Is man a religious being?

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Oct 25, 2016
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Catholics believe that The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator. Throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being

Is man a religious being?
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, answers, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control, cover and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
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I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
So you don’t believe that man is hardwired to practice religion?

How do you square that with Darwin?
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
So you don’t believe that man is hardwired to practice religion?

How do you square that with Darwin?
Well, I think we're naturally curious beings, and that religion sure as hell (no pun intended) provides plentiful material for curiosity.

I don't see a direct connection between evolutionary processes and this. One constant of Man has been his natural curiosity.
.
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, answers, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control, cover and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
Catholics believe that desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.

Wouldn’t the 2,500 different perceptions of God tend to prove this?
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
So you don’t believe that man is hardwired to practice religion?

How do you square that with Darwin?
Well, I think we're naturally curious beings, and that religion sure as hell (no pun intended) provides plentiful material for curiosity.

I don't see a direct connection between evolutionary processes and this. One constant of Man has been his natural curiosity.
.
According to Darwin natural selection is based upon functional advantage and transfer of functional advantage to the next generation.

If religion provided no functional advantage it would have been discarded long ago.
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, answers, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control, cover and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
Catholics believe that desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.

Wouldn’t the 2,500 different perceptions of God tend to prove this?
No, I don't think so. Again, we've always known there are things we don't know. Like the neanderthal looking up and seeing the sun or the stars.

"What am I doing here? What is this?" seem like the most fundamental questions of all. So as time went on, we created some answers.
.
 
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I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
So you don’t believe that man is hardwired to practice religion?

How do you square that with Darwin?
Well, I think we're naturally curious beings, and that religion sure as hell (no pun intended) provides plentiful material for curiosity.

I don't see a direct connection between evolutionary processes and this. One constant of Man has been his natural curiosity.
.
According to Darwin natural selection is based upon functional advantage and transfer of functional advantage to the next generation.

If religion provided no functional advantage it would have been discarded long ago.
Sure, that's my point. There is great utility in religion. Huge. That's why it will always exist.
.
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, answers, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control, cover and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
Catholics believe that desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.

Wouldn’t the 2,500 different perceptions of God tend to prove this?
No, I don't think so. Again, we've always known there are things we don't know. Like the neanderthal looking up and seeing the sun or the stars.

"What am I doing here? What is this?" seems like the most fundamental questions of all. So as time went on, we created some answers.
.
So you don’t believe the overwhelming prevalence of religion throughout the history of mankind can be traced back to any sort of natural disposition?
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
So you don’t believe that man is hardwired to practice religion?

How do you square that with Darwin?
Well, I think we're naturally curious beings, and that religion sure as hell (no pun intended) provides plentiful material for curiosity.

I don't see a direct connection between evolutionary processes and this. One constant of Man has been his natural curiosity.
.
According to Darwin natural selection is based upon functional advantage and transfer of functional advantage to the next generation.

If religion provided no functional advantage it would have been discarded long ago.
Sure, that's my point. There is great utility in religion. Huge. That's why it will always exist.
.
You also argued there were obvious negative impacts. So it wasn’t obvious to me that you believed the positive outweighed the negative.
 
I don't think man is a religious being naturally.

But I think it's natural for humans to be curious and wonder how the hell we got here. Religion has always provided humans with answers to that, but much more as well: Comfort, guidance, strength, inspiration. Not to mention the obvious negative things it has provided some, such as control and excuses. And then, of course, many are raised in it and have a deep-seeded attachment to it.

We've created, nurtured and maintained over 2,500 gods since we've been here, as I understand it. There will always be strong demand for the positive benefits of religion I listed above, so there will always be belief in gods.
.
So you don’t believe that man is hardwired to practice religion?

How do you square that with Darwin?
Well, I think we're naturally curious beings, and that religion sure as hell (no pun intended) provides plentiful material for curiosity.

I don't see a direct connection between evolutionary processes and this. One constant of Man has been his natural curiosity.
.
According to Darwin natural selection is based upon functional advantage and transfer of functional advantage to the next generation.

If religion provided no functional advantage it would have been discarded long ago.
Sure, that's my point. There is great utility in religion. Huge. That's why it will always exist.
.
You also argued there were obvious negative impacts. So it wasn’t obvious to me that you believed the positive outweighed the negative.
Well, there's plenty of both positive and negative, but overall I think it's a positive. Life can be pretty fucking harsh, and religion provides the guidance, answers, comfort and inspiration to keep going. Even if it turns out that religion is some kind of placebo, that's fine with me.
.
 
