Religion, its Function

[Zythryn]

But Zythrin, BB views are also an answer to what the religions functions is,ie. we can't find it out as it was made by god (sorry BB in case I put words in your mouth you don't mean/think/believe jsut replace in case the reference to you with a reference to some believer).

 

I very much value BB's views and I thank BB for taking the time to join us at Hypography and the discussions:)

 

I don't see any way that any religion was 'made by god'. A person's or people's belief in a god may have inspired that person/people to create the religion, but god didn't create the religion himself.

 

Likewise, some religions were created purely for power/control (typically these are simply called cults). No belief in a god was involved in the creation of the religion/cult.

 

But the societal structure of religion does serve a purpose for mankind. It is a fascinating issue to explore.

[BibleBeliever]

Well I've had a look on other threads and I think we come up with a problem of definition, you see your oringinal question was...

 

The original question is (to paraphrase) 'What is religion's function?'

then you start to limit your idea of religion

Again, god<>religion so we can leave god out of this one.

and concidering what you have put in earlier posts would it be fair to say that your definition of religion is a system that was created to answer, controll and finally repress the population, then you submit a statement that describes your view of religion and ask for our opinions.

 

This is circular reasoning surely, now I have put words in your mouth here but do you see the point I'm trying to make, if you limit the subject to what you understand about it, then your statement of it must be true because anyone with a different idea of religion will be accused of 'that's not the type of religion I'm refering to' and 'let's keep that type of religion out of it'.

 

So before you ask the question we must all be aware of your definition of the subject, but then it turns into a 'that's not a correct definition' thread

 

....and round, and round, and round....

[Zythryn]

When I said god<> religion, I was not defining religion for the purpose of the discussion so much as making a point that the two are not the same thing.

 

Similarly, if I say 2<>5, I am not defining 5. I am simply stating the two are not the same thing.

 

Perhaps it would help if you told us your definition of religion. The first two I found seem accurate enough:

 

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

 

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

 

Although in this discussion, I was thinking of the specific definition 1b in the American Heritage Dictionary (specifically the institution):

 

"A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship."

[BibleBeliever]

Perhaps it would help if you told us your definition of religion.

 

-cringe- well you got me there, I honestly can't say it in a nutshell, for two reasons;

 

1 when people refer to the religious groups, I believe they are including me (see my post above)

 

2 I don't believe I am actually religious because that implies that I have to follow a set of rules to please my God, whereas in actual fact I believe that I cannot alter God's feelings towards me either by good or bad actions because he knows who I am - a deceitful and wicked person.

 

So if I say religion is to follow a set of rules I am claiming to be non-religious.

But most people think I'm following the rules in the bible so I am religious.

 

Are we confused yet? It's funny that I actually do understand it, but can't explain it very well.

 

hmmm.

[HydrogenBond]

Science and technology caters to the needs of the outer man, while religion caters to needs of the inner man. In poor cultures, where the needs of the outer man are not being met, one needs strength in the inner man to push pne forward inspite of the lack of warm fuzzies coming from the external environment.

 

On the other hand, if there are plenty of warm fuzzies for the outer man, one may not see the need to have inner strength. It is sort of like an actor, who lives because of the applause of the crowd. Once the applause stops, all the exterior pats on the hiney decrease and what can be left is a hollow shell, that tries to fill itself up with other external things like drugs and alcohol.

 

When Christ spoke of blessed are the poor, he was not talking about the blessing of no warm fuzzies to pump the ego. He was talking about the adaptation that will occur, the requirement of needing internal strength to keep a smiling face without needing to be externally tickled.

 

It is not without coincidence, that many "born again", usually hit some type of rock bottom in life, where the warm fuzzies become cold or too hot for comfort. They feel hollow, because these external things works well for so long. At rock bottom, a spark enters inside that warms them from the inside out. After that, the meat and potatoes of those living only for warm fuzzies of an external existance becomes the dessert that is placed on top of their inner strength.

[rocket art]

From among my 'rocket philosophy' (I also tend to be an independent thinker, living in a developing country), I state that one can be Spiritual without being religious.

 

As such, one can perceive a more holistic perspective without being limited to religious dogmas. the language of science may even translate Spirituality as Evolution of Consciousness as it is a dynamic, continuing process replete with tangible patterns that manifest with it. Neither would it be headed to the pitfalls of materialistic or egotistic views such as Solipsism, for such may be construed as having in need of higher conscious perspectives that require leaps beyond selfishness or material limitations.

 

Spirituality itself is the essence behind all religions (as manifesting this Essence is its function), as it intimately refers to the inner, implosive workings of every individual.

[infamous]

This thread is being moved to the Theology forum.....................Infy

[Shoushou]

Hi All....

It's a very interesting topic infact..

For me I believe in religion because I believe in balance..I'm sure every one believes in the importance of balance in all life's matters...The question is how do we apply the balance thing in the issue of religion's function?

A Human being is created of physical appearance which contains a soul within it. & of course, we all believe in soul...

To fulfil your body requirements u need to eat drink, play, dance sometimes, work & do whatever achieves your material comfort...However, to fulfil your spiritual relaxation you need to follow some spiritual thing which achieves your soul comfort, this spiritual thing is religion, especially when it's a true one which is purely revealed from God without any human interfering...

So religion is important to achieve the balance in our life between material & spiritual aspects..

 

I also believe that scriptures are revealed to guide our life, it's just like the manual books coming with each machine, which if you don't follow the instructions in it, the machine will stop working..So religion with its rules helps us to live in a right way...

 

The final thing which I do believe religion is important for is the human nature..

The human nature implies that there must be a reward & punishment,,to save your effort & never equals between people who fight for good things & those who destroy the society by their bad deeds..& this is achieved by believing in religion which implies believing in the Hereafter (Doomsday)..

 

Note:

*I meant by religion those ones which are known to be revealed from God, not those made by Humand such as Buddhist & likes...

*There are true scientific evidences which prove that there is a life after death which strengthen my point of view..

[InfiniteNow]

Note : *I meant by religion those ones which are known to be revealed from God, not those made by Humans such as Buddhist & likes...

I fail to see the distinction.

 

*There are true scientific evidences which prove that there is a life after death which strengthen my point of view..

Show us. Please. As a person who appreciates understandings gained through science, I am keenly interested in learning more about this evidence. :shrug: