Why?

[jswiftproposal]

If religion is a fallacy or a course of truth, it is very hard to understand just exactly why we are compelled to follow, or to not follow, religion. I would like to ask why you all think that people either are drawn or pushed away from religion (perhaps even put in a stasis of decision between the two).

I believe that we are drawn to religion to help explain things that we either have no way of understanding, or are to afraid to find out the answers to ourselves. Sometimes, such as in the case of "is there an afterlife?", these two go hand in hand. I believe that Religion was/is/can be helpful in unifying people for a common cause, providing comfort, and keeping populations from giving up hope in desperate situations.
Yet I also point out that people are increasingly pushed away from religion. This might be because there are less and less questions that can't be answered, and because people are finding these new answers in places that religious establishments are looked down in. Religious establishments have also held on to traditions that with present knowledge seem stupid, pointless, and sometimes repressive. Yet if religious establishments change their policies to fit the change in population attitude, is is painfully easy to point out that their beliefs are obviously faulty if they can change so easily just to pander to people they want to attract. In this way, i feel that religious establishments are caught in a Catch 22 that inevitably they were going to reach...

Thoughts?
p.s. please avoid slandering any form of belief in responses as it just makes you look like an arrogant narcissistic ass...

 

[uscitizen]

Humans are basically pack creatures who must group together and follow a leader.
They will tend to follow the religion of their group.

Plus most are programmed by their parents on religion as children and the programming usually sticks.
Unlike Santa Claus there is not absolute proof that their religion is phony. so they keep believing.

 

[jswiftproposal]

if a person CHANGES religions, that is, not dismissing religion, but switching to another, would that be more or less of a betrayal to their original religion than becoming an atheist entirely?

 

[Dis]

What if I AM an arrogant, narcissistic ass?

 

[RadiomanATL]

What if I AM an arrogant, narcissistic ass?

What if?

(ducks)

 

[Dis]

What if I AM an arrogant, narcissistic ass?

What if?

(ducks)

I expect the sun will still likely rise...

 

[uscitizen]

What if I AM an arrogant, narcissistic ass?

then you likely belong to the Republican religion

( too old to bother with ducking)

 

[uscitizen]

if a person CHANGES religions, that is, not dismissing religion, but switching to another, would that be more or less of a betrayal to their original religion than becoming an atheist entirely?

Umm switching to NO religion is becoming an atheist.

 

[Avatar4321]

Interesting questeion. I think there are numerous answers. It depends on the person. Some people want fame, money, or power and think religion can provide it. Some want security. Some see a way to be a better person than they were.

I am drawn to it because I love knowledge and Truth.

 

[jswiftproposal]

I am drawn to it because I love knowledge and Truth.

that is what i was thinking, that the reason people believe what they believe is because for them it IS the truth. I think that the reason people fight and kill each-other is because they believe that THEIR truth is the truth for everyone else, which is stupid. Everyone is unique, so why should what truth is be universal to everyone?

 

[Truthmatters]

There is no proof god exsists so how can it be truth or knowledge?

 

[Avatar4321]

I am drawn to it because I love knowledge and Truth.

that is what i was thinking, that the reason people believe what they believe is because for them it IS the truth. I think that the reason people fight and kill each-other is because they believe that THEIR truth is the truth for everyone else, which is stupid. Everyone is unique, so why should what truth is be universal to everyone?

Because truth is universal, or it's not truth.

 

[Avatar4321]

There is no proof god exsists so how can it be truth or knowledge?

I guess that depends what you define as proof doesn't it?

I know I love my parents. But I can't prove that to you. Does that mean I don't?

 

[jswiftproposal]

I am drawn to it because I love knowledge and Truth.

that is what i was thinking, that the reason people believe what they believe is because for them it IS the truth. I think that the reason people fight and kill each-other is because they believe that THEIR truth is the truth for everyone else, which is stupid. Everyone is unique, so why should what truth is be universal to everyone?

Because truth is universal, or it's not truth.

hmmmm i guess that is one way of looking at it...
But aren't their infinite amounts of interpretations of the truth that can't all be wrong since they are all founded and spawned from a universal truth? As you said about you loving their parents, I could conclude that they love you. Or that they raised you well. Or that you were a good child. Or that you were a bad child that reconciled and you still love each-other. Or your parents helped you when you were in trouble. Or that your parents taught you many life lessons.
Not all but one of these conclusions can be false right? So how can you say that an interpretation of a truth is not versatile and yet not truth as well?

