Religion is a vestigial relic of early human behavior

[Givemeareason]

But it certainly still serves a purpose.  It was clearly created to address the need for security and belonging in a hostile world.  It also addressed the human need for controlling our environment.  Since we understood so very little we needed to understand and attempt to exert control over all that was around us.  We still have all those needs.  It is just so sad though when people latch onto a belief and close their eyes to all the possibilities.

[Mike Cl]

But it certainly still serves a purpose.  It was clearly created to address the need for security and belonging in a hostile world.  It also addressed the human need for controlling our environment.  Since we understood so very little we needed to understand and attempt to exert control over all that was around us.  We still have all those needs.  It is just so sad though when people latch onto a belief and close their eyes to all the possibilities.

And what legitimate purpose does religion serve now, do you suppose?

[stromboli]

everything is created for a reason. Certain tenets of religion relating to, for instance, the need for girls being virgins when married, had to do with keeping venereal diseases in check, and knowing that your lineage your offspring would be. Without any biological way of testing at the time, a virgin was the assurance of a "clean slate" in terms of tribal lineage.

Religion initially was the way of explaining the unexplained, but it also served purposes politically in terms of application of laws and verifying the laws versus beliefs of a culture; slavery made sense when more bodies were required for work, giving a rape victim up for a bride price meant getting rid of a possible bastard offspring and getting something for it.

In my opinion there is no need for it now. The tenets of law are understood, there is no moral need for it, the idea of tribal lineage and inheritance issues can be dealt with in other ways and so on. Now it is about fear, condemnation, judgment and guilt for the purpose of controlling a society. Keep them like sheep and don't allow free thinking which leads to alternate conclusions. That is why atheists are so dangerous; we aren't as controllable as the religious minions are.

[Givemeareason]

And what legitimate purpose does religion serve now, do you suppose?

Well it still has a very strong foothold.  I don't think it needs to be eradicated.  It helps many people per its original purpose.  It is evolving.

[Mike Cl]

Well it still has a very strong foothold.  I don't think it needs to be eradicated.  It helps many people per its original purpose.  It is evolving.

Oh, I agree that it has a very strong foothold, indeed. :)  But I do think it needs to be eradicated--educated away, actually.  Why?  Because, even more than booze, it kills brain cells.  Being a religious person makes one at the very best, willfully ignorant.  And usually, just plain stupid.  It may offer many some sort of relief, but then so would any number of philosophies that doesn't kill one's brain cells.  Yes, it is evolving, but maybe in the wrong direction.

[Munch]

Religion is and always has been a human construct of control over the masses, something used to hook people in, to the few people who know the real reason why they get people to bow and pray and give their worldly possessions to them.

[stromboli]

If a modern educated pope is still against birth control and abortion and refuses to recognize a gay French ambassador, I'd say we have a lot more evolving to do. I'm sure the dirt poor Christians in Africa might think its cool, but the gays being persecuted in countries like Uganda by religious leaders probably don't.

[Givemeareason]

Oh, I agree that it has a very strong foothold, indeed. :)  But I do think it needs to be eradicated--educated away, actuahy?  Because, even more than booze, it kills brain cells.  Being a religious person makes one at the very best, willfully ignorant.  And usually, just plain stupid.  It may offer many some sort of relief, but then so would any number of philosophies that doesn't kill one's brain cells.  Yes, it is evolving, but maybe in the wrong direction.

Christianity is on the decline in the US even though that may be hard to see sometimes.  Episcopalians, Methodists and others are becoming more liberal.  Fundamentalism has unfortunately invaded politics but that may be a double edged sword.  I have no predictions though.  The availability of information and misinformation is greater than ever.  The need for belonging is also.

[stromboli]

I'll agree that religion will morph to survive, it has from the beginning. The Christianity of today is nothing like during the 12th-13th century, for example. The King James bible translation was to facilitate the creation of a protestant church of England; incorporating Christmas and Easter, 2 pagan holidays, to be inclusive of other beliefs. A lot has changed, and hopefully the current fundamentalist uprising will ultimately lead to the Republican Party finally abandoning the fundamentalist/Tea Partiers that currently are pushing their agenda. We shall see.

[Mike Cl]

Christianity is on the decline in the US even though that may be hard to see sometimes.  Episcopalians, Methodists and others are becoming more liberal.  Fundamentalism has unfortunately invaded politics but that may be a double edged sword.  I have no predictions though.  The availability of information and misinformation is greater than ever.  The need for belonging is also.

Yes, I do see the need of belonging to be very strong.  And churches supply that in spades.  Probably why the evolution away from religion is so slow.

[Green Bottle]

Ah'v said before, Religion is a Virus and the Cure is fkn miles away...........

[Ro3bert]

... the need for girls being virgins when married, had to do with keeping venereal diseases in check, ....

I'm not convinced; the implication here, it seems to me, is that males didn't have STD's but they did and mating would pass it/them along. Other than than I pretty much agree with you.

Robert

[stromboli]

diseases like Chlamydia and Herpes are typically more modern diseases, because the allowable contact by unmarried people back in ancient days was strictly observed. The type of love play that transmits those diseases was not allowed. The disease issue may/may not be of significance, but I'm sure it had something to do with it.

[Solitary]

The problem with people having religion based on faith is the religious belief is pragmatic for many and works for them---especially those that are authority in the religion. It's not going away, but hopefully it will evolve and get the fuck away from the Old and new Testaments and become just a belief in God as a Good Guy instead of an insane monster of biblical proportions.    Solitary

[PickelledEggs]

Interesting...