Although my mom stigmatise pre-marital sex, thankfully my parents are quite chill in terms of religiosity. I have had initial pangs of cognitive dissonance, like most of those who questioned their beliefs, but my eventual dissociation has been relatively smooth. I’m aware that those who had more extreme religious upbringing find it difficult to escape, so to speak.
I remember reading a blog from a religious woman many years ago, in which she shared her experience of feeling guilty after having sex on her wedding night. Because throughout her entire life, sex had been vilified for her and when she consummated her marriage, she felt dirty and sinful. It took a long while for her to get over the guilt. Also, those who know about Chris Stuckmann, the movie critic, and his experience in Jehovah’s Witness forbidding him to make any films for extreme religious reasons, which made him depress in his teenage years.
I know religion can be beneficial to some, but more often than not it is more cancerous to most people. There is a reason that religiosity is declining across the world save for some.
Aside from trying to explain natural phenomena, experts believe that religion evolved to also serve as natural antidepressant. It has been observed that religiosity spike after cataclysmic events. Religion also offers community and belonging which is important for mental health and well being. Many inmates reform after embracing religion.
I would say that religion has grown to have limited utility in the modern age. It is dangerous on the wider society but has limited help to small groups and individuals. Religions and new age beliefs are exactly the same that it maybe beneficial to some individuals, so long as dogma isn’t shoved.
If it helps someone to reform or cope with adversities, so long as they don’t shove their religions down our throats, why not? I see religions the same as new age mumbo jumbos.
A lot of ritual and rules in various religions seem to also revolve around sanitation, hygiene, etiquette, etc. I figure these were built in to the dogma so that people would make sure to wash regularly, prepare food safely, and generally do things that prevent illness spreading, even though they really had no understanding of germs and such.
People have existential questions about the nature of reality and the answers to those questions matter very deeply to their daily lives. Humanity is far too limited to answer those questions in a satisfactory way, especially in a timeframe that is relevant to an individual life.
For example, should I live my life assuming that life and the universe will exist eternally or should I live it assuming that all life will cease with the heat death of the universe? If the former is true, my actions and choices have eternal consequences, but if the latter is true, they are ultimately insignificant because no matter how I choose to live, everything will end the same.
These type of questions can be hypothesized, but they will not be conclusively or scientifically answered in my lifetime, and certainly not today. However, the answers I choose to believe matter immensely to the way I live my life. This is why religion exists and will continue to exist.
Although my mom stigmatise pre-marital sex, thankfully my parents are quite chill in terms of religiosity. I have had initial pangs of cognitive dissonance, like most of those who questioned their beliefs, but my eventual dissociation has been relatively smooth. I’m aware that those who had more extreme religious upbringing find it difficult to escape, so to speak.
I remember reading a blog from a religious woman many years ago, in which she shared her experience of feeling guilty after having sex on her wedding night. Because throughout her entire life, sex had been vilified for her and when she consummated her marriage, she felt dirty and sinful. It took a long while for her to get over the guilt. Also, those who know about Chris Stuckmann, the movie critic, and his experience in Jehovah’s Witness forbidding him to make any films for extreme religious reasons, which made him depress in his teenage years.
I know religion can be beneficial to some, but more often than not it is more cancerous to most people. There is a reason that religiosity is declining across the world save for some.
More often than not?
It harms individuals and holds the whole world back
Especially women.
Aside from trying to explain natural phenomena, experts believe that religion evolved to also serve as natural antidepressant. It has been observed that religiosity spike after cataclysmic events. Religion also offers community and belonging which is important for mental health and well being. Many inmates reform after embracing religion.
I would say that religion has grown to have limited utility in the modern age. It is dangerous on the wider society but has limited help to small groups and individuals. Religions and new age beliefs are exactly the same that it maybe beneficial to some individuals, so long as dogma isn’t shoved.
It had its day, and it served a purpose once
It’s now a force for harm rather than good, and I use that word very deliberately
If it helps someone to reform or cope with adversities, so long as they don’t shove their religions down our throats, why not? I see religions the same as new age mumbo jumbos.
A lot of ritual and rules in various religions seem to also revolve around sanitation, hygiene, etiquette, etc. I figure these were built in to the dogma so that people would make sure to wash regularly, prepare food safely, and generally do things that prevent illness spreading, even though they really had no understanding of germs and such.
People have existential questions about the nature of reality and the answers to those questions matter very deeply to their daily lives. Humanity is far too limited to answer those questions in a satisfactory way, especially in a timeframe that is relevant to an individual life.
For example, should I live my life assuming that life and the universe will exist eternally or should I live it assuming that all life will cease with the heat death of the universe? If the former is true, my actions and choices have eternal consequences, but if the latter is true, they are ultimately insignificant because no matter how I choose to live, everything will end the same.
These type of questions can be hypothesized, but they will not be conclusively or scientifically answered in my lifetime, and certainly not today. However, the answers I choose to believe matter immensely to the way I live my life. This is why religion exists and will continue to exist.