What is the purpose of religion?

[Looncall]

And from one era to another. One purpose of religion I have not seen noted in this thread, is to mobilise support for a change in the established order. But then it lends support to the new order. Religion can also provide a micro-society that serves as a sanctuary and alternate to the established order. It's complicated, as they say of romantic relationships

Your post puzzles me. Surely religion is a major impediment to reform of established orders.

Another point not mentioned is that religions provide livings and power to clergy. In my opinion, religion is a scam devised for the benefit of clergy.

 

[Polymath257]

The purpose of religion is to keep the religious leaders in power.

 

[blü 2]

I'm not aware of any ancient cultures where we could say with certainty that religion didn't exist. Are you?

Further to my previous post mentioning a tribe without gods, the net and W! have yielded me this about the >Pirahã of Brazil<, whose culture without gods is less straightforward but perhaps more interesting than my earlier summary suggested ─

According to Everett, the Pirahã have no concept of a supreme spirit or god, and they lost interest in Jesus when they discovered that Everett had never seen him. They require evidence based on personal experience for every claim made. However, they do believe in spirits that can sometimes take on the shape of things in the environment. These spirits can be jaguars, trees, or other visible, tangible things including people. Everett reported one incident where the Pirahã said that “Xigagaí, one of the beings that lives above the clouds, was standing on a beach yelling at us, telling us that he would kill us if we go into the jungle.” Everett and his daughter could see nothing and yet the Pirahã insisted that Xigagaí was still on the beach.​

 

[LuisDantas]

Acknowledging people's needs (roughly guiding itself by Maslow's hierarchy) and integrating and encouraging them to the best of our ability in their participation in the vital flow of existence, with an eye on their self-actualization and another in their good relationship with others.

That includes a participation in fields such as social psychology, communication, ethics, ecology and economy.

Edited to add: of course, there is a whole lot out there who swears to be religious without supporting that. I try not to call that religion.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I am a initiated Nichiren Buddhist and will be formally initiated in the theravada tradition early next month. The purpose of religion in general is whatever your beliefs are, are those that shape what you do and how you do in regards worship, giving offerings, prayer, and/or so forth. It's what you do.

What is the purpose of religion or your world view?

To get us started, I share one of the purposes of the Baha'i Faith:

Religion, writes Bahá’u’lláh, is “the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world, and of tranquillity amongst its peoples.”

“s not the object of every Revelation,” He asks, “to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself, both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions?”

The Purpose of Religion | What Bahá’ís Believe

The Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra says

"The Law of the Buddhas is constantly a single flavor. Practicing gradually stage by stage all beings can gain the fruits of the Way. Those who are steadfast and firm in wisdom, who fully comprehend the threefold world, and seek the supreme vehicle to achieve growth and maturity, who dwell in meditation, in the emptiness of all phenomena. Through various causes and conditions, various kinds of simile and parable,opens up and reveals The Buddha Way."

We have the eightfold paths-right action, speech, concentration, meditation, intention, livelihood, views, effort, and mindfulness.

The Buddha goes into extreme detail here: Eightfold Accesstoinsight

The keys to right speech

"Monks, a statement endowed with five factors is well-spoken, not ill-spoken. It is blameless & unfaulted by knowledgeable people. Which five?

"It is spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of good-will." — AN 5.198 This is a very small excerpt.

The Buddha has a high emphasis on meditation as the purpose of religion (living the eightfold). The core of it is the Noble Truths-or Principles of Life. We all are born, age, grow ill, and pass away. We do this until we gain true understanding of this cycle of rebirth through samsara. When we have full understanding, we are enlightened and we die.

The purpose of religion is to understand and to practice in understanding literally life and death.

 

[Augustus]

Your post puzzles me. Surely religion is a major impediment to reform of established orders.

History suggests otherwise.

Early Christianity and Islam, Protestant reformation, Shiism, Mazdakism, 16th C anabaptists, South American liberation theology, Christian abolitionist movements, Catholic anti-communism in Poland, etc. etc.

Established religions that are tied up with state power tend towards the conservative, but that still leaves a lot of room for non-establishment religions.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Q... What is the purpose of religion?


A....IMO

1. It serves to comfort the believer.

2. It serves to answer questions about the larger aspects of life.

3. It serves as a social community.

4. It serves as a respite from deliberation.

5. It serves as permission for otherwise unacceptable behavior.

6. It serves as a control for those who wish to control others.

.​

Do you have a purpose? (Even though you may not call it that or any religious term)

 

[Unveiled Artist]

The heart of me

If I didn't have art, the drive of my meditation and religion, as a Buddhist, would be quite moot. The purpose of religion is to get "that thing" out of you. Religion is about maturing in myself and family in spirit. I have a lot of purposes that are part of the suttas of life.

 

[Ponder This]

religion means to "to bind". It is about the obligation, bond, or reverence of the people. As such it can fulfill many purposes, but religion cannot guarantee a result. It's not, "if you do X, Y, and Z, then you will get W" sort of thing. It's, "you have an obligation to do X, Y, and Z" sort of thing (regardless of, say, your own selfish desires). Religion doesn't have a purpose so much as it is a purpose (although we can come up with many purposes for it to fulfill).

 

[Skwim]

Do you have a purpose? (Even though you may not call it that or any religious term)

Nope.

.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Nope.

.

Work? Hockey? Hunting? Standing on your head?

Not a calling. What motivates you to, I dont know, keep posting on RF? Learning about life? Debating in life?

Shopping? Serial killing? (Dont worry, I wont tell) Personal goals in other words.