 

[amrchaos]

Before stating my opinion of why people are drawn to religion ask the following question: Why are there humans drawn to science? The reason is due to both the purpose of science and its practicality. The purpose is to examine reality in terms of a vigorous manner and to harvest information from such practices in order to provide an informational tool to benefit society.

For religion, it is designed to provide a perspective on what is considered ideal behavior in society. The reason you are drawn to it is due to it providing time honored advice on what is just and unjust and establishing both an identitiy and environment that humans can grow and prosper in.

The results of practicing religious teachings are demonstrated in the type of societies they produce and the personalities of the people honored in them. The question of whether a religion is useful or not is not found in the faith of a myth(or perspective from which it is desired to follow a religion from) but the type culture it produces for the people.

 

[amrchaos]

Humans are basically pack creatures who must group together and follow a leader.
They will tend to follow the religion of their group.

Plus most are programmed by their parents on religion as children and the programming usually sticks.
Unlike Santa Claus there is not absolute proof that their religion is phony. so they keep believing.

Not actualy true. The general description of humans is varied. Some are followers, some are leaders and some are loners. Most humans do not completely understand themselves(I fall into this category) and the few that do will find others totaly mysterfying.

PS: On the issuing of "programming". I have come to realize that many religions are to serve a role of providing the basic foundation for justice. The need of the myths are probably to keep people entertained and provide a perspective in terms of following the religious practice. The "programming" is necessary in order to help preserve an acceptable society to the survival of a family.

 

[amrchaos]

I am drawn to it because I love knowledge and Truth.

that is what i was thinking, that the reason people believe what they believe is because for them it IS the truth. I think that the reason people fight and kill each-other is because they believe that THEIR truth is the truth for everyone else, which is stupid. Everyone is unique, so why should what truth is be universal to everyone?

I think you are confusing the notion that "Truth" is subjective.

Truth is not subjective.

What one person believes is not necessarily true, and the plethora of religion, both past and present, and the vast differences between them suggest that many religious concepts hinge on subjective notions. These notions of "truth" are not necessarily true. To some, of different faiths, the notions are blatant lies!

But "truth" is not the reason why religion exist. Religion exist to provide a direction, not truth.

 

[uscitizen]

Humans are basically pack creatures who must group together and follow a leader.
They will tend to follow the religion of their group.

Plus most are programmed by their parents on religion as children and the programming usually sticks.
Unlike Santa Claus there is not absolute proof that their religion is phony. so they keep believing.

Not actualy true. The general description of humans is varied. Some are followers, some are leaders and some are loners. Most humans do not completely understand themselves(I fall into this category) and the few that do will find others totaly mysterfying.

PS: On the issuing of "programming". I have come to realize that many religions are to serve a role of providing the basic foundation for justice. The need of the myths are probably to keep people entertained and provide a perspective in terms of following the religious practice. The "programming" is necessary in order to help preserve an acceptable society to the survival of a family.

Loners are very scarce. I know becuase I am one.
LOts of followers and several leaders are out there quite obviously if you study our societies.
Of course most of the leaders are followers of a higher level of order.

 

[Avatar4321]

that is what i was thinking, that the reason people believe what they believe is because for them it IS the truth. I think that the reason people fight and kill each-other is because they believe that THEIR truth is the truth for everyone else, which is stupid. Everyone is unique, so why should what truth is be universal to everyone?

Because truth is universal, or it's not truth.

hmmmm i guess that is one way of looking at it...
But aren't their infinite amounts of interpretations of the truth that can't all be wrong since they are all founded and spawned from a universal truth? As you said about you loving their parents, I could conclude that they love you. Or that they raised you well. Or that you were a good child. Or that you were a bad child that reconciled and you still love each-other. Or your parents helped you when you were in trouble. Or that your parents taught you many life lessons.
Not all but one of these conclusions can be false right? So how can you say that an interpretation of a truth is not versatile and yet not truth as well?

The Truth is things as they are, things as they were, and things as they will be.

Let's take your example. You could conclude any of those things. But simply because you conclude them doesn't make it the truth. In fact, it's impossible to conclude that I was both a good and bad child. They are mutually exclusive. Either one is true, or neither are.

And of course, you have truth's that aren't mutually exclusive. Say that my parents helped me or they taught me many life lessons. In that case, they can be true, one can be true and one can be false, or they can both be false.

What makes one or both true is reality. In my case, I can honestly say both are true. So someone else can't come along and say it's false when it's not.

Truth is looking at reality and accepting it for what it is.