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> thrives and flourishes on the soil of human fears ...it doesn't have to be this way! Educated, healthy and secure individuals also need a form of "socialized

by nnq 14y ago

> thrives and flourishes on the soil of human fears ...it doesn't have to be this way! Educated, healthy and secure individuals also need a form of "socialized spirituality", but there is no good product on the market for them. If traditional religions like Catholicism would start marketing themselves to the "educated, healthy and secure", I believe they could even have some success. Granted, their "product" is not for this market, but it might be more flexible than they think. Historically speaking, Christianity has been quite a flexible "religious product", they even had "soldier monks that killed for God" in the time of the crusades, and although this backfired a bit (ok, more than a bit...), it showed that the Christian faith is at its core very flexible and adaptable. (disclaimer: I'm not promoting any personal view here, I'm personally more in the market for "far eastern spiritual goods" than flavors of Christianity...)

Udo 14y ago
I think the fundamental misunderstanding here is not about replacing fear and suppression as a motivation for religion, but whether a belief in the supernatural (and a service structure that caters to it) is necessary in the first place. From my early childhood on, it's one of these things that made me doubt if I'm even part of the same species as most people. I remember a vivid discussion with the local priest about why I stopped coming to bible class (I had only been there once or twice because my parents thought I was missing out on something). The guy said the problem was not that I was rejecting his faith in particular, what made him think I was really sick and disturbed was the fact that I didn't see why anyone would have a religion at all.
- whoreallyknows 14y ago
  At risk of posting something rather personal, I was led to believe in the existence of God by the tradition of ratiocination in works by Christian authors such as St. Augustine, as well as pre-Christian philosophers such as Plato and Confucius. That said, while I do not think your characterization of religion as anti-science really holds, I agree it is an accurate depiction of the way religion tends to play into contemporary American politics.

by nnq 14y ago

Udo 14y ago

I think the fundamental misunderstanding here is not about replacing fear and suppression as a motivation for religion, but whether a belief in the supernatural (and a service structure that caters to it) is necessary in the first place. From my early childhood on, it's one of these things that made me doubt if I'm even part of the same species as most people. I remember a vivid discussion with the local priest about why I stopped coming to bible class (I had only been there once or twice because my parents thought I was missing out on something). The guy said the problem was not that I was rejecting his faith in particular, what made him think I was really sick and disturbed was the fact that I didn't see why anyone would have a religion at all.

whoreallyknows 14y ago
At risk of posting something rather personal, I was led to believe in the existence of God by the tradition of ratiocination in works by Christian authors such as St. Augustine, as well as pre-Christian philosophers such as Plato and Confucius. That said, while I do not think your characterization of religion as anti-science really holds, I agree it is an accurate depiction of the way religion tends to play into contemporary American politics.