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> From the perspective of now it does seem to mark the end of an era. Thankfully. I'm not sure about "end of an era". People seem to have an intrinsic need for
by majewsky 8y ago
> From the perspective of now it does seem to mark the end of an era. Thankfully.
I'm not sure about "end of an era". People seem to have an intrinsic need for faith. Now that organized religion is playing a less prominent role in their lifes (at least in Western countries), that hole seems to get filled with esoterics and conspiracy theories.
- meheleventyone 8y agoI don't think being religious immunised people against conspiracy theories or esoteric beliefs as if it were only possible to have faith in one thing at a time! They seem mostly orthogonal.
- dalbasal 8y agoEsoterics and conspiracy theories where pretty strong before british (and elsewhere) decline in church authority. It isn't the end of an era in the utopian sense, from now on science and reason. But the era of the church as "1st estate of the realm," the unchallengeable political power & moral authority, ended.
- msla 8y ago> People seem to have an intrinsic need for faith. I don't seem to have any, and I don't think I'm alone. > Now that organized religion is playing a less prominent role in their lifes (at least in Western countries), that hole seems to get filled with esoterics and conspiracy theories. You need only look at the history of antisemitism to see that conspiracy theories can and do flourish among very religious people.
- amanaplanacanal 8y agoI think what people really have a need for is ritual and community. These needs were filled by the church in the past, but we have lots of social rituals now, including those of esoteric religion. We mostly still love our holiday rituals for instance, even if the religions that spawned them are long dead and gone. And people still love to break bread together, even if they aren't thinking of the last supper when they do so.