Why has religion survived?

Verum · Visitor Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 13 Local time: 1:24 PM

I have been trying to come up with an explanation for religions survival, and its pervasiveness in society. It seems to be so contrary to logic, reason, and simple observation that it's incomprehensible to me that religions success is due soley to fear (of the unknown, fear of death). I want to throw one possibility out there and see what you think.

Perhaps, for a long time, men who subjugated other men, women and even whole cultures, knew somewhere in their hearts and minds that what they were doing was wrong on some basic, humanistic level. They knew killing, persecution, stealing and torture were simply bad practices. Perhaps they created a narrative construct that not only permitted, but encouraged under certain circumstances all these practices which they knew would leave them feeling some form of guilt. Perhaps this was an unconscious, organic development, and took place over thousands of years. Religion may have started as simple sun-worship, and as time went on, men in power gradually adapted their idols to require behaviors of their subjects that were contrary to basic human needs. Of course human nature is not always charitable, its fairly obvious if you look around. But that doesn't mean that men (and women for that matter) don't feel remorse for acts that harm other people. Perhaps religion is simply a guilt valve, which allowed thousands of generations of elites to exercise their power any way they had to to remain in power and still sleep at night.

We see the evidence of religion being a catalyst for violence throughout history, and it continues today. I am not trying to blame the worlds ills on religion. That is far too simplistic. War, and hate, and greed, these are based unfortunately (IMO) in human nature. I am trying to equate religion as an adaptation of human consciousness to deal with guilt.

Perhaps what I have just written is obvious. Perhaps it is ludicrous. Please let me know.

Sincerely, Verum
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Nil homini certum est
Nothing is certain to man

"It is arrogance to profess knowledge of that which cannot be known"

aracanid · Visitor Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 22 Local time: 6:24 PM

What you are saying makes perfect sense to me, im sure thats all it has turned out to be. That and money in some cases as religion somehow seems to always have money involved. Prayer is just a type of mental state, sort of like expressing yourself and letting it all out i suppose but only in your own mind. It could just be a way of, like you said, reassuring yourself that what wrong you have done can still be forgiven by some sort of higher power. Then again religion may have survived because people didn't, or rather still don't have the metal capacity to come to terms with what would appear to be a worthless existence and so, it has changed in order to compensate this thought and to assure people that there is no need to be afraid of the end of this existence as most, if not all religions promise of some kind of afterlife or reward after death. All in all im sure its only to reassure people of their fears or worries in life ( like you said, all the bad things they had done)

Please correct me if im wrong about anything.
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pr126 · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:20 pm Post subject:

Yes, religion is also a business, an industry with advertising, it is sold, bought like any other commodity.
At least in the USA.

Megachurches are businesses, markets where faith is sold at a price.
In daily life it buys power, favours, privilege, class.
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"It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value." Arthur C Clarke

"The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see." -- Ayn Rand

Newman · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:29 pm Post subject:

aracanid · Visitor Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 22 Local time: 6:24 PM

my belief is that life has hurdles yea, religion is the first hurdle. Some people stop their and feel they have done enough. Those with a broader mind will go past this hurdle and expand their knowledge etc. What im trying to say is that religion is the "easy way out" for some people who are not capable of looking beyond these simple rules which have been brainwashed with since birth and instead choose to blindly follow some celibate guy in a gown and listen as he chants and then asks for money. Just because there is a majority doesn't mean its true or right, but you'll still find people as young as 8-9 defending things that they have no comprehension off nor understanding off.

In response to what you have said: Im over helpful, i donate to charity etc but i am not religious. It is in our nature to help others and you dont have to be religious to be kind or caring. Yet that still goes back to money, have you visited the Vatican? EVERYTHING is made of pure marble or gold.
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pr126 · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject:

Newman · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject:

aracanid · Visitor Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 22 Local time: 6:24 PM

money money money...
our local priests are given a car, a house, a cleaner, a cook, ipods and are paid with collection money everything 3rd or 4th week(cant remember)

Im sure that all costs money.
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Newman · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:46 pm Post subject:

aracanid · Visitor Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 22 Local time: 6:24 PM

im not sure about which religion your talking about, but part of a catholics priests oath is to give up all riches and personal stuff etc. Live on basics. Im sure they can cook and clean themselves, a car i suppose is mandatory but an iPod? And no politicians are idiots and don't deserve money. We do not live in a democracy as it was meant to be. Just as communist countries usually become totalitarian, we live in one where money = power. A plutocracy(i think thats correct
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Newman · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject:

Hit_me_up024 · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:54 pm Post subject:

aracanid · Visitor Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 22 Local time: 6:24 PM

perhaps that is true, but they have devoted they're lives to their god. Im sorry about the previous comment it was ranting on. Anyway, yes they may work these hours but isn't that what they took the oath for. After all according to catholic beliefs(its the one area im slightly adapt in being in a catholic school) the church is part of the commission by jesus which was when his earthly mission was past onto the disciples and peter founded the church was continues this commission. What jesus said was to spread the good news, heal the sick, and drive out daemons(epilepsy lol) however during their mission they were instructed to take nothing and carry nothing extra because god would provide for them. If priests and gaining from money wouldn't that make money their god?
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Newman · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:02 pm Post subject:

Newman · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject:

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