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I always figured that religious belief might be advantageous as a sort of placebo. If you think that an omnipotent deity is on your side, you won't be paralyzed

I always figured that religious belief might be advantageous as a sort of placebo. If you think that an omnipotent deity is on your side, you won't be paralyzed by fear on the battlefield/looking for a job/etc.

WalterSear 14y ago
I have a pet theory that it is also driven by the subconscious memories of toddler-hood, when the world was a blurry place full of omnipotent beings that magically carried you places, took care of you and told you not to put your hand on the stove. The article was a pisspoor knocking of strawmen and spouting one's book. The world is not being driven into the ground by individualism - it's being driven into the ground by conformism. The voids and ennui that are an inevitable part of social change are being filled with new social behaviours and interactions - they may not completely encompass the needs of society yet, but then, religion doesn't any more, as more and more people are learning to think for themselves, rather than falling back on conformist superstitions. Religion's time has passed, and thank goodness for that.
EliRivers 14y ago
If you think that an omnipotent deity is on your side, you'll radically overestimate your chances of success and end up on that battlefield doing something stupid like charging a machine-gun nest with a pointed stick and a holy book. Modern militaries find that training is far more effective, and the militaries known for being effective in the ancient world (for example, the Romans) found similarly. Religion follows society; religion is a formalised set of a given society's morals (i.e. chosen "acceptable" and "correct" behaviour). As society changes, so religion follows. In this day and age with religion being written down and available to everyone this now causes a great deal of trouble as people let the tail wag the dog, so to speak, and object to changes in society based on religion.

WalterSear 14y ago

I have a pet theory that it is also driven by the subconscious memories of toddler-hood, when the world was a blurry place full of omnipotent beings that magically carried you places, took care of you and told you not to put your hand on the stove. The article was a pisspoor knocking of strawmen and spouting one's book. The world is not being driven into the ground by individualism - it's being driven into the ground by conformism. The voids and ennui that are an inevitable part of social change are being filled with new social behaviours and interactions - they may not completely encompass the needs of society yet, but then, religion doesn't any more, as more and more people are learning to think for themselves, rather than falling back on conformist superstitions. Religion's time has passed, and thank goodness for that.

EliRivers 14y ago

If you think that an omnipotent deity is on your side, you'll radically overestimate your chances of success and end up on that battlefield doing something stupid like charging a machine-gun nest with a pointed stick and a holy book. Modern militaries find that training is far more effective, and the militaries known for being effective in the ancient world (for example, the Romans) found similarly. Religion follows society; religion is a formalised set of a given society's morals (i.e. chosen "acceptable" and "correct" behaviour). As society changes, so religion follows. In this day and age with religion being written down and available to everyone this now causes a great deal of trouble as people let the tail wag the dog, so to speak, and object to changes in society based on religion.