3 ms·
No downvotes here... This is a thread about asking for opinions and advice, and all should be able to be on the table. I am curious as to 'why observe the relig
by reilly3000 5y ago
No downvotes here... This is a thread about asking for opinions and advice, and all should be able to be on the table. I am curious as to 'why observe the religion of your parents' is something you advise. For me, not doing so was a painful process for myself and my family in some ways, but continuing to do so was personally untenable. From an objective viewpoint I see the benefits that individuals and communities see from religious cohesion: increased social ties, increased lifespan [1], charitable involvement, etc. I also observe religious institutions as bastions of abuse, misinformation, regressive social stances, and conquest. These are difficult issues to unpack and perhaps this isn't the venue, but I am interested in your perspective on why it is part of the self-care advice you offered.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ppt/nchs2010/37_hummer.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ppt/nchs2010/37_hummer.pdf
- hashimotonomora 5y agoIn principle I was advising to at least observe a religion in a general sense. Once that’s established, only if there is an inexcusable reason and absolute understanding would I recommend to change one’s religion away from that of one’s parents. It’s not that you can’t, but there should be a strong deliberate motive. Most will read it with an individualistic, reductionist, tabula rasa understanding of Man, in which one can think of religion as a set of rules and beliefs that can be analyzed and chosen like one chooses a career. Under that understanding, the religion of your parents is arbitrary. However, I consider that religion is integral to life and inextricable from oneself, and that we are in fact eternally related to our ancestors. Edit: This coming from a mechanical engineer with a PhD in finance.