The Purpose of Religion

[SalixIncendium]

What is the purpose of religion in general? How has it succeeded in its purpose? How has it failed?

Does the purpose of your individual religion align with the purpose of religion in general? If not, how does it deviate? How has your religion succeeded in its individual purpose? How has if failed?

Assuming a religion has failed in it's purpose, what can its adherents take away from this? What can they change?

 

[Spirit of Light]

What is the purpose of religion in general? How has it succeeded in its purpose? How has it failed?

Does the purpose of your individual religion align with the purpose of religion in general? If not, how does it deviate? How has your religion succeeded in its individual purpose? How has if failed?

Assuming a religion has failed in it's purpose, what can its adherents take away from this? What can they change?

Purpose of religion is a bit different from religion to religion, ut in general it is to give the person a chance to enlighten to the truth of why we are here as human beings. (a lot more too)
It succeed in giving humans a way of strengthening their moral and insight toward spiritual lifestyle.

In old times what we know as religion today was called Cultivation path, that was not faith based only, So the Religion is a cultivation path light version meaning that religion was created to make it more "easy" to follow then a cultivation path, Cultivation follow very strict "rules" and the master has not many students at one time. This is to so the master can actually help all of his/her students.

If you look at Buddhas teaching he had only a few close students, But yes he did teach others too but maybe not as deep as the very close students (monks)

So what i trying to say is that Religion as we know it today is a simplyfied path. that is maybe the "failed" state of religion today. But who made it so? It was human beings them self and not the God or Buddha who created religion.

 

[Fool]

What is the purpose of religion in general?

How has it succeeded in its purpose? How has it failed?

Does the purpose of your individual religion align with the purpose of religion in general? If not, how does it deviate? How has your religion succeeded in its individual purpose? How has if failed?

Assuming a religion has failed in it's purpose, what can its adherents take away from this? What can they change?[/QUOTE]


to teach us how to get along with love and that we're all birds of a feather

 

[Sunstone]

Religions today have many, sometimes contradictory or overlapping, purposes that can be found to one degree or another in most major religions, including:

• Distinguishing people who belong to one's group from people who do not belong to one's group
• Providing a glue to hold together communities
• Helping the less fortunate members of the group or society
• Supporting and justifying the positions and power of political and social elites
• Speaking truth to power
  
• Facilitating the attainment of enlightenment
• Creating a route to wealth and power for the clergy
  
• Providing comfort and encouragement to the afflicted
• Providing a sense of meaning or purpose in life
  
• General moral guidance
• Challenging the social order (think MLK's use of religion in the American Civil Rights movement); and so forth.

So far as I know, all of those purposes could be ruthlessly dispensed with and people would still express some kind of religiosity because human religiosity is rooted in our genes. We'd express it in one way or another even if no purpose were served by expressing it.

 

[Audie]

What is the purpose of religion in general? How has it succeeded in its purpose? How has it failed?

Does the purpose of your individual religion align with the purpose of religion in general? If not, how does it deviate? How has your religion succeeded in its individual purpose? How has if failed?

Assuming a religion has failed in it's purpose, what can its adherents take away from this? What can they change?

It is an industry.

 

[bobhikes]

What is the purpose of religion in general? How has it succeeded in its purpose? How has it failed?

Does the purpose of your individual religion align with the purpose of religion in general? If not, how does it deviate? How has your religion succeeded in its individual purpose? How has if failed?

Assuming a religion has failed in it's purpose, what can its adherents take away from this? What can they change?

All religions have the purpose of giving a meaning to life to certain individuals. It succeeds and fails based on the individuals. It biggest failure is through its organization. If all religions stayed as ministries they would not cause problems, trying to unite under mans leadership is there biggest failure.

 

[Audie]

All religions have the purpose of giving a meaning to life to certain individuals. It succeeds and fails based on the individuals. It biggest failure is through its organization. If all religions stayed as ministries they would not cause problems, trying to unite under mans leadership is there biggest failure.

Maybe under women's?

Who else is there?

 

[dfnj]

The purpose of religion is to answer the four great existential truths:
1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. What does it all mean?
4. What is going to happen to me when I die?

As human beings, we all must face these four difficult truths about our own existence. We all must face the fact that in the grand cosmic scale of time, our life is utterly and completely insignificant and meaningless. One of our salvations in facing this bitter and terrible truth, is that it is also meaningless that it is meaningless. So every person is left with a choice. Either we choose life is meaningful, based on no rational reason. Or, we choose the dark side of nothing in life is sacred, or has any real value, and all our striving is meaningless. That is, the dark side is to be a nihilist. Most people choose some kind of mythology or religion to answer these unanswerable questions with a belief system. Many people do not like to choose having a mythology because they do not like having imaginary beliefs, that is, someone who is an atheist. And the smallest group of people just accept having the uncertainty and not trying to answer the questions at all but at the same time not being a nihilist. Each of us must choose how we are going to be. There is no evidence that exists in the Universe to help us decide one way or the other.

I am a bit of anarchist with my choice. Since most of my friends were atheists years ago, I choose to be a theist just to be different. It took me a while to stomach being an theist. But after years of arguing for theism against my atheist friends I started to believe my own arguments. Since everything on the grand cosmic scale of time is meaningless it is also meaningless that we choose to be a theist.