So you don’t believe the overwhelming prevalence of religion throughout the history of mankind can be traced back to any sort of natural disposition?
Let me change my answer in this way: Yes I do. It's based on Man's natural curiosity. But not on some divine seed, if that's what you're asking.
.
Actually my point is that man’s undeniable affinity to believe in a higher power can only be attributed to hardwiring of some kind.

Curiosity doesn’t lead to organization. Order leads to organization. Usually along the lines of common interests.

All throughout nature we can see how nature orders itself. Such that this need for order must be hardwired into nature itself.
 
So you don’t believe the overwhelming prevalence of religion throughout the history of mankind can be traced back to any sort of natural disposition?
Let me change my answer in this way: Yes I do. It's based on Man's natural curiosity. But not on some divine seed, if that's what you're asking.
.
Actually my point is that man’s undeniable affinity to believe in a higher power can only be attributed to hardwiring of some kind.

Curiosity doesn’t lead to organization. Order leads to organization. Usually along the lines of common interests.

All throughout nature we can see how nature orders itself. Such that this need for order must be hardwired into nature itself.
I don't think we're that far apart on this, then. But I do see a connection between a widely-shared curiosity and organization.
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religion is made up by man--like Santa Claus/etc...so no
..it's like people needing/wanting to believe in hitler/Jim Jones/the Beatles/etc--all kinds of crap
 
Religion is a learned behavior that takes advantage of an inborn tendency for magical thinking. Magical thinking is not religion but it often takes the form of ritual. Before Gods were invented hunter-gatherers had rituals that they felt gave them a little more success in survival. In the modern day this sort of thing can be seen most clearly in the superstitious rituals of athletes and gamblers. No one would call their little personal rituals "religion" but it comes from the same desire to have some control over a coldly indifferent world.
 
Catholics believe that The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator. Throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being

Is man a religious being?
If you mean Christianity, I'd have to say no. Christianity is a relatively recent invention in the history of man and is fundamentally different from what came before it.

Man is a weak and fragile being, living at the mercy of forces beyond his control and understanding. Paganism, at it's heart, is a negotiation with those forces, personified by gods. I will sacrifice a goat if you bring rain or cure my illness. Is that is what you mean by being religious?
 
Catholics believe that The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator. Throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being

Is man a religious being?
If you mean Christianity, I'd have to say no. Christianity is a relatively recent invention in the history of man and is fundamentally different from what came before it.

Man is a weak and fragile being, living at the mercy of forces beyond his control and understanding. Paganism, at it's heart, is a negotiation with those forces, personified by gods. I will sacrifice a goat if you bring rain or cure my illness. Is that is what you mean by being religious?
No. I meant exactly what I wrote.

Throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being

By your measure the vast majority of anyone who ever lived as well as the vast majority of people living now are backwards pagans who aren’t smart like you.
 
So you don’t believe the overwhelming prevalence of religion throughout the history of mankind can be traced back to any sort of natural disposition?
Let me change my answer in this way: Yes I do. It's based on Man's natural curiosity. But not on some divine seed, if that's what you're asking.
.
Actually my point is that man’s undeniable affinity to believe in a higher power can only be attributed to hardwiring of some kind.

Curiosity doesn’t lead to organization. Order leads to organization. Usually along the lines of common interests.

All throughout nature we can see how nature orders itself. Such that this need for order must be hardwired into nature itself.
''of some kind'' = you have no idea about what you are talking about
 
So you don’t believe the overwhelming prevalence of religion throughout the history of mankind can be traced back to any sort of natural disposition?
Let me change my answer in this way: Yes I do. It's based on Man's natural curiosity. But not on some divine seed, if that's what you're asking.
.
Actually my point is that man’s undeniable affinity to believe in a higher power can only be attributed to hardwiring of some kind.

Curiosity doesn’t lead to organization. Order leads to organization. Usually along the lines of common interests.

All throughout nature we can see how nature orders itself. Such that this need for order must be hardwired into nature itself.
''of some kind'' = you have no idea about what you are talking about
That's correct. None of can know for sure what we're talking about here.

We're wondering. We're guessing. That's all we can do.

Anyone who thinks they know for sure is both delusional and egotistical.
.
 

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