What's The Function Of Religion?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	14 Jun 2002
I was wondering today what religion is for? What casues people to feel close to relgion, and what causes others not to? Is it something biological? Psychological? Is it genetic? What would evolutionists and sociobiologists say about it, and does religion have an adverse or good affect on our society? Lots of questions! Kiama

Rain	14 Jun 2002
I can only speak for myself. For me, a Spiritist, my beleifs are not considered religion. To me they are pure facts that are undeneyably correct and hold no contradictions. It helps me get through every day on this terrible planet we reside in, knowing that the next life will be a better one. I remember one day, I wasn't supposed to be out, but I stole the car anyway. I went to see my boyfriend (the things we do for "love") in the middle of the night. On my way back home, I got a flat tire. The second I pulled off to the side of the road, my phone rang and it was my mother. She said she'd scenced something was up and and it had awaken her from her sleep. It was around 2 30 in the morning, and I was in dc. For those of you who aren't in the metropolitan area, dc is not the place you want to be at 2 30 in the morning. I was so terrified. Anyway, I closed my eyes and tried to stop the tears from rolling down my face to keep my composure (I was sobbing hysterically) while I waited for my mother to come get me. I grabbed my necklace (a silver angle with a pink diamond) and I began to pray. The Lord as my witness, no more than 2 seconds went by and I had stopped crying, sobbing and my fears went away completely. I love to sing. For those that know me know that I can't go a day without singing. I made the talent show at my school, but I also know that I have terrible stage fright. The first time I performed my number for the approval of my administrator, my hands were shaking uncontrolably, and my voice was cracking. I sounded terrible. I went home that day (a few days before the performance) and prayed. For the next couple of days, I prayed to the Lord to releive me of my stage fright. Sure enough, when it came time to perform, I must admit I was still a little nervous being that it was my first time performing in public, but I did MUCH better than rehearsal. For me, my beleifs help me to decide what is best for me, and to deliver me from evil. I hope this helped you a little. If you don't find any comfort in religion, maybe you should seek a differant beleif system. Or perhaps it would be good for you to do a reading on it. Blessings and Love Rain

Houklani	14 Jun 2002
I have actually been thinking a lot about which way I want to go with my religious life recently, and these are some of the answers I've come up with. Most people are "born" into a religion. In some churches babies are baptized and they become part of the church, or children will simply attend church with their parents and naturally accept they're parents beliefs. Eventually, however, I think most people make a definte choice on whether to continue with the religion they grew up in. And then there's the obvious question, what's it for anyway?? I was talking to a friend of mine, a very devoted Christian, a few days ago, and she told me that of couse she can't be sure that she's right, but it's better to take the chance and believe rather than realize you had made a mistake later. I disagreed. For one thing, what about all the other relgions??? Every single religion is SO SURE that they are the right one, but how do they know? Hm.... I think I'm beginning to get off track, so let me close. I think that people need a reason to be good and moral. Religion provides that reason. It's difficult to quit shoplifting just because you know that it's hurting the store. When religion tells you about hurting your spirit, heaven, hell, living for others, etc, things can sometimes make more sense. Smiles, Houklani

Original Destiny	14 Jun 2002
bin reading a book...Mind Sculpture by Ian Robertson..he says that religion is a product of our mind programming..(behavioralism)..due to inference systems in the mind being set to perform certain tasks..there is a bi-product of this that allows certain information to be interpretated as a belief, even though the logical answers are misbelief!! sort of a flaw in the mind!!...I havn't absorbed all of it yet...so iI don't know if I understand it fully...He is saying that we are PROGRAMMED to want religion...:TFOOL

LaPinguinaPazza	14 Jun 2002
I dunno.. personally my interepritations of religion is that we want something higher than us.. we want to believe in something greater than our physical world. But I was also born into a religion and my parents a strict christians... so i dont really have more than one view to go on... but i also believe that a religion os something that helps us believe that we can become more.. and we have somewhere to go after life. Like in christianity... Christ is one of us.. but higher.. and in Buddism... Budda was just an average human (as far as i know) and he became enlightened... and became higher than an average person on our level. so yea... thats just my thoughts on it...

jade	14 Jun 2002
i think that as humans, most of us want to fit in, and many people find that thru religion. i use the term quite loosely actually to accept all forms of spiritual beliefs systems. as an example, here we all are, connected thru this forum :D and the connection feels wonderful :D (although we are not a religion) love jade

