Topic: Religion, Why is it still there? (Read 468 times)

I think it comes down to fear and ignorance mostly. Most people don't want to look into the reality of existence because the truth behind it scares the hell out of them. For a lot of people they'd just rather shut off their brain and not have to think about something that no human can fully explain and they put everything on a creator because that's the easiest and most comfortable explanation for them rather than the cold, harsh truth. I think most believers are petrified of death or even worse punishment by god for not believing in them so they just fall back on their belief because that's what helps them sleep better at night and get through life. If you told or could convince these people that when you die you're just dead and there's truly not really much point to existence at the end of it all then a lot of them would lose their grip on reality or go all nihilistic and crazy. I've literally heard religious people - mostly Christians - say something along the lines of well what's stopping you from just going out and raping and murdering people. Well if the only thing that is stopping them from raping and murdering is their belief in god or an afterlife then firstly these aren't very good people and secondly imagine what would happen if you took that belief away from them. Would all these devoutly religious people lose all sense of morality and go crazy and start braking the law because nothing matters if there's no god? That's a scary thing to think about and that's why religion is such a strong phenomenon because it does give peace and comfort to a lot of people.

Except that societies and governments collapse when people leave them. But the people always take their religion with them, even if they don't know it.

Well, you got religion, you got government, and then you got societies that work togheter for ends perhaps not many like.
All need another to survive and all need another to keep power, however I'm certain that we wouldn't do much better if we so malleable or "scareable".

Religion is here because people are religion-based beings. There are 3 basic categories that people fall into regarding religion:
1. The people who know it and adhere to it;
2. The people who don't think about it, and have a religion of non-focus on religion;
3. The people who deny religion, thereby having the religion of non-religion.

Which category do you fall into?

Religion has helped maintain civilization where laws have failed us. Legislators gather everyday to enact laws that are considered inferior by most citizens and hence, they go about breaking those laws where as religion has been made a part of us such that even though we go astray from our teachings we have a consciousness  that tells us how wrong we are and should seek retribution. This is a self conscious thought without an enforcing body telling us what to do and i believe this makes us quite human and not animals.

I'm not massively anti-religion, but I do think that religion often serves as a way to abdicate personal responsibility. In some ways it's the same as being a child - children are supposed to live carefree lives, because as children they have little responsibility for their own circumstances, the responsibility is all with their parents. As an adult though, you are supposed to be a fully autonomous being, and everything you do, every action you take, is your own doing and your own responsibility. This can be scary, and I'm sure it can be easier in some circumstances and for some people to defer that responsibility by passing it on to some other higher agency - God being the perfect substitute. Similarly if you are faced with some appalling event that it can be difficult to process - it may be easier to bear if you consider it as being all part of some higher plan.

Its only needed if you are weak minded and feel the need of a senseless purpose like going to heaven. Im fairly sure most religious people dont really give much thought to the idea of heaven which makes 0 sense and has really no purpose aside from living forever i guess

Now you are talking about something happens while we are alive... in the restroom.

Or the atoms in your body are recycled to form something else, and nothing happens.

But of course. And their death is the death of all religion for them. But the resurrection will show them the only true religion... when it is way too late to accept it for any good purpose. Then comes the judgment of the kind of religion they had in life, and the punishment or reward.

^^^ But there's the little point that people who don't think about religion at all, still hang onto that religion of not so thinking.

I have faith, but I have no religion.

In short

God is a deity, and you cannot define the undefinable
Call it CREATOR, for that is a characterization (even tho this is not much better at least you don`t have a deity)

Now everyone has CREATORS their Father and Mother. (those are your "gods" if you want to say that word)

People cannot think for themselves, It is a monkey see monkey do world for the NPC`s they are not real players yet, not able to think for themselves, these are the same people who think fiat money is not a $cam when clearly it is, to trade their limited time, work, goods and services for a unlimited $cam, government and private banking family money. The average human finds self awareness around the age of 4-5 at a study at the Max Planck institute called the "shopping cart experiment", Some people don`t.

Most people feel the need to ask for forgiveness, It is easier to ask Jesus to forgive you, then forgive yourself and make things right yourself. They say things like "the devil made me do it" as a excuse for their actions, just like them not having their own thoughts or opinions, they don`t have a sense of self awareness or self responsibility.  

If they only knew the truth about life being a real life blockchain and everything is recorded forever time stamped in time. All will be accountable for what they have done.

There will be judgement, You will judge yourself. If you ever asked "why did that guy do this to me" you will live that mans life, If you destroyed anything or anyone you will become what you destroyed and see that destruction only leads to oblivion (nothingness), and how to win the game of life is to create more than you destroy, for creators beget creations ∞.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagd2-s1_vVtSpYXDTNc6Gw

Anyways, people hang onto religion because their parents and teachers don`t teach their kids how to think, but what to think.

I thought about it once and the two main reasons for the existence of religion was fear and lack of knowledge (understanding). There's also a third one and that is tradition.
Fear is that thing that makes people pray because what if there is a god and when they die there will be no turning back, they will have to face him.
Lack of knowledge comes from low IQ and laziness. Believe me, there are people out there who think they are smart but barely managed to go through primary school. They are religious because smarter and more educated people are telling them to be.

Simple to explain why religions is still exist, because people believe is the way to bring religion into salvation in the day  of god judgement. And religion can help is to community to bring people love god and become me good person that's why religion still stay strong.

Religion is something that everyone has. Check out the definition https://www.dictionary.com/browse/religion.

If you are talking about formal, organized religion, you are partially right. But most people who belong to a formal religion, do so by simple acceptance... because they think they know about it... not because they know what it is about or really believe in it.

The whole religion topic isn't something that is easily understood.

Religions have been created in order to keep people away from unitization.
They want us not to be united. This way shady organizations created many different religions and categorized us in order to have differences and fight who is better.

Proverbs 13:22
100 Bible Verses about Wealth Stored Up For The Righteous - https://www.openbible.info/topics/wealth_stored_up_for_the_righteous.

I suppose now you will tell me that you lost your wealth to the righteous, eh?

so that one worlders can be killed happily and in fun !

I am a Christian and I do believe that God exists! I have read a lot of write up on this and my conclusion is that " the moral systems is what still keep this world up till this time and if we live our life based on scientific proven many evils could have destroyed us by now". The universe contained a lot of prove that God exits and he is still ruling in the affairs of men.

What does it mean to believe in Santa? You don't/can't believe in something you know. There are Santas all over the place... in the department stores every Christmas. You KNOW Santa exists. Believing is not even a question.

Satan doesn't need God to explain the universe to Him. But God is so powerful, that even when Satan turns to the relief inside himself, God is there. Nobody can get away from God.

A non-collector collector is a collector.