Well I was listening to some Joe Rogan podcasts last night and he brought up a point about how believing something, whether you can do this or that, believing in yourself, will ultimately have positive consequences. Then he brought up the point about the placebo effect. Where you believe you're getting medicine but you're not, but just the belief that you're getting medicine can make you healthy. So I got thinking, maybe religion isn't supposed to be believing about a god, but to believe in ourselves. I mean, if we can believe in a god; something that goes against all scientific and logical evidence, but we still truely have faith in him, then we can definitely believe in ourselves no matter what right? Thus having the benefit of positive consequences in your life.
Assumptions about something which is not in your experience are dangerous Religion gives confidence to fools, once God is on your side there is no stopping you terrible for humanity
I agree OP. I like how this guy puts it: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev35VkKK8Bs]Maynard's Thoughts on Religion - YouTube[/ame]
The question then becomes this: Is the placebo effect that some experience more beneficial for society as a whole than the detriments to society of religious organization? The answer to this is clearly no.
So why not just do away with the placebo? lol Cut out the middle man because we already have everything we need.
only confidence , is only an emotion, so the question really is... Does emotion happen in physical reality? id say yea
OP, a lot of truth in what you say. As a kid before bed I'd reflect on the day and plans for the next and my distant goals and whatnot in a lil prayer type deal. Not a religion practioner, but I could understand faith based motivation or drive or however you want to phrase it. Just as the message of faith and god might inspire people, so too might the message of there not being a god or of god being with in or us being the masters of our own destiny etc etc. It depends how you utilize the knowledge... perhaps religion is most useful for "most" people but it comes with a slew a consequences. Either way I think god comes from within me so I'm finna do me for me knaw mean and the pictures of my future I put on my wall is all I need to be hungry.
I'd respect any religion that's primary goal is to promote humans avoiding their worst possible misery and finding ways to create their own miracles, rather than the understanding of a supposed God. Sadly, this isn't the case with every religion.
i dont think there can be a "true purpose" of religion. It's just a matter of judgement and perception. Both of which are wrong if you apply them to anything other than yourself. Edit: What you say is true anyway
I think the baggage that comes with religion is far worse than the confidence it gives us. It seems to make people overly confident to the point of extreme distrust in true information which is contrary to religious doctrine. It destroys one's thinking process and ability to think without bias.