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what is religion


danielost

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Basicly religion is hope.

Hope for an after life, the abrahamic religions.

Hope to return as a cow. Hinduism(I hope I wrong about that.)

Hope to return in a better class. Budists.

Hope that someone cares about you when it seems no one on earth does.

Someone to blame when everything goes wrong.

Hope for a lover waiting for you.

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Basicly religion is hope.

Hope for an after life, the abrahamic religions.

Hope to return as a cow. Hinduism(I hope I wrong about that.)

Hope to return in a better class. Budists.

Hope that someone cares about you when it seems no one on earth does.

Someone to blame when everything goes wrong.

Hope for a lover waiting for you.

"Religion" is a word derived from the Latin 'religare, referring to 'tying together' the human and a conception of the divine. A number of Christians prefer to call that connection a "relationship" in which God reaches out to humanity, to emphasize that humans cannot 'reach up' to God. Whatever word is used, religious feeling, searching and commitment is one of the most intimate yet most universal aspects of being human. Yes, formal religion often takes a beating in some of these threads; a recent post somewhere reminded us that it's not an arguable issue given personal and deep-seated opinions and beliefs. However, all people have an "ultimate concern" (German theologian Paul Tillich's term) which will largely define how they live their lives (money; family; pride; freedom; homeland; Jesus; football; honesty; compassion; philanthropy; survival; Allah; etc. etc.).

I like your emphasis on hope. Not all faith traditions offer hope that is compatible with many UM thinkers and skeptics.

Despite childhood "formal" religious instruction, as well as adult academic endeavors in theology, my hope is simple: That things will not always be as they are.

Edited by szentgyorgy
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Religion is whatever you believe in despite all evidence to the contrary.

No, no. That's not a very accurate definition at all. Ideas, moral values, and parables found in religious texts/stories are hardly such tangible things that can be somehow disproved with evidence. These things mostly make up what we call religion. If you're referring to evidence contrary to a creator existing, I don't think anyone has found that evidence yet.

"But evolution is real and proven!"

"So?"

"Well, religion X says God created everything!"

"But show me the evidence that says something didn't create everything, including adaptable creatures."

"Well, well.. there's so much death and hate in the world! Why would a creator allow this to happen to the world?"

"I don't have a clue. I didn't make it. But I won't pretend to know the reasoning for that creator if they did indeed exist. So, where is that evidence, again?"

A funny note is that your loaded definition would also place believing 'rods' are alien robots, and me thinking I will become America's Next Top Model, as religions. That would make me god of fashion.

But an interesting side note is that you could replace the word religion with hope, and in many cases it would fit well into your askew definition, but might make you see it in a more novel light. Probably not, though. It did for me, at least.

Edited by _Only
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Religion is the opium of the masses

Religion is the oppression of the masses

Religion is an excuse for criminals to get rich

Religion is an excuse for murder

Religion is a crutch

Edited by Tutankhaten-pasheri
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Religion isn't a crutch. It is a helping hand. Most help comes in the form of people who share your religion.

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Religion is paying money to old white men to get in to heaven.

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Religion is an excuse for rational people to do irrational things.

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Religion isn't a crutch. It is a helping hand. Most help comes in the form of people who share your religion.

And by implication those with no religion ever receive or give any help. Seems then that religion is needed to enable us to live, a sort of crutch.....

Edited by Tutankhaten-pasheri
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Religion isn't a crutch. It is a helping hand.

That's what a crutch is, a helping hand... Why else would people with sore and broken limbs use them?

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Na, religion is not the belief in a god. An example of this is the budhists. Anything can be and is worshiped. A church is a group of people support in what they believe. A church is a crutch.

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Religion is something people make up over drinks and smokes. Maybe a few mushrooms.

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Religion is paying money to old white men to get in to heaven.

Bad religion is listening to old white men who say give me money so you can go heaven.

Good religion is following your heart.

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Religion is something people make up over drinks and smokes. Maybe a few mushrooms.

"Now they will retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe." - Kate Winslet as Rose in Titanic ...

Edited by HavocWing
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Bad religion is listening to old white men who say give me money so you can go heaven.

Good religion is following your heart.

That's spirituality. Religion is doctrine.

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Religion is a doctrine. It is a way of life and obeying someone considered to be a master or a holy book.

Religion is servitude. Religion is slavery.

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Religion is a doctrine. It is a way of life and obeying someone considered to be a master or a holy book.

Religion is servitude. Religion is slavery.

Revealed religion is from a book or master/guru. Mystery religions are usually learned from the earth, meditation and or many sources.

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That's spirituality. Religion is doctrine.

"Doctrine" is the systematization of beliefs, often in writing, of a "religion." Religion is not doctrine; doctrine may be part of a religion. Please see post #3.

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Bad religion is listening to old white men who say give me money so you can go heaven.

No, Bad Religion is listening to old white men who are led by a quite adept self harmonizer with a PhD, who say give me money so we can make a 17th album. In this song, the way I see it, they have a message that both sides of this endless debate I suppose should give heed to (exercise your free will/opinion/belief, whatever it may be, and don't give it up, despite others attempts to set you in their place):

[media=]

[/media]

:P

Edited by _Only
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I've seen some nasty hyperbolic definitions of religion in this thread, but this one takes the cake.

The above link refers to a type of group that exists in nearly every imaginable grouping of anything anywhere ever. It has nothing to do with religion. In this case, it has more to do with debates, and is most likely usually an illusion in the eyes of the beholder. The sad part is that both sides of that debate usually see it in the other. Are both right? I want to believe not, but sometimes I just don't know. But to think that the purpose of a religion is collective narcissism..? Come on. Really. Come on. You were winding people up. Not very nice.

Edited by _Only
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Basicly religion is hope.

Hope to return as a cow. Hinduism(I hope I wrong about that.)

lol, you are wrong about that. The cow is regarded as a high position but it is not the position Hindus hope to achieve.

Religion is not slavery, it is the path to what religious people consider freedom,

due to material attachment is looks like slavery to those who want to live attached to material and free according to society.

how can freedom be equal to going for physical lust which leads to more lust.

slavery is just that, lusting for something and when you achieve it lusting for even more.

The best form of slavery is the form in which the enslaved one does not realize he is enslaved or even better yet loves the enslavement.

Edited by The Lone Ranger
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I've seen some nasty hyperbolic definitions of religion in this thread, but this one takes the cake.

The above link refers to a type of group that exists in nearly every imaginable grouping of anything anywhere ever. It has nothing to do with religion. In this case, it has more to do with debates, and is most likely usually an illusion in the eyes of the beholder. The sad part is that both sides of that debate usually see it in the other. Are both right? I want to believe not, but sometimes I just don't know. But to think that the purpose of a religion is collective narcissism..? Come on. Really. Come on. You were winding people up. Not very nice.

Hey at least I don't fly planes into buildings when I'm "disrespected".

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Only, christ said I give it free so you give it free. Thus anyone who tells you, you can buy your way into heaven is a desever, lieing. You re supposed to give ten percent to the lord. You, not the government, are supposed to give help to those who need it, if you are able.

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