Religion is a leech that feeds on stupid people’s fear. Fear of death mainly, but also fear of loneliness, since a lot of people with no friends find new ones at their local churches…However without the aid of the authorities, who still allow state cults to indoctrrinate children and imprint miss-memes into their young maleable brains religion would soon die ..
M27Holts, even without the aid of governments, religion won’t die out. It didn’t die out in the Soviet Union. It hasn’t died out in China despite severe repression. (Against the Falun Gong religion.)
We have religion because it was useful for tribal coherence, ever since we’ve had abstract thinking and speech. We have a genetic tendency to want it and cling to it. It reduces existential fear and creates community. Existential fear and learning for communit are also there as evolved traits.
We know why people become atheists: religions stop making sense.
We know why people give lip service to religions they don’t really care about privately: social convenience and acceptance.
So here’s a parallel question for you: what makes a person change to a minority religion, in the absence of marriage? If someone is a fair-haired member of the Church of England, why would they become a Muslim, wearing a niqab or hijab? If someone is an Israeli Jew, why would they become a Catholic?
Such changes aren’t due to pressure from governments or authorities. In fact there’s social pressure against such changes.
Some people choose to rebel against the accepted norms.
I suspect that may explain a bit of that, and also perhaps the current trans trend.
A few people might even find their newfound beliefs comforting, somehow?
“Only I understand the real truth, unlike you plebs!”
I don’t know if tribal coherence depends much on religion, but some believe doctrinal religion arose with cities and similar population centers.
Before that, your shaman tradition could have whatever wacky stuff, or I think it’s not unheard of for tribal societies to be more or less atheist. But once that social structure breaks down, you need some way to whip the peasants into line and make them think it’s almost their idea.
So hands up, who.think it’s ok to tell children a pack of festering stinking lies and insist that is the gospel truth and yet tell them that the true facts that science has proven is actually lies given to them to test their faith by the Arch deceiver?
Even without religion, people tell children lies all the time. Beautiful Cinderella marries the handsome prince and they live happily ever after. Hansel and Gretel push the wicked cannibalistic witch into the furnace and they also live happily ever after.
Lying to children is necessary so that children have – at least – a happy childhood, because their adulthood will certainly be filled with many sorrows. I’ve written in poetry, “laughter is for minutes and sorrow is for years, and cruelty an integral part of the system”.
Of course religious indoctrination is not ideal. In many cases very harmful. But we shouldn’t delude ourselves that if religious indoctrination ends, things will be good. There will still be racism, sexism, homophobia, conspiracy theories, xenophobia, heartbreak, conflict, and murder.
And below is a different poem of mine, with the same idea, but also involving religion. The title came from a song by the Talking Heads, “Girlfriend is Better”.
When the doctors can’t save you
the priests just lie.
The Cruelty never ended,
it got sanctified.
Moron is better:
It fills the pews.
The rich get richer,
not me and you.
Thinking about thinking
creates awkward doubt.
The process is fixed
and you’ve been sold out.
You’ve been sold out,
but you don’t know by who.
Moron is better,
not me or you.
Your loved ones are gone.
No-one cares if you miss them.
Cruelty’s an integral
part of the system,
embedded inside
the genetic code.
Therefore, ignore
what Darwin showed.
Moron is better:
ignore the clues.
The rich get richer,
not me and you.
When the doctors can’t save you
and the priests must lie
the Cruelty never ends,
it gets sanctified.
NO THEY DONT. They might keep a bit of father xmas alive till the bright children realise their parents buy presents rather than having them magically materialised on the 25/12 or whatever. But they DONT continue with the nonsense once the children have twigged on. Just telling them that the fictions surrounding the winter solstice are just that…Fiction along with Harry Potter, Magic, Dragons, etc…when does the religious numpty own up? Eh?
Many years later, fed up with the shallow and loveless Prince, Cinderella divorced him and tried to find a better life. Pursued by paparazzi through the tunnels of the Magic Kingdom, she died in a tragic magic-pumpkin accident.
Christopher Hitchens states that organized religion is “violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children” and is sectarian, and that accordingly it “ought to have a great deal on its conscience”.
What Hitchens failed to shine a light on was The fact, that despite being responsible for horendous crimes against humanity, Religion is still demanding (and unfortunately getting) respect and not ridicule and horror that it deserves…
Yes we would. Bach’s genius would have manifested itself regardless of cultural influences. The multiverse will almost certainly contain such genius inspired by hard-core pornography…nailed on…
Religion has been an integral part of human culture in pretty much all times and places, and has been involved in both the good and the bad. As Communism has demonstrated, societies without religion aren’t necessarily any better than those with. And even though just like everyone else Buddhists have had their wars, it’s pretty clear that overall it’s a more peaceful religion than Islam, which means you can’t really blame much of anything on “religion” per se, because religions are so different from one another that talking about “religion” isn’t saying much. My primary problem with religion isn’t that Religion Poisons Everything, because I don’t think it does. My primary problem with religion is that I don’t think any of them are actually true. (I do have secondary problems of course…).
Bach’s music celebrates vicarious redemption, a joyful, though flawed, moral concept. Had he lived in our times his music would not have been so uplifting but would sound more like Dmitri Shostakovich in his tribute to the victims of WWII and fascism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41HIXtBElH4&t=11s
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September 2, 2026
Professor Farnsworth voice: Good news, everybody!