 

[dfnj]

Purpose of religion is a bit different from religion to religion, ut in general it is to give the person a chance to enlighten to the truth of
If you look at Buddhas teaching he had only a few close students, But yes he did teach others too but maybe not as deep as the very close students (monks)

So what i trying to say is that Religion as we know it today is a simplyfied path. that is maybe the "failed" state of religion today. But who made it so? It was human beings them self and not the God or Buddha who created religion.

I heard some people argue Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I heard some people argue Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy.

It is more of a philosophy yes. because we look at what is right in front of us and ask why is it like this, what does it mean to me. why do things occure as they do if i do this. meaning we ask our self a lot of questions, and by understanding the teaching we can gain the answer. and live by it

 

[Quintessence]

I suppose broadly, religions create sets narratives that articulate a culture's values as well as proper behaviors to enact those values in the context of a community. Put another way, it's a guidebook for one's way of life or navigating life and living. It seems to do that job just fine.

That said, there are many whose self-declared religion doesn't match up with what they are functionally religious about (aka, dedicated to). In some cases, self-declared religion is in opposition to one's true religion, or actual way of life. This may represent an intent to change on the person's part (such as incorporating into a new community identity) failed introspection, or possibly hubris and hypocrisy. Religion done right (lived religiously) is hard. Presuming one has found the right path and way of life for one's nature, our religion doesn't fail us... we fail it. We fail - very often - to be true to ourselves and our nature. But if the religion is there to remind us of the path, and to nudge us back onto it - and does so more often than not - it's working.

 

[Dawnofhope]

What is the purpose of religion in general? How has it succeeded in its purpose? How has it failed?

1/ To enable man to know and worship God.

2/ To enlighten the minds of diverse peoples and bring forth an ever advancing civilisation.

3/ To establish bonds of love and unity amidst humankind.

Does the purpose of your individual religion align with the purpose of religion in general? If not, how does it deviate? How has your religion succeeded in its individual purpose? How has if fa

The purpose of the Baha’i Faith aligns with the three broad aims identified. It hasn’t deviated nor failed. It’s a young religion beginning in 1844 so it’s full potential is far from established.

Assuming a religion has failed in it's purpose, what can its adherents take away from this? What can they change?

Religion is arguably like a tree that bears fruit but eventually whithers and dies. Just because a religion of old no longer fulfils its purpose, doesn’t mean it never did.

 

[bobhikes]

Maybe under women's?

Who else is there?

Man is my generic term for Human, I see no difference between male and female governing stupidity.

 

[SalixIncendium]

It is an industry.

An industry serving what purpose?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Religions today have many, sometimes contradictory or overlapping, purposes that can be found to one degree or another in most major religions, including:

• Distinguishing people who belong to one's group from people who do not belong to one's group
• Providing a glue to hold together communities
• Helping the less fortunate members of the group or society
• Supporting and justifying the positions and power of political and social elites
• Speaking truth to power
  
• Facilitating the attainment of enlightenment
• Creating a route to wealth and power for the clergy
  
• Providing comfort and encouragement to the afflicted
• Providing a sense of meaning or purpose in life
  
• General moral guidance
• Challenging the social order (think MLK's use of religion in the American Civil Rights movement); and so forth.

So far as I know, all of those purposes could be ruthlessly dispensed with and people would still express some kind of religiosity because human religiosity is rooted in our genes. We'd express it in one way or another even if no purpose were served by expressing it.

There appears, at least in my opinion, to be both malevolent and benevolent purposes listed here. To me, which purpose would fall into which category is quite obvious. Do you think others might perceive which is which differently based on their religions affiliation and beliefs?

 

[Unguru]

The phrase "purpose of religion" frames it wrong, because religion is not an object and is note merely a thing someone 'does' or 'believes' or 'acts' fundamentally (though I'm sure many Atheists want to see it as that). There are far too more aspects to it.
It'd be more useful to specify the question more down to "meaningfulness or existential/philosophical/personal substance of particular religions" and preface that by a recognition of the differences and correlations between the collective idea of the religion and the subjective idea of the particular religions.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The phrase "purpose of religion" frames it wrong, because religion is not an object and is note merely a thing someone 'does' or 'believes' or 'acts' fundamentally (though I'm sure many Atheists want to see it as that). There are far too more aspects to it.
It'd be more useful to specify the question more down to "meaningfulness or existential/philosophical/personal substance of particular religions" and preface that by a recognition of the differences and correlations between the collective idea of the religion and the subjective idea of the particular religions.

This would assume that everyone has the same perspective on and definition of religion as you do. The framing worked quite well for me and for the eight people that responded before you.

Before I comment further, how are you defining the term?

 

[Audie]

An industry serving what purpose?

Like any other industty.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Like any other industty.

What is the purpose of any other industry? (I can do this all day...)

 

[Audie]

What is the purpose of any other industry? (I can do this all day...)

Me too.

How about employment, and filling a need, whether
real, perceived, harmful, beneficial, friviloud, ginned up
by advertising or whatever.