tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882699495059104312.post1807257979796497278..comments2024-01-24T04:02:06.466-05:00Comments on Why I De-Converted from Evangelical Christianity: What are the Functions of Religion?Ken Pulliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12161943466797514854noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882699495059104312.post-25691396209838485902010-05-05T12:42:07.917-04:002010-05-05T12:42:07.917-04:00I don't doubt that the propensity for spiritua...I don't doubt that the propensity for spirituality is some sort of evolutionary adaptation that enabled human beings to cope with the overwhelming profundity of consciousness. However, our understanding of how the human mind developed is so sketchy that I don't think science is anywhere near telling us how or why it happened. I am therefore wary of some of the more militant atheists who are so confident that the wholesale elimination of religion would be a good thing. I just don't think we know enough about the wiring of the human psyche to be sure of the exact need that religion fills and how it might be filled in the absence of religion.Vinnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08955726889682177434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882699495059104312.post-58867444427251739742010-05-05T04:35:11.823-04:002010-05-05T04:35:11.823-04:00Nice post. I agree that these are some of the rea...Nice post. I agree that these are some of the reasons religion is important to people. It should also be mentioned that one of the reasons religions come about in the first place, and evolve, is by helping to support behavior that works to build societies, and then by ensuring their own survival within the society by indoctrinating the young and making promises and threats. This sounds pretty negative, but any secular culture must have similar charters to balance the needs of individuals with the needs of society.<br /><br />The question is, are secular charters enough to get people to behave nicely? I don't know, but I suspect they can only work in societies with a high level of education.<br /><br />cheers from cloudy Vienna, zilchzilchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695741977946935771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882699495059104312.post-71031347708107514742010-05-04T21:54:25.308-04:002010-05-04T21:54:25.308-04:00i also think that a religion can help a spiritual ...i also think that a religion can help a spiritual person develop their morality, and improve upon their character. <br />it can also serve as a vessel for benevolence within the community, such as charities, etc...<br />i also think religion can help one celebrate life, create a sense of thankfulness and awareness of the good things in our lives. this doesn't mean we ignore the bad things, but it can mean that we work to change the things we need to change within ourselves and cultivate awareness of the good.<br />religion also serves as a way to socialize with people who share the same worldview. <br /><br />yes, religion, especially those religions that emphasize dogma, are prone to becoming just another political force. however the function of religion, for me, is what i've listed above. i have absolutely no problem with atheists, in fact most of my friends, and most of the blogs i follow, are atheistic, and i do have a problem with christianity. however there is a positive side of religion. the idea that "religion is all good" or "religion is all bad" is simply not true. it is untrue that "all people need to be religious" but it is also untrue that religion has no positive purpose for those who are spiritual by nature.Iktomihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06764173102454691516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882699495059104312.post-54829622960416966842010-05-04T19:03:12.332-04:002010-05-04T19:03:12.332-04:00Thank you for your blog I have learned so much. I...Thank you for your blog I have learned so much. I see now as a teenager the being able to join a group who accepted me and welcomed me made me feel good and gave me that power feeling of god's love. It took me years to see the delusion I was under.reallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13407953672865676484noreply@blogger.com