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> With the condition that you abide by the rules. The rules are generally in place to protect the community from sociopaths and serve as the communities immune

by slv77 9y ago

> With the condition that you abide by the rules. The rules are generally in place to protect the community from sociopaths and serve as the communities immune system.

astura 9y ago
What!? Religious rules are not "to protect the community from sociopaths." For example, eating pork is not sociopathic behavior and yet a large part of the world's religions forbid pork eating. People who have problems with the religious community usually are for their arbitrary rules rather than they'd much rather be sociopaths. (I'd make the argument they aren't particularly good about keeping sociopaths out anyways but that's another topic)
- saint_fiasco 9y ago
  By making adherence to arbitrary rules a pain in the ass, they discourage people with insincere motivations from hanging out with them. Only a very dedicated sociopath would follow all those rules just to fit in and earn their trust. This isn't failproof of course. Sociopathic cult leaders are very dedicated.
- Kluny 9y ago
  The parent commenter probably read this book: https://www.gitbook.com/book/hintjens/psychopathcode/details https://www.gitbook.com/book/hintjens/psychopathcode/details I read it to. The thesis is basically that - societal norms are designed to make it easy for normal people to notice psychopaths and avoid them. The book is pretty convincing, I'd give it a look. I didn't notice too many numbers or studies quoted in it, though. Presented without evidence though, parent commenter's statement may be hard to believe.
  - hammock 9y ago
    One aspect of a rule is that it serves as a test to highlight those who can't/won't follow it (a psychopath). But that's not the only function...
    - Kluny 9y ago
      Very true, yeah.
  - soundwave106 9y ago
    In a way, I buy that. However, the problem with many religious / community "rules of order" is that they too often are based more on tribal patterns and/or irrational logic instead of evidence. Not only has that sometimes caused harm to harmless people "not in the tribe", but sometimes legitimate sociopaths have actually exploited "the rules and norms" to their end. (A particularly notorious example of the later that I can think of is Ted Bundy.) Agreed with the idea that religion does foster a sense of community. If you can get that without the nasty tribalism side effects you sometimes see from it, it would work.

by slv77 9y ago

> With the condition that you abide by the rules. The rules are generally in place to protect the community from sociopaths and serve as the communities immune system.

astura 9y ago

What!? Religious rules are not "to protect the community from sociopaths." For example, eating pork is not sociopathic behavior and yet a large part of the world's religions forbid pork eating. People who have problems with the religious community usually are for their arbitrary rules rather than they'd much rather be sociopaths. (I'd make the argument they aren't particularly good about keeping sociopaths out anyways but that's another topic)

saint_fiasco 9y ago
By making adherence to arbitrary rules a pain in the ass, they discourage people with insincere motivations from hanging out with them. Only a very dedicated sociopath would follow all those rules just to fit in and earn their trust. This isn't failproof of course. Sociopathic cult leaders are very dedicated.
Kluny 9y ago
The parent commenter probably read this book: https://www.gitbook.com/book/hintjens/psychopathcode/details https://www.gitbook.com/book/hintjens/psychopathcode/details I read it to. The thesis is basically that - societal norms are designed to make it easy for normal people to notice psychopaths and avoid them. The book is pretty convincing, I'd give it a look. I didn't notice too many numbers or studies quoted in it, though. Presented without evidence though, parent commenter's statement may be hard to believe.
- hammock 9y ago
  One aspect of a rule is that it serves as a test to highlight those who can't/won't follow it (a psychopath). But that's not the only function...
  - Kluny 9y ago
    Very true, yeah.
- soundwave106 9y ago
  In a way, I buy that. However, the problem with many religious / community "rules of order" is that they too often are based more on tribal patterns and/or irrational logic instead of evidence. Not only has that sometimes caused harm to harmless people "not in the tribe", but sometimes legitimate sociopaths have actually exploited "the rules and norms" to their end. (A particularly notorious example of the later that I can think of is Ted Bundy.) Agreed with the idea that religion does foster a sense of community. If you can get that without the nasty tribalism side effects you sometimes see from it, it would work.