Quote:
Originally posted by kang
I'll post this yet again:
Religion meets a number of basic human needs. Until humans get these needs met in other ways, religion will never go away. It meets these needs so well that believers are utterly convinced that god exists. The bible must be true, otherwise how could it meet my needs so well? Here’s a short list of some of the needs I’ve identified that are met by religion. I see some of these needs in myself, but I don’t meet them via religion. If you are honest with yourself, you will see some in yourself and you
should recognize those that are met via religion. The list is not complete, and every individual has their own set, with their own priorities. In no particular order:
1) Something to explain the unexplainable
2) The need to know that death is not the end
3) Something to absolve guilt, e.g. forgiveness from your “sins”
4) The need to belong to a group
5) The need to feel superior to others
6) The need for unconditional love
7) An absolute authority for morals
8) Direction on how to live your life
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Yes, great list. You can't post this often enough.
I come from a deeply Christian background, but have come to be very critical of this faith, in part because it is so difficult to discuss it rationally with people who have bought into it. Reason, it seems to me, is critically important for our civilization - and every attempt to limit reason in favour of belief or superstition is negative. For anyone seriously interested in THIS issue I cannot recommend a book entitled "The End of Faith" (by Stanford philosopher Sam Harris) highly enough.
Although the Bible contains much wisdom - it also contains much bunk. For me the key distinction is between the ethics (10 commandments, Sermon on the Mount, various parables etc) and the metaphysics (Heaven & Hell, The holy trinity, virgin birth and other silly miracles etc).
I think it is possible to draw a clear distinction in the Bible between these two (the ethics and the metaphysics) and appreciate the former while dismissing the latter. I understand that many modern theologians are tending in this direction, but of course for hard-core Christians this is heresy.
I lived in Asia for many years and developed a serious interest in Buddhism - in part because it is a happy religion, which does not require you to buy into a whole lot of superstition and metaphysics - but instead concerns itself only with the business of encouraging people to lead better and more compassionate lives.
No Buddhists have ever started wars of faith, and no true Buddhist believes he has a monopoly on the truth. No proselytizing, no guilt trips, no hocus pocus. Just some clear methodolgy to help you focus on priorities and live a saner, better and fuller life.