Just what is the purpose of religion?

Why do humans have a need to believe in an imaginary being that rules the cosmos?

It is not as if we live in an ancient civilization where the ruler of the people is 'descended from god/s/esses'. And beyond having somewhere to go & be all dressed up on any given (generally speaking) Sunday so that you can feel like a better person. What is religion's purpose in today's society?

This is not so much a personal opinion poll for each person on the board...more like why do you think society of the 21st century requires religion to function?

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Why do you think society of the 21st century requires religion to function?

Society is functioning for good or ill I think.. . It is still a society of sorts.. There are societies where the children are exploited and used and women are sold...Without ethical and moral standards it functions poorly I believe. We see the results of this today.

To me standards of morality and ethics usually stem from religion... It is not that religion should be a controlling factor I think but religion should be considered..

There is a definition of religion that I found that defines it's important aspects:

(Latin: religio, ligo, "to bind together") A way of seeing, thinking, and acting inspired by questions about what things mean: ie Where did we come from?, What is our destiny?, What is true?, What is false?, What is my duty or obligation?, What is the meaning of suffering? ...

- Art

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"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

When you say "21st century society" what, exactly, do you mean?

The society envisioned by the Taliban is a 21st Century society; so is hedonistic San Francisco. Saudi Arabia certainly is a 21st Century society, so is Burma/Myanmar. Fundamentalist Mormon compounds in western North America are 21st century societies, so is the world of Paris Hilton.

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Arthra,
"To me standards of morality and ethics usually stem from religion..."

Let me ask you a question. If religions were to vanish do you think there would be more crime?

As for the main question, personally I think most humans are wired genetically to seek the supernatural. I know that soulnds wierd but those of you who believe in God ask yourself what it would take for you NOT to believe in God. my guess is that you can't imagine not believing in God.

As a non-believer I'm just the opposite. My family was very religious and I tried very hard to believe in God and what everyone else around me considered to be truth. I just couldn't do it. It's as though the Bible says the sky is red but when I look I see blue. I can't make myself see what I can't see.

I feel like I have no choice in the matter and my guess is that believers have no choice either. If that's correct we might as well say it's in our genes.

I understand what she means. Simply because a group lives in the 21st Century doesn't mean they are of the 21st Century. I think the Taliban is firmly rooted in the 15th Century.

IMHO, societies of the 21st Century are generally more educated, less superstitious, more understanding of science, have higher standards of living than previous centuries. Examples would be Europe, North America, Japan etc.

Jack, that brings into play Nature vs nuture.

Do you really think that religion is nature?

Unfortunately I realize that there really isn't a way to prove this as nearly all humans on earth are affected by society. Even an atheist might let blasphemous phrases of "Oh God" or "Jesus Christ" pass their lips in the right (or wrong) situation. That would just be conditioning from society. You hear enough people say it and you are going to start saying it as well. Much like an accent or regional saying. Such as "Wicked" in the northeast, or "Y'all" in the south.

__________________
- Wisdom comes when you stop looking for it. -
"If God were alive today, he'd be an atheist" - Kurt Vonnegut

Please visit my foster dog blog: The Colbert Report.

Arthra,
"To me standards of morality and ethics usually stem from religion..."

Let me ask you a question. If religions were to vanish do you think there would be more crime?

.............................................

Hello Jacknky.. You can call me Art!

I think if you decriminalised everything there'd be fewer crimes.

Except for maybe Shariah law I don't think most religions are that involved today in criminal cases.

Civil law of course over the centuries in most places seems to me to be derived from cultural mores which were influenced by religion so ... we have laws about marriage and divorce.. laws about murder and so on.

- Art

__________________
"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

Wendy,
"Do you really think that religion is nature?"

Some. Like I said, I truly and honestly tried to believe in God and I fould after many years of trying that I just couldn't. There was and is nothing supernatural about the world in which I live. I can't really see where I really had any chance to believe.

Are you a believer? Do you think you had a realistic choice to not believe in God?

Art,

I think I misinterpreted you. You were speaking of morality as separate from laws.

I personally appreciate morality based on compassion and not on rules. The Golden Rule would be an example of the former and the injunction against eating shellfish would be the latter. As a Humanist my morality is based more on that which reduces human suffering.

It appears to me that religion based morality is too often based on a view of what is pleasing to God when, if we're honest, we must admit that no one knows the nature of the gods. IMHO, the injunctions against homosexuality falls under this category.

Do you think most people will be less able to feel compassion in their hearts if they don't believe in God?

As the famous rocket scientist and theist Werner von Braun once said, if there wasn't a god, man would have invented one anyway.

I think there's several reasons besides the theory that we may be hard-wired to believe. One is that it offers us some personal security, along with the fact that we do not want to die. Secondly, it offers some security and hope for the society as a whole. Third, in anthropology we often refer to religion as the "glue" that helps hold society together by giving people common values and reasons to gather and cooperate together.




I think religion still has a purpose today besides just basic belief. I was discussing this yesterday with a friend in that, since both of us are Jews, it was mentioned that it gives us and other Jews some commonality even if some of us, such as yours truly, even have doubts there's a deity, and the same holds true with other people in other traditions as well. Let me give an example.

At another religious website,a Christian asked on the Judaism Debate Forum why is it that Jews overwhelmingly vote Democratic here in the States (usually 80-90%)? There were Jews from various walks who responded, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and a couple of gentlemen who are secular, and yet we all agreed that the reason is because of Torah. In the story of Cain and Abel, after Cain kills Abel, God approaches Cain and asks where Able is, and Cain's response is a classic: "Am I my brother's keeper?", he asked sarcastically.

In Judaism, the answer to that question has always been "Yes". One has an obligation to help others out as much as possible, according to Torah. This belief is not unusual since we see Buddhists and Amerindians and Inuits, for other examples, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic because it is the party that best reflects that mind-set. This list is not all inclusive and there are others as well. What was especially interesting in our response was that secular Jews fully agreed that it was Torah that set the standard even though they do not necessarily believe in God themselves.

My point is that religion is more than just a set of beliefs-- it's community as well. We see this with Buddhism, which is non-theistic, and yet the feeling that community, including the sangha (communities of monks, nuns, and students), is very important. One need not believe in a deity to appreciate what community can do.

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein