What good is religion?

No I cant, but I would like to know how a "psychological need" can possibly be summarily dismissed from consideration as a valid requirement.

 

Looks like you had to go pretty far back in time to find something useful...
but passing along the word that something might make you sick is just common courtesy
.....nobody needs to make a religion out of it.
Perhaps making a religion out of COVID would convince folks to get vaccinated
but I doubt it.

 

and the person you pass it on to as a courtesy concludes your assessment is correct, and passes that information on to 10,000 people who consequently do not eat pork, and their lives are saved because they are all 'believers' that you are correct, now with a large number of people holding the same belief, that makes it dogmatic at a group level, and since those beliefs are not proven facts 'a religion'.

Like I have tried to point out countless times out here, religion is an evolution, jointly and severally.

 

I can only give examples from my own experience...
but I am sure you have had similar situations.

Have you ever given up smoking...or alcohol/drug use of any kind.
Maybe you've changed your diet at some point and found you do
not really miss certain foods that you used to think were great.
Maybe you've had a relationship dissolve and went through a difficult time...
then found out you were better off without it...
and can't imagine why you didn't let go of it sooner.
It's the same with useless thoughts, ideas, practices...simply let go of them.
They are distractions...nothing more.

Anything that says it will give you happiness...like people claim of religion..
is an illusion. Nothing can give you happiness...no religion, drug, alcohol, wealth or relationship
can give you happiness. Joy comes from within.

 

Sure but 'vices' are not necesary 'needs'.

sure but that in no way dismisses religious needs, it only shows some needs are dismissable to you and may not be to another. That certainly does not disqualify religion.

All of our lives takere different paths, require different beliefs, hence resulting in different religions

One mans garbage is anothers treasure.

Your practiced beliefs are your religion, you cant escape it any more than any of the rest of us.

 

So then would the medical profession itself be considered a "religion"?
Does that mean all the COVID vaccinated have formed a "religion"....
passing along life-saving information is certainly commendable,
but does not constitute a "religion".

Will the human body heal itself without "religion"....probably.

 

not the 'profession', they do deal in some scientific facts and those cannot be dismissed as religion.
That does not bar conclusions made by the operators can be classified as religion.
These are oversimplifications, and they do not hold on that basis as I presume you can see?

Sure, indirectly. They had their preacher the guv preaching proof everybody is going to die so out of fear of death they run got the shot, I didnt, neither did I wear the chin diapers except as punishable by our laws protecting my freedom of choice.

As I have just shown in the case of pork, it certainly can be. It all depends on how it is interpreted and acted upon.

Most states have joined to sue the cdc for falsifying the c19 reporting methods to falsely grossly exaggerate the problem by several hundredfold

 

Exactly. Vices are "psychological needs"...not actual "needs".
People are convinced they can't live without their 'vices' and will go to any length to hang on to them....
until they find out they never "needed" them in the first place.

Can you perhaps name a human "path" that requires a "different belief" and a "different religion"

Yes good point...I've picked through trash lots of times...found some good stuff.

If I had practiced beliefs...I suppose they could be referred to as a "religion"...I have no problem with that idea.
All beliefs are nothing but thoughts in our minds...thoughts change constantly.
They are unstable.
What exactly do you think would happen to you if you had no "religion"?
Would you be a different person?
How about if you had no beliefs in your mind at all....would you still be you?

 

Can you clarify your statement a bit....

what exactly does that mean?

 

But is "religion" really evolving???

"A Pennsylvania church known for worshiping with AR-15 rifles and preaching that Joe Biden is a fake president has found just the location to “expand God’s Kingdom”: Texas."

These days religion only separates folks into groups...
until people dissolve their "separateness"....things will continue to get worse.

 

Do you think doctors read studies and come to the same conclusions? They derive a set of beliefs based on their ability to comprehend what they read and believe me many of them should be barred from the industry.

ungrounded or poorly referenced concclusions

and of course that is an entirely different category erroneously included apparently?

headhunters vs rothschild

this includes the trash in the world of thought as well.

No, they are conclusions derived from thoughts, and the govern your action s

Because they change does not mean they are unstable, hell science and the gubmint changes on a daily basis.

You would be an autonotom, a computer.

most likely

you would be a vegetable.

Thats right your beliefs do not match mine do they

so you want thought police? How do you intend to enforce this?
Should we all be forced to take anti-thought drugs? (We could sell it as law in the land of the free!)

