Why has religion retained its appeal?

[hauxwell]

There is a lot of churches that have closed, because the congregation numbers are dwindling.

Bit like all the pubs.

[altus]

I agree. I consider myself a spiritual person, but don't attend church and don't belong to any 'religion' as such.

 

However I disagree that those who go to church are deeply flawed human beings just because they chose to join together with other likeminded people. Church offers them a community and other beneficial things.

Replace 'church' with 'Ku Klux Klan' in the above - a community of like minded people is not always a good thing.

 

Besides which, people aren't considered deeply flawed by some because they go to church, it's their irrational beliefs that prompt that.

[carosio]

My bold=

Like Baptism and Christenings?

 

A Christian Baptism is a rite in which a person publicly demonstrates his/her commitment to the Christian faith, and a Christening is usually the ceremony which names an infant with a first (Christian) name.

 

There is no bar or stigma (in this and many other countries) in renouncing or abandoning such commitment.

[danot]

That would be unwise IMO. Ban something, and you only make it stronger. I think you'd get better results be encouraging discernment and thinking skills in people. If they then decide for themselves, there's not so much value in a thing, they'll naturally drop it, or evolve it in to something more valuable.

 

 

 

Not so much religion, as human beings. Plenty of people who are not at all religious act in such a way that adds to the problems you mention.

 

Agreed. If it wasn't religion it'd be something else. There's no escaping our true nature. It seems suffering, death and destruction is our inescapable fate.

[Anna B]

Agreed. If it wasn't religion it'd be something else. There's no escaping our true nature. It seems suffering, death and destruction is our inescapable fate.

Civilisation is supposed to overide our 'true nature.' We become civilised.

 

As far as I'm aware all religions at a most basic level promote love and kindness to our fellow man/woman, and thus are part of the civilising process.

 

However some have become a power base for evil men to misinterpret holy teachings and use them for their own agenda.

[SnailyBoy]

[/b]

Civilisation is supposed to overide our 'true nature.' We become civilised.

 

As far as I'm aware all religions at a most basic level promote love and kindness to our fellow man/woman, and thus are part of the civilising process.

 

However some have become a power base for evil men to misinterpret holy teachings and use them for their own agenda.

 

They tend to promote the love and kindness as long as they're in the same team, so to speak.

 

Confucius and his golden rule was a little more general in being nice to each other.

Edited July 23, 2018 by SnailyBoy

[danot]

[/b]

Civilisation is supposed to overide our 'true nature.' We become civilised.

 

As far as I'm aware all religions at a most basic level promote love and kindness to our fellow man/woman, and thus are part of the civilising process.

 

However some have become a power base for evil men to misinterpret holy teachings and use them for their own agenda.

Civilisation cannot supress the darker side of our nature. As I said, it's our inescapable fate. With regards to religion. Religion isn't to blame, nor is it a solution. Its just one of many things that humans commit atrocities in the name of,

[willman]

It often allows people to give credence to their own bigotted views.

Edited July 23, 2018 by willman

[Cyclone]

A Christian Baptism is a rite in which a person publicly demonstrates his/her commitment to the Christian faith, and a Christening is usually the ceremony which names an infant with a first (Christian) name.

 

There is no bar or stigma (in this and many other countries) in renouncing or abandoning such commitment.

 

It's still a form of indoctrination though isn't it. Teaching children any religious dogma is basically indoctrination as they don't have the capacity to think critically about it and inherently trust their parents to teach them truly.

 

---------- Post added 24-07-2018 at 07:35 ----------

 

That would be unwise IMO. Ban something, and you only make it stronger.

 

We banned murder.

We banned FGM in the name of religion (well, for any reason, but in the name of religion is the typical justification for this barbarus practice).

[Calahonda]

It's still a form of indoctrination though isn't it. Teaching children any religious dogma is basically indoctrination as they don't have the capacity to think critically about it and inherently trust their parents to teach them truly.

 

---------- Post added 24-07-2018 at 07:35 ----------

 

 

We banned murder.

We banned FGM in the name of religion (well, for any reason, but in the name of religion is the typical justification for this barbarus practice).

 

Religion was a tool to control the rank and file, whilst the leaders of it did as they wished. People like to be part of something, be it religious, political, sporting, educational etc, etc. God is the best kept bit of fiction that there has ever been, however I believe in everyone to their own, providing they don’t attempt to force their beliefs on me.