Positive aspects of religion.

[Japher]

Azazel... So your saying that a good thing about religion is that it was the first thing that could really scare the hell out of people? (non pun intended)

I agree with you that religion is good in that it set a good basis of "moral laws" from which most states draw their own laws from.

I also agree that if it was not for religion we would probably be decades removed from where we are today; technologically. Even though they caused barriers for scientific discovery they also promoted civil science and engineering in "the name of god".

Cali's opinion has nothing to with being racist. I know Cali's stance, I have been in many of those chats. Yet, I think Cali has a valid point... If that makes me racist then so be it... I think it makes me a realist...

[Az]

OMG, are you one of those "black people are stupid, and strong, asian people are smart and weak, and white people are somewhere in the middle" crowd?

What I meant was that it provided a good way of keeping a stable community, while not having them all being literate, and intelligent. Yes, I know that the last thing was caused by religion itself, but that's true only in the european case.

Religion didn't always hamper science. I however still am opposed to it for being unscientific, since I am a materialist.

[Japher]

What I meant was that it provided a good way of keeping a stable community, while not having them all being literate, and intelligent.

By instilling fear... It's ok to say it, you won't be struck by lightning or anything.

*Japher looks around nervously*

From your statement above I see that religion could also have been away to establish prejudism. "Your not of the clergy so you must be stupid. brahaha!"

Hey, the Catholics did this!

My stance on race and prejudism is best not discussed here. If you want to start another thread on the matter I would be happy to join... and I am sure Cali will too.

[Az]

By instilling fear...

yes, fear definetly played a very important part. but fantazyland has it's part as well.

From your statement above I see that religion could also have been away to establish prejudism. "Your not of the clergy so you must be stupid. brahaha!"

in europe, for lots of time it was not only a prejudice, but a fact. for many years the only ones that got an eduction were the clergy, and usually the nobelity ( though, many were illiterate as well, IIRC)

My stance on race and prejudism is best not discussed here. If you want to start another thread on the matter I would be happy to join... and I am sure Cali will too.

ok. let's leave THAT skeleton in the closet.

[cinch]

Religion can be positive in some senses... the old idea that if you have an emotion/idea you can't handle internally, you give it a name and "worship" it. That can be helpful, in a way.

As for organised religion... It can be beneficial, comforting and such, but to attain those benefits, you have to be willing to succumb to a bit of mythology and fantasy. Which is not necessarily a bad thing; it can help a lot of people get by. But some people think about spirituality and all that far too much to settle into a "belief rut" like that. And for those people, organised religion is a barrier to be broken.

I think the search for meaning in life has certainly benefitted humanity as a whole, but as for positive aspects of MODERN organised religion? Eh, I think their day is done.

I think I agree with Campbell on this point: We need a new mythology.

[Ben Kenobi]

I think the search for meaning in life has certainly benefitted humanity as a whole, but as for positive aspects of MODERN organised religion? Eh, I think their day is done.

Why do you believe they are 'done?'

There are many social problems here in the west, particularly a sense of isolation or detachment that organised religion helps overcome.

I know I felt alone all the time, now I find comfort in knowing that there is always someone with me.

That's one.

Another benefit of organised religion is the way in which the faithful structure their lives. Organised religion empathises strong family ties, as well as healthy relationships.

That's two.

Three, devotion. Organised religion provides the motive force for people to restructure their lives.

That's three.

Many more, but this will do for now.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by MrFun
Another positive aspect:

1) Many Catholic, white priests were at the forefront of Civil Rights activism in the 1960's.

What about a certain black preacher in the 50's who was at the forefront of Civil Rights activism in the 1950's and 60's?

Religion was an important part of the civil rights movement in the south, simply because religion was important to blacks in the south. It was the one thing they had, that didn't have the stamp of the white man on it. At the time there were more churches in black areas of Atlanta than any other part of Atlanta.

ACK!

[DuncanK]

Religion is good for keeping your kids from screwing around. You just tell them, "remember, even if I can't see you God always sees you, and you don't want to go to hell." Just don't take it too far.

[Zero]

Re: Positive aspects of religion.

Originally posted by MrFun
Ok, know how extreme fundamentalists can try to use religion as a weapon against other people. Not to mention other past, historical crimes committed in the name of God such as the Crusades, witch hunts, and homophobia.

But there were also positive contributions made by religions of all types:

1) Christian monasteries preserved our knowledge of the ancient world. Who knows how much we would know today had it not been for Middle Ages monks?

w/o christianity we prolly wouldnt have had a dark ages to begin with.

[Ramo]

The Positive Aspects Of Negative Thinking
Bad Religion

let's gather 'round the carcass of the old deflated beast, we have
seen it through the accolades and rested in its lea, syntactic is our
elegance, incisive our disease, the swath endogenous of ourselves will
be our quandary, we've nestled in its hollow and we've succkled at its
breast, grandiloquent in attitude, impassioned yet inept, frivolous
gavel our design, ludicrous our threat, excursive expeditions leave us
holding less and less, so what does it mean? when we tell ourselves
it's only for a while we have been deceived and it's only for a moment
that the treasures of our day make life easier to complicate, the
treasure thrown away, i'm so tired of all the ****ed up minds of all
the terrorist religions and their bull**** lines, of all the hand-me-
downs from all industrial crimes and the weeping mothers and those who
aree led som blind, from the plastic protests and the hands of time
and the pursuit of mirth and all hating kind

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Tuberski


What about a certain black preacher in the 50's who was at the forefront of Civil Rights activism in the 1950's and 60's?

Religion was an important part of the civil rights movement in the south, simply because religion was important to blacks in the south. It was the one thing they had, that didn't have the stamp of the white man on it. At the time there were more churches in black areas of Atlanta than any other part of Atlanta.

ACK!

Of course African-Americans have had their own organized churches, and still do. I'm familar with its historical development.
Of course African-Americans were the primary activists in the Civil Rights movement.

I pointed out white, Catholic priests as being another group of such activists, because too often, more secular people have forgotten that a number of white, Catholic priests marched alongside blacks.

[Sava]

I suppose being immersed in a world of mythical fiction, false hopes, and abhorrent misconception has a few advantages. I guess religion offers some lonely souls something to cling to. And it protects it's believers from facing the unknown nature of our universe and its existence.

[MrFun]

Sava -- not all religious people are dumb. You can be actively religious, and still embrace scientific thought.

Stop associating extreme fundamentalists with the mainstream religious followers.

[Sava]

Any belief in a suspect certainty without proof to at the very least support it is wrong. IMO, there's little difference between faith and fanaticism. In fact, I actually have more respect for fanatics because they at least practice their religion how their respective literatures tell them, too. Too many people simply pick and choose different parts of religion and choose to follow them. And what's the point of that? I have no problem with someone who thinks that there is a God and that he's responsible for our creation. I have a problem with people that are self-righteous and try to impose their beliefs on a society or on others. And I have a huge problem with religion in government. Although there is not a state religion in the US, religion is very much entrenched in the fabric of our pseudo-democracy.

And I didn't say religious people are dumb. My mom and her parents are very religious. And although I don't agree with the beliefs of some, I don't think of myself as being superior in any way. Religion is a human phenomenom. It's part of the socialization of children in a given culture. And it's very difficult to realize that what some of the positive influences in your life (parents, priests, etc) taught you, could be wrong. If someone is taught their whole life that 2+2=5, I don't shun them for being wrong. It's not their fault, or the fault of their parents/religious leaders that they think this; it's been firmly engrained into many cultures. I just happen to think that if there is a God, he left things unknown to us for a reason and we shouldn't bother trying to guess the secrets to the questions that religions attempt to ask. The answers to these questions are out there for us to find. And sitting in a room trying to communicate with a God with your thoughts isn't going to spark a revelation or psychicly create anything.

Many of the morals that religions teach are good, but they are not dependent upon the religion. Many of the philosophies are good, but again, are not dependent upon the religion. It's important for people to understand that human religious scriptures were written by humans and not a deity(s). They are myths and parables written to teach a moral code. But that sort of thought leaves too much room for open interpretation which leads to fanaticism. The downside to religion is so much stronger than the upside that I must conclude that agnosticism is a better way to think.

And I think that deep down you must agree with me in some fashion if you need to create a thread to try and name the good things about religion.

[Ben Kenobi]

I just happen to think that if there is a God, he left things unknown to us for a reason and we shouldn't bother trying to guess the secrets to the questions that religions attempt to ask.

Any belief in a suspect certainty without proof to at the very least support it is wrong.

Sava,
How else is religion supposed to answer these questions? Why is science allowed to probe, but religion is not?

Many of the morals that religions teach are good, but they are not dependent upon the religion.

Which morals are good, and why do you believe they are good?

It's important for people to understand that human religious scriptures were written by humans and not a deity(s).

Why? Even if the scriptures are inspired, people still have to interpret them.

The downside to religion is so much stronger than the upside that I must conclude that agnosticism is a better way to think.

What are the downsides, Sava?