Shadow_Dragon	15 Jun 2002
Your question is a very good one, and I have wondered about that for a while but I do have my own opinions about religion today. It is a great shame to humankind that religion has come down to a wittering plant because look at us know and look at what we were hundreds of years ago. Back than religion was every where, everyone has their believes that their is a high power, which gives them hope, faith, and loyalty. Now religion doesn't seem to be anything anymore to MOST people because no one seems to believe in anything. My friends for an example, not to mention my school, they believe that religion is just a bunch of crap, it's useless, and these people have no hope in anything. Although, I do understand some of there reasons for why religion is stupid and pointless because if you look at what people do with religion. With Isreal and Palestine, they fight over their religions.... religions start wars, but people use religion as a thing and nothing more.... they use it for power... causing wars... and death... I understand it when people tell me that... but if you look at it the other way... religion has saved lives...

Malachite	15 Jun 2002
Hmmm... Nice question... (before i get going)...What is the difference between Spiritism and religion?...Surely, unless you attach some kind of negative connotation to 'religion', it includes all spiritual beliefs?... I mean, everyone says they'res is the one true faith, whether they're right or wrong, they accept it as undeniable fact... (main question) I really don't know. Maybe some kind of need for a concept of higher purpose?...Life is pretty scary, and believing that there is something afterwards is a nice thought, for you or for the people you care about. Also, being able to blame someone/thing else for your actions is a very useful tool...'My God told me to do it' does seem to crop up quite often...I mean, if you're God told you to jump off a cliff, wouldya do it?...Ok, bad example...;) I guess it also makes you feel closer to your fellow beings, either in a strictured faith, where you are all the creation of some mighty being, or in a nature-based theism, where you are encourage to respect all other life as equal... I'm looking at this pragmatically... Maybe we believe because its true.

Kiama	15 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Original Destiny bin reading a book...Mind Sculpture by Ian Robertson..he says that religion is a product of our mind programming..(behavioralism)..due to inference systems in the mind being set to perform certain tasks..there is a bi-product of this that allows certain information to be interpretated as a belief, even though the logical answers are misbelief!! sort of a flaw in the mind!!...I havn't absorbed all of it yet...so iI don't know if I understand it fully...He is saying that we are PROGRAMMED to want religion...:TFOOL Thanks for that Original Destiny: This is quite a good example of the simple answer given by scientists, etc all over the world. BUT Behaviourism, and its cousin, determinism, (Programming) have one major flaw: They cannot be totally verified or falsified. Using such a loose theory, they can prove that we have absolutely NO free will whatsoever, and that nothing we do is out of choice. Now, call me scared, but I strongly detest such a theory because of its implications. (Not having a go at you Original Destiny, just arguing against Determinism and Behaviourism.) If nothing we do is out of choice, then our justice system falls apart: Criminals could, tehcnially, even if they had murdered somebody, be given the Not Guilty verdict, cuz on Behavioursit theory, that murdered didn't have the choice, but actually was programmed to murder, so its not his fault.. (There was actually a case back in the 60's where two murderers got off teh death penalty, and got life sentence instead on this theory! Clarence Darrow was their lawyer.) I am wonering how people who are brought up in a non-religious community with non-religious parents, suddenly find religion and feel that's right for them? How are they programmed then? I suppose the only way to test teh Behaviourist theory would be to raise a group of people in a non-religious community, where there is nothing that resembles religion... Then at a certain point, let them loose on the world full of relgions, and see how many end up with religion... Hmmm... Its all very thought provoking, which is why I asked the question in teh first place! Malachite: For quite a few religions, your reasons may be true, but for some religions, 'somebody to blame' and 'a reason for not beng scared' do not apply. My religion for instance. Perhaps yours too? Don't take this personally, but Ragnarok sounds scarier than life to me! ;) :D (Please don't hate me for saying that: I'm just giving an example...) And I find it a bit weird to imagine a Celtic Pagan screaming in th middle of court, 'But, but, BRIGHID TOLD ME TO DO IT!!!!!') :P Hmmm.... This discussion could go on forever, couldn't it? Kiama