You can see that between the OT and NT

worshiping with an AR15 is not the same as worshiping the ar15 however

 

Please try to focus on one idea at a time....
otherwise the conversation gets all convoluted
and I have to re-quote everything to stay in context.

Look at the exchange above...you are separating "religion" from smoking, alcohol/drug abuse and other crutches
as 'vices' and not "necessary needs".

Then I agree with you and say that 'vices' are just "psychological needs"

And you reply....

Are you disagreeing that 'vices' are "psychological needs"??

 

was referring to its inclusion prior to your agreement
"psychological needs" like I said is too vague of a broad brush, over simplified approach.
Vices are not necessarily a religion, which is not to say it is not possible to make it a religion, literally anything can be made into religion just like literally anything can be made into commercial law in this country and trotted out as 'secular'.
I think you just agreed with that?

To be an intelligent discussion there needs to be a distinction between "psychological needs" as a matter of religion and "psychological needs" as a matter of vice. Vice of course not withstanding outside freedom of choice.

 

Cool! Thanks for explanation.

I think you are saying that.... a "psychological need" for religion
is not the same as a "psychological need" for a 'vice' such as smoking, drugs, etc..

So there must be two separate categories of "psychological needs"....correct?

 

sure one is a chemical dependency

 

Yep. But forming an "attachment" to anything....like religion or even another person
also causes chemical reactions in the brain. Especially noticeable when the
object of that attachment may be lost or taken away.
Fear will take over.....fight or flight will kick in....people react blindly..
"attachments" like 'vices' can be just as dangerous and life threatening.

 

chemical changes in the brain in the latter are an after effect, vices on the other hand wind up being unconscius reactions to the chemical deficit which lead to the conscious motivation to procure more.

 

Since thoughts and beliefs can change...they are not stable.
That's all I am stating there.

I'm using the definition of "unstable" below....

Definition of unstable
: not stable : not firm or fixed : not constant: such as
a : not steady in action or movement : irregular an unstable pulse
b : wavering in purpose or intent : vacillating
c : lacking steadiness : apt to move, sway, or fall an unstable tower
d(1) : liable to change or alteration an unstable economy unstable weather
(2) : readily changing (as by decomposing) in chemical or physical composition or in biological activity

 

what in this world does not change? Thats another a funnel argument so vague it becomes meaningless.

what would you rather have: changing your mind immediately when new data or evidence comes in or 50 years arguing it out on the house and legislature floor to get a law changed and no one gets what they want and you have to live 50 years forced to obey their religion by penalty of statute.

If not self governed by your religion then the kleptocracy will be happy to govern you with theirs.

 

It sounds like you may be using a different definition....

"A vice is a practice, behavior, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhealthy habit. Vices are usually associated with a transgression in a person's character or temperament rather than their morality.[1] Synonyms for vice include fault, sin, depravity, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption."

I don't see anything in the definition that confines "vices" to this idea....
"vices on the other hand wind up being unconscius reactions to the chemical deficit which lead to the conscious motivation to procure more."

Things like gambling, shopping, etc.,...still addictions
but have nothing to do with addictive substance abuse.

 

Yes. Exactly!
Everything changes...thoughts, beliefs, perceptions...all of those things are unstable.
That is all that "religion" is....thoughts, beliefs, perceptions...nothing more than that...nothing supernatural.
People can live with it or without it....if they choose to......"religion" is not a need.
"Religion" (or conclusion of beliefs as you called it)... taken to extreme like any 'vice' can be dangerous.

 

So then you agree that science and physics are also unstable?

sure religion itself isnt supernatural but for many people has the supernatural as a source of those beliefs.

Not without religion, do you have so much as one moral? Then you got religion, its intrinsic to our nature, you dont have a say so in it. you can only choose which one you want, you cannot choose to have or not have it.

sure, drinking plenty of water is good for you, however toomuch will kill you!

 

Yes. Definitely agree.
They've changed over the years and no reason to believe they will not continue to change.

 

.

Then why not go directly to the source....you don't need a religion to be whole.
Religions are made by humans....not God.

 

of course, but for some reason neoatheists seem to think religion is attached to God and only God by an umbilical cord, they fail to make that distinction.

They erroneously express their hatred for 'religion' (which they also have), instead of their hatred for deities as the source of someones 'religion'.

If they wanted to be accurate they would complain about 'deity worship' versus nondeity worship.

Because they believe God is the source?

It always comes from a source. Ego, Selfishness, vanity, you name it religion always has source(s).