and worth more reshreach but that has not hapened yet. How ever I feel that how someone is razed has alot to do with there religion.
Because I accept the fact that I probably will never know the answers to the “big” questions, I don’t feel as if I need to know, or rather, pretend that I do. As I said earlier - religion is an unbelievable, unproven hypothesis (though I did like the scam analogy earlier) that I simply do not buy.
Let’s imagine that religion is the correct “answer” - who would you say is right? The Catholics? Hindus? Buddhists? Muslims? Scientologists? If one of these groups has the answer, then I’m afraid everyone else has been wrong all along.
Someone’s going to get to say a big “I told you so”.
We have religion originally, way back, because faith in authority is a cheap way to pull rank.
We see it in a small scale here on the SDMB, where post count is equated to penis size or alpha male rights or whatever you want to call it. “I’m right because I’m biggest, strongest, oldest, first at something.”
One inch from that is ancestor worship. “You’ll do it because Pa said it was your destiny, rest his soul.”
This step alone creates the need for an afterlife for Pa, to sustain his authority.
Now we have ghosts and mysterious ways, and - -
Well, you know the rest.
I’m sure this was thought up by some great thinker, but I don’t know who should get the credit. So I’ll just pass it along.
We have religion because of evolution.
I see you all scratching your heads, so allow me to explain.
Humans, as a group, need to cooperate to survive. They often compete (especially in earlier times) against other groups. What better way to get cooperation and a tight group than by making sure everybody in your group believes the same thing and is willing to sacrifice their lives for the good of the group because of it.
Think about it. Many religious groups promise everlasting life in their version of Heaven to those who are martyred for the cause. They are sacrificing themselves so the group can survive.
Throughout history, societies have relied upon a perfect balance of mythos and logos. Logos - science and anything which involved evidence and/or common sense to deduce - tells us “How,” whereas mythos - religion and any belief-structure not constrained with a need for evidence, faith - askd “Why.”
It can be shown that in any society where they tried to have one supercede the other, or take one away completely - that the results were always bad.
A society that tries to remove its logos will not get anywhere. A society without mythos quickly becomes uninspired. I am putting this in the most banal way, but I’m sure you grasp the point.
So, the answer to the OP is a simple one - To answer the question “Why?”
Yer pal,
Satan
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Because the simplest way to keep the peasants from revolting is to allow them to believe that they’ll be better off (and the ruling class will be worse off) in the afterlife.
I feel that there has to be at least “something” out there, some divine force, because we live through it everyday. Have you ever heard somebody use a term that you have never heard before…ever…and then you hear it at least two other times that day?
Anyways,
What is so wrong with organized religion? Some may just be using it to keep their questions answered. Others, such as avid atheists who later convert, must have felt some force pull them from their beliefs.
This is along the same lines, but a tad off the subject:
How come there seem to be so few atheists IRL and so many on the internet? I wonder if there are far more actual atheists/agnostics out there than people think? (I remember reading somewhere that 90% of Americans believe in God).
I don’t know… Of course atheists would be better hidden because they don’t get together for a few hours every Sunday, too…