Why do we even have religion?

 

 

Furthermore, what is the point of religion? Why do we believe what we do? What makes us do what we do, do we believe that we will reach salvation someday? Or is religion simply a crutch to contain the masses. An instrument to keep the masses in line. An instrument to keep the masses from running into anarchy? A device to enact some form of control on the masses?

 

 

 

Your thoughts on why religion.

Another reason to hate someone... :chair

it bogles to see such opinions. surprising to see how people understimate the masses so greatly. no comment about the simplistic, obtuse point of view provided by the 2nd poster.

 

i guess people accept what they feel more comfortable with. we all try to search for a purpose, an origin, a starting point. it is part of what makes us rational beings. besides that, i can say that the existance of a supreme being is pretty much obvious.

i can say that the existance of a supreme being is pretty much obvious.

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how is it obvious? again why religion? why do so many put their lives in the hands of a being they believe is higher up than they are and will ultimately lead them to their promised land. why not put faith in the Earth, like many native societies?

I believe that all religions have the original foundation of making people live good lives, like they say upfront they want to do. If you read through the rules, most have the same basic rules; don't kill, don't steal, don't be adulterous, etc. The reason for religion existing and lasting so long as the institution we know it as was the fact that there was a reward/punishment system coming from a higher power. Without this higher power, the system doesn't work. Human governments and leaders get rebelled against all the time - how many times has someone rebelled against God?

 

This isn't to say that religion is just a system with an unsure back if you will (since many believe there is no God or believe in Him though they cannot prove it). The human mind is a bit of a wandering creature, and even the most simple minds get around to wondering what if and what's out there every once in a while. I'd venture to say that if it wasn't for religion, most would still believe in a higher power of some sort. Maybe not with the same characteristics of the higher power they believe in now, but it would still be there. Our vision of God has changed recently with science's advancements, however He still has a role up there in all of our hearts, whether we acknowledge or not at the certain point of life we are in we all believe there is someone watching over us. Whether it be a deceased relative, a guardian angel, a saint, or an imaginary friend, everyone likes to be protected and never to be alone. That is why you hear people who are completely alone talking aloud or acting as if someone was there. They want to believe someone is there. And who is to say there isn't?

i can say that the existance of a supreme being is pretty much obvious.

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how is it obvious? again why religion? why do so many put their lives in the hands of a being they believe is higher up than they are and will ultimately lead them to their promised land. why not put faith in the Earth, like many native societies?

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But the native societes believed in the Earth as a spirit and a higher power that would protect them and bring them prosperity, did they not?

Yeah Id like to hear more on the obviousness of the supreme being.

 

And flasportsfan88 makes a valid enough point. Religion is often used as a tool by the more keen or intelligent to get others to do something. Its the perfect tool for politicians all over the world.

Another reason to hate someone... :chair

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By that token, isn't it another reason to love someone?

The history of Catholicism is a good sight on what role religion can play in terms of politics. Most of the people here are Baptist or Lutherans. The origin of these relgions was in every sense a rebellion against the corruption in Catholicism. These religions then became competitive with each other for some time, with violence ensuing ie certain sects being seen as improper. If I remember correctly, the Baptists were not looked well upon by the Lutherans and followers of John Calvin.

I honestly think the world would be a better place without religion. Just look at how many people hate each other all because of religion, just look at how many horrible things have been done "in the name of religion." In my mind, the benefits of religion (What are they? Do people really need to cling to these stories?) are far less than the problems religion causes. And for what? There's absolutely no proof that these stories are true and it's rather doubtful given the nature of a lot of them.

 

The church is a business. They get rich off of people they con into believing. I'm not going to be a part of that and I don't understand people's willingness to b a part of it in it either.

there are many arguments that prove the existence of god, out of all my favorite is the cosmological arguement, which could be found with a simple search on the internet. very sound and pretty much irrefutable.

 

why not put faith on earth? very simple, the earth is always changing, is not absolute. it wasn't always there nor will always be there.

There are few things in this world that is irrefutable using the laws of logic and proofs.

 

Religion is definitely not one of those irrefutable existences. Gravity is irrefutable. Religion is not.

First of all, church is a separate argument from religion. I could go on for pages about churches.

 

Sticking with why we have religion in general...

 

IMO, the short story is that it starts when a civilization is young, & over time religion may change in name, shape, meaning, etc, but it's never completely discarded.

 

My feeling is that religion (of some sort) is part of the natural progression of a civilization. People in ancient cultures struggled to explain their existence and the world around them, and so developed complex religious ideologies most often based in mythology.

 

It's why you see that most ancient civilizations created their own group of gods (Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, etc), complete with the concept of an afterlife and people designated as having the ability to communicate with these deities. Most of these were polytheistic, with specific environmental events like rain and wind believed to be the result of the will of an individual god.

 

At some point, people are going to attribute things they can't understand, questions they can't answer, or are out of their power, to someone or something that does have power over these things, and that can answer these questions (presumably). Why does the sun rise and set in the sky? Well it's the sun god. Why didn't the crops grow this season? Well we didn't give a sufficient offering to the gods. Why did that volcano erupt? Well it's the god of the mountain punishing us. And so on....

 

In some examples nothing has changed. Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell both agree that 9/11 is in part god's punishment for disobeying him. "The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we [have abortions] we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians ... the ACLU, People For the American Way... I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

 

People pray for many of the same things they did in ancient civilizations. Health, wealth, good fortune, happiness, peace, protection, victory, luck, etc. Nothing wrong necessarily with that, but it presupposes the same thing: that there is a higher being or beings that has some control over our existence & the universe we live in. (though certain religions like Deism basically just has God creating us & then staying out of it.)

 

As these civilizations evolved toward more complex societies, these primitive, myth-based religions largely gave way to the world religions that have come to dominate the modern religious landscape. But in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., the influences of the religious belief systems of the ancient world are still apparent.

 

Why is it still around? That's a question everyone has to answer for themselves. It serves different purposes & needs depending upon the individual, the particular belief system, etc.

IMO, the short story is that it starts when a civilization is young, & over time religion may change in name, shape, meaning, etc, but it's never completely discarded.

 

My feeling is that religion (of some sort) is part of the natural progression of a civilization. People in ancient cultures struggled to explain their existence and the world around them, and so developed complex religious ideologies most often based in mythology.

 

It's why you see that most ancient civilizations created their own group of gods (Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, etc), complete with the concept of an afterlife and people designated as having the ability to communicate with these deities. Most of these were polytheistic, with specific environmental events like rain and wind believed to be the result of the will of an individual god.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is a very excellent point. Name one successful civilization minus religion and you will be thinking for a long time.

 

Churches often have ways of messing things up and altering why religion exists over time.

 

People want to worship in these grand buildings and kiss rings, etc (especially Catholicism) when you can accomplish the same task under a tree.