We have religion because citizenship is meaningless.

--
Denial of Free Will makes the Knowledge of Order Absolute.

Evolution 'found' religion useful.

On  8-Nov-2009, Sir Frederick <mmcne...@fuzzysys.com> wrote:

Religion functions as a division of power... when power is an absolute
monarchy... so religion makes a distinction between tyranny and monarchy.
Question for Islam: If the head of government and the head of the church are
the same person, how come there is more than one Islamic country in the
world.

--
Denial of Free Will makes the Knowledge of Order Absolute.

So in a democracy, there is either religion and no government or government
and no religion... religion is treason from government's perspective...
Government exists to mock religion.

--
Denial of Free Will makes the Knowledge of Order Absolute.

We have religion the same way we have laws or rules.
We have religion to temper our excess, our lust, our
selfish short-sighted beastly natures.

We have religion as answer, where there were only
questions. We have religion as a bond between the past
and the future. We have religion because we are born
blank slates, primitives, saved only by this enduring
knowledge.

We have religion because human nature remains constant.
And so religion persist as testament to who we are, were
and will be.

Getting back to your implied point, religion now serves
as an enclave, a community within a community of
individuals. As such it sees, and in its own way, notes,
what would otherwise pass unnoticed by any single soul.

For religion, one might also see the passage of time,
and the progress of mankind.

And from the perspective of religion in a democracy, religious leaders all
have to be anarchists.

--
Denial of Free Will makes the Knowledge of Order Absolute.

On  8-Nov-2009, TruthSlave <T...@home.com> wrote:

What part did religion play in the renaissance?  Well, the renaissance
wouldn't exist if religion didn't have an imperative to preserve the
integrity of the historical account of it.  But now we are only talking
about Catholicism.  What is funny about the renaissance is that... nobody
knew how to fight except for the barbarians... and of course that kind of
flys in the face of our previous understanding with Imperial Rome where
barbarians always got the short end of the deal.

--
Denial of Free Will makes the Knowledge of Order Absolute.

On Nov 8, 8:47 am, "Kevin B. Murphy" <kmurphy...@comcast.net> wrote:

Gibberish question, gibberish answer.

1) You answer begs the question. Is religion any more meaningless.
2) Why question, to avoid unjustifiable teleologies need to be tested
as how questions first, because 'why' implies purpose.

So how do we have religions? How do we have citizenship? Might be a
better place to start.

You also might do better to ask how is it that we STILL have religion?
Your answer implies that citizenship might be some kind or substitute
for religion.
Now we are getting to a point where you are assuming that people could
not live without either one. I can tell you that this is a false
assumption.

On Nov 8, 9:26 am, Sir Frederick <mmcne...@fuzzysys.com> wrote:

Evolution cannot 'find' anything. Evolution cannot cause anything.
Evolution is the consequence of change. It is an effect.
You might say that humans have continued to select religion as it has
some utility for them.

On Nov 8, 4:39 pm, "Kevin B. Murphy" <kmurphy...@comcast.net> wrote:

SOme religions are used in this way. But what you describe is not a
necessary fact of religion.

What is that? And why do you think denial of free-will makes anything?

On 11-Nov-2009, Chazwin <chazwy...@yahoo.com> wrote:

I'm answering the other guy who says that religion is a part of evolution so
the basis for religion is to divide power... because of evolution but now
Islam sticks in my craw for some reason... I'm thinking it is because Islam
says a prophet is someone who founds a new religion and I'm inclined to
believe that is a myopic view.

--
Denial of Free Will makes the Knowledge of Order Absolute.

On Nov 11, 8:01 pm, "Kevin B. Murphy" <kmurphy...@comcast.net> wrote:

Even if you could describe the emergence of religion in evolutionary
terms you would have to conclude that it has no purpose, as that is
the consequence and conclusion of evolution - purposeless with the
consequence of survival.

 because of evolution but now

Islam is no worse than Christianity.  You can put as much blame on
Islam for terrorism as you can put it to Christianity for the invasion
of Iraq and Afghanistan.

This seems meaningless can you explain it?

On Nov 12, 11:32 pm, Chazwin <chazwy...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Why are we Religious?

Why do we refer to HIM as our heavenly father?

As children “we” grow up knowing our father is there to look after us,
protect us and solve our problems. Also, it is known that the
religious feelings of our parents, who we believe would not lie to us,
play a strong part in our development. When we grow up we are faced
with the horror of making our way through life ON OUR OWN. We come
face to face with reality, of the need for “success” and the fear of
failure and death.

 “We have a strong unbearable feeling of helplessness, so that our
thoughts become related to a power outside ourselves, there is nothing
we do, think or feel which is not known to this power. We expect
protection by Him, wish to be taken care of by Him, make Him
responsible…..” (Erich Fromm “Escape to freedom”).

Religion is also part of our culture, it influences our lives, and so
we accept it as “fact” and strongly resent anyone who tries to say
differently.

Who's 'we'? It wasnt always so among my Native European ancestors.
"Celtic Queen Maeve" by Briton is but one source unraveling
pre-Christian myth to reveal the prime deity was female.

That had a powerful effect on the way things worked, easy to see
considering the problem a demagogue would have trying to rile up a mob
or an army by claiming that HE speaks in HER name.

Things usta be a lot more peaceful.