It doesnt have to be religious. Just people sometimez look to their family. Some decide to go up to the mountains and find peace. Some like to pick their noses. Others long for marriage.

Pick a goal. Do you have one?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

religion means to "to bind". It is about the obligation, bond, or reverence of the people. As such it can fulfill many purposes, but religion cannot guarantee a result. It's not, "if you do X, Y, and Z, then you will get W" sort of thing. It's, "you have an obligation to do X, Y, and Z" sort of thing (regardless of, say, your own selfish desires). Religion doesn't have a purpose so much as it is a purpose (although we can come up with many purposes for it to fulfill).

A disicpline and vocation pretty much sums it

 

[Skwim]

Work? Hockey? Hunting? Standing on your head?

Not a calling. What motivates you to, I dont know, keep posting on RF? Learning about life? Debating in life?

Shopping? Serial killing? (Dont worry, I wont tell) Personal goals in other words.

It doesnt have to be religious. Just people sometimez look to their family. Some decide to go up to the mountains and find peace. Some like to pick their noses. Others long for marriage.

Pick a goal. Do you have one?

In asking about purpose I assumed it was in terms of one's purpose on earth: why am I here rather than not here.

pur·pose
ˈpərpəs/
noun
noun: purpose; plural noun: purposes
1.the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.​

Obviously, once here a person finds things to do that please him, be it playing a trumpet or abusing one's own child. However, I wouldn't consider these to be one's purpose. In indicating one has a purpose presupposes a reason existing outside of and separate from of oneself. If I have a purpose its reason would have to reside in whatever entity put me here.

.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

1.the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

In indicating one has a purpose presupposes a reason existing outside of and separate from of oneself. If I have a purpose its reason would have to reside in whatever entity put me here.

That depends. The definition you put above doesn't specify that it needs to be "existing outside" or "separated from oneself." Nothing mystical needs to be attached. My mother says she doesn't have a purpose for living yet, she can't live without working and moving around. She doesn't call it a Calling or Religious purpose but it does help her live and fulfilled her even if it's two sided logic nonetheless.

Some religious see their purpose a part of themselves not separate. So they are religious and they have a different definition of how you define it. (Dictionary is too broad; any type of purpose can fit under it) They would probably define purpose differently in relation to themselves rather than to a god or something.

A lot of people don't have a purpose outside of themselves or separate. A lot of these same people still have a purpose as a motivation(s) to live. On that note, that is why I ask, if you have that type of purpose. Not the god/calling/devotion one but something defined for you-something that motivates you.

You said nope, so I wonder if your day is ritualistic until you die? Sounds boring.

 

[LuisDantas]

Your post puzzles me. Surely religion is a major impediment to reform of established orders.

Another point not mentioned is that religions provide livings and power to clergy. In my opinion, religion is a scam devised for the benefit of clergy.

Religion often provides a sense of unity and purpose. Sometimes that aims to keep a status quo, but not always.

 

[Skwim]

That depends. The definition you put above doesn't specify that it needs to be "existing outside" or "separated from oneself." Nothing mystical needs to be attached. My mother says she doesn't have a purpose for living yet, she can't live without working and moving around. She doesn't call it a Calling or Religious purpose but it does help her live and fulfilled her even if it's two sided logic nonetheless.

Some religious see their purpose a part of themselves not separate. So they are religious and they have a different definition of how you define it. (Dictionary is too broad; any type of purpose can fit under it) They would probably define purpose differently in relation to themselves rather than to a god or something.

A lot of people don't have a purpose outside of themselves or separate. A lot of these same people still have a purpose as a motivation(s) to live. On that note, that is why I ask, if you have that type of purpose. Not the god/calling/devotion one but something defined for you-something that motivates you.

You said nope, so I wonder if your day is ritualistic until you die? Sounds boring.

As I said in post 33, "In asking about purpose I assumed it was in terms of one's purpose on earth: why am I here rather than not here."
If this isn't what you mean then I can only assume the "purpose" you're talking about refers to those things in life one directs their efforts toward, which is quite different.

.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

As I said in post 33, "In asking about purpose I assumed it was in terms of one's purpose on earth: why am I here rather than not here."
If this isn't what you mean then I can only assume the "purpose" you're talking about refers to those things in life one directs their efforts toward, which is quite different.

.

I read what you said. You quoted the dictionary and described your definition of purpose. Some people's purpose of living on this earth is to work others is to play softball. Some to play the piano others to devote themselves to peace.

Are you restricting what things people can have purpose for when it comes to your definition of the word?

 

[Ingledsva]

That is true. On the other hand personal liberty at times needs to be sacrificed for the greater good. Thats why all communities dependant to some degree on law and order. One's actions can harm another of course.

What do you think "within the normal associated bounds of humanity," means?

We do not need religion to understand basic human rights.

History can be a stern judge that highlights all the evils committed by members of religion as you mention. Religion has inspired people to achieve great good too.

Far more EVIL than good, has been done by most religions up to the current date.

Not to mention they have destroyed ancient sites, ancient knowledge, whole cultures, etc.

*

 

[Ingledsva]

And from one era to another. One purpose of religion I have not seen noted in this thread, is to mobilise support for a change in the established order. But then it lends support to the new order. Religion can also provide a micro-society that serves as a sanctuary and alternate to the established order. It's complicated, as they say of romantic relationships

Sometimes the "new order" is evil, and the "religion" is in league with it for power.

*

 

[Desert Snake]

'Religion' is far too broad a category, to generalize. All sorts of 'purposes'.