Houklani	15 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama Thanks for that Original Destiny: This is quite a good example of the simple answer given by scientists, etc all over the world. BUT Behaviourism, and its cousin, determinism, (Programming) have one major flaw: They cannot be totally verified or falsified. Using such a loose theory, they can prove that we have absolutely NO free will whatsoever, and that nothing we do is out of choice. Now, call me scared, but I strongly detest such a theory because of its implications. (Not having a go at you Original Destiny, just arguing against Determinism and Behaviourism.) If nothing we do is out of choice, then our justice system falls apart: Criminals could, tehcnially, even if they had murdered somebody, be given the Not Guilty verdict, cuz on Behavioursit theory, that murdered didn't have the choice, but actually was programmed to murder, so its not his fault.. (There was actually a case back in the 60's where two murderers got off teh death penalty, and got life sentence instead on this theory! Clarence Darrow was their lawyer.) If the whole Behavioursit theory was true, and criminals were actually programmed to commit their crimes, then wouldn't we also be programmed to do everything else that's "normal?" Favoring dark meat over light meat, for instance.... Ok, I know that sounds silly, but what in this world would matter if we were programmed to do everything that we do. I like to think that life has a purpose, but maybe I'm programmed to think that way.... I guess we won't know till it's all over, hm? Smiles, Houklani

fairyhedgehog	15 Jun 2002
I think religion is at least partly about how we make sense of the world. To me, as an atheist, I explain how we are here by evolution. I don't believe in a spirit world. For someone else, it doesn't make sense to believe that we don't receive our just desserts at some point, so they believe in heaven and hell or reincarnation. I do believe that some people have used religion to get power over other people though. Maybe spirituality is our attempts to understand the meaning of life, and religion is when it gets all organised. You do ask some hard ones, Kiama :)

Rain	16 Jun 2002
Fairyhedgehog, are you a tarot reader? If so, where do you beleive the answers to our readings come from if you are an athiest? I beleive that our spirit friends help us when doing a reading, what do you beleive?

fairyhedgehog	17 Jun 2002
There was a thread about this called 'How does the Tarot work', only I'm not sure how to find it. I believe that the cards represent archetypes and that any one of them may be at least partly appropriate in a situation. The cards are laid out at random and then we make up stories to make sense of them in the context of our lives. I believe that human beings usually make up stories to make sense of things - this is how our minds work. When I read the cards (which I don't do for other people, only for myself) I believe I am seeing just one of the possible stories about my situation. And, being human, a part of me believes that there is more to it than that :) Love and light, FH

carolliketarot	18 Jun 2002
Kiama, thanks for bringing up the topic. I think religion is both psychological and biological. Remember watching a program in National Geographic channel which was about divine experience. The scientist discovered that by stimulating certain area of the brain, it gave us sort of divine / spiritual experience. Also, a nun when she was in the middle of her prayer, she would feel that she was part of a larger being, the brain scan showed that a section of her brain became less active. That section of brain is used to give us a sense of orientation, i.e. where we are physically. The program ends with questioning whether this is God who implants this function in our brain so that we have the power to feel his existence or believe in him. This can be physical part, sort of like a prerequisite. For the psychological part, agree with fairyhedgehog on her first line ¡§I think religion is at least partly about how we make sense of the world.¡¨ Human always need to find a way to explain something they don¡¦t understand. Remember the children always asking ,¡¨why? Why? Why?¡¨ As there are so mysterious things in the world that cannot be explained by science, religion is the other way to do so. To me, religion also means a psychological resort (may apply to me only). Living in a hectic lifestyle, I sometimes lose a sense of purpose in my life. Also, when bad things occur or seeing those tragic things that happen around me, I need something that gives me a sense of direction, hope and peace¡K I better stop here or else you guys just get bored and my boss would be furious¡K :D Love and Light Carol

phirefly	19 Jun 2002
lots of good discussion going on already. think i'll add my $3. my husband and i have very opposing ideas here. he is very opposed to religion as anything more than a social club. i support religion, generally speaking, and find it to be useful in its own ways. religion is a crutch, greatly. that makes it sound bad, but i don't really mean it that way. consider that sometimes people need help walking and crutches provide them that aid. while we are all out here searching for spiritual truth, before we learn to walk on our own and find our own truth, we often find religion and walk there for a while. it helps us along. some people don't go beyond that because they forget to keep questioning, but that's okay as long as they're happy. if there is reincarnation, they'll hopefully make more progress in the next life. the biggest problem with religion is that it isn't self-aware. it thinks that it needs to be absolute and controlling. that's a product of the people who tend to be in positions of power or spreading the dogma. they forget that they're helping and tend to do more harm than good. religion is sort of a way of organizing some good ideas and moral standards and marketing them. it doesn't make those good ideas and morals any less valid. some people just like the pretty packaging. some might even need it. and some don't.

The What's The Function Of Religion? thread was originally posted on 14 Jun 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.