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Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
I define a religion as a set of dogmatic beliefs, codified by a select group of "chosen" pendejos, created to "help" humans worship a "god" of some sort.
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ahhhh... that’s a poor definition though. you need a better word. organized religion? institutionalized religion? something like that. in my earlier post i called them “cults.” not saying it’s a great definition, just a way to differentiate.
but before i was talking about religion in the broadest sense, i.e., the ideas and practices that connect/reconnect one to “the big other” as zizek calls it (ha ha ha, “the big other”— so accurate).
this is a necessity of the human mind though. because the human mind is limited and grasps only so much of “reality,” it needs some sort of additional crutch or support to make sense of the rest of it all.
so throughout our evolution we have developed sets of beliefs and practices and rituals to help us cope with our limited understanding, each with different levels of ridiculousness. but some are also somewhat sensible and useful, in whole or parts. hence there is a practical value in them regardless of their truth value as william james argued.
now, whether some predatory pendejo exploits that human need socially and commercially for power and wealth is another story. that’s the baby/bathwater problem. distinctions are important.
and i get that you mean a certain word in a certain way and someone else means it differently which is why it’s important to clarify definitions upfront. i now get your definition of religion, but it’s not mine. though we hate the same things, we call them something else. hence the misundertandings.
eta: my point is that the need of the human mind to make sense of the big unknown and connect with it is not garbage. but we often go wrong the wrong way about fulfilling this need no doubt.
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Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
IT IS ALL A LIE. we are all, each of us, together in this life, and we are all, each of us, deeply alone in this life AT THE SAME TIME. That is life. There is no need for religion to explain it.
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that is a religious statement, btw. (per my definition anyway). eta: because it provides an answer to religious questions. and moreover, it does so categorically and without any hint of doubt.