Religion is a leech that feeds on stupid people’s fear. Fear of death mainly, but also fear of loneliness, since a lot of people with no friends find new ones at their local churches…However without the aid of the authorities, who still allow state cults to indoctrrinate children and imprint miss-memes into their young maleable brains religion would soon die ..
M27Holts, even without the aid of governments, religion won’t die out. It didn’t die out in the Soviet Union. It hasn’t died out in China despite severe repression. (Against the Falun Gong religion.)
We have religion because it was useful for tribal coherence, ever since we’ve had abstract thinking and speech. We have a genetic tendency to want it and cling to it. It reduces existential fear and creates community. Existential fear and learning for communit are also there as evolved traits.
We know why people become atheists: religions stop making sense.
We know why people give lip service to religions they don’t really care about privately: social convenience and acceptance.
So here’s a parallel question for you: what makes a person change to a minority religion, in the absence of marriage? If someone is a fair-haired member of the Church of England, why would they become a Muslim, wearing a niqab or hijab? If someone is an Israeli Jew, why would they become a Catholic?
Such changes aren’t due to pressure from governments or authorities. In fact there’s social pressure against such changes.
Some people choose to rebel against the accepted norms.
I suspect that may explain a bit of that, and also perhaps the current trans trend.
A few people might even find their newfound beliefs comforting, somehow?
“Only I understand the real truth, unlike you plebs!”
Alas, stupidity is the norm for a lot of homo Sapiens, which is a misnomer for a lot of the apes I’m afraid…
I don’t know if tribal coherence depends much on religion, but some believe doctrinal religion arose with cities and similar population centers.
Before that, your shaman tradition could have whatever wacky stuff, or I think it’s not unheard of for tribal societies to be more or less atheist. But once that social structure breaks down, you need some way to whip the peasants into line and make them think it’s almost their idea.
So hands up, who.think it’s ok to tell children a pack of festering stinking lies and insist that is the gospel truth and yet tell them that the true facts that science has proven is actually lies given to them to test their faith by the Arch deceiver?
Even without religion, people tell children lies all the time. Beautiful Cinderella marries the handsome prince and they live happily ever after. Hansel and Gretel push the wicked cannibalistic witch into the furnace and they also live happily ever after.
Lying to children is necessary so that children have – at least – a happy childhood, because their adulthood will certainly be filled with many sorrows. I’ve written in poetry, “laughter is for minutes and sorrow is for years, and cruelty an integral part of the system”.
Of course religious indoctrination is not ideal. In many cases very harmful. But we shouldn’t delude ourselves that if religious indoctrination ends, things will be good. There will still be racism, sexism, homophobia, conspiracy theories, xenophobia, heartbreak, conflict, and murder.
And below is a different poem of mine, with the same idea, but also involving religion. The title came from a song by the Talking Heads, “Girlfriend is Better”.
From here: https://www.facebook.com/100014712466610/posts/1413638792469856/?app=fbl
Moron is better
When the doctors can’t save you
the priests just lie.
The Cruelty never ended,
it got sanctified.
Moron is better:
It fills the pews.
The rich get richer,
not me and you.
Thinking about thinking
creates awkward doubt.
The process is fixed
and you’ve been sold out.
You’ve been sold out,
but you don’t know by who.
Moron is better,
not me or you.
Your loved ones are gone.
No-one cares if you miss them.
Cruelty’s an integral
part of the system,
embedded inside
the genetic code.
Therefore, ignore
what Darwin showed.
Moron is better:
ignore the clues.
The rich get richer,
not me and you.
When the doctors can’t save you
and the priests must lie
the Cruelty never ends,
it gets sanctified.
NO THEY DONT. They might keep a bit of father xmas alive till the bright children realise their parents buy presents rather than having them magically materialised on the 25/12 or whatever. But they DONT continue with the nonsense once the children have twigged on. Just telling them that the fictions surrounding the winter solstice are just that…Fiction along with Harry Potter, Magic, Dragons, etc…when does the religious numpty own up? Eh?
My kids pointed out to me that Cinderella married for money.
Many years later, fed up with the shallow and loveless Prince, Cinderella divorced him and tried to find a better life. Pursued by paparazzi through the tunnels of the Magic Kingdom, she died in a tragic magic-pumpkin accident.
Christopher Hitchens states that organized religion is “violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children” and is sectarian, and that accordingly it “ought to have a great deal on its conscience”.
Presumably an extract from “God is NOT great”?
What Hitchens failed to shine a light on was The fact, that despite being responsible for horendous crimes against humanity, Religion is still demanding (and unfortunately getting) respect and not ridicule and horror that it deserves…
I hate that Religious no-nowts are wheeled out to spout complete unadulterated bullshit whenever a natural disaster or human attrocity is in the news…
Without religion we would never have had this. https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=netherlands+bach+st+john+passion+youtbe&mid=87CB23DC7E25863CEE2087CB23DC7E25863CEE20&churl=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kF6qdHRTM_hDYfEmzkS9w&FORM=VIRE
Yes we would. Bach’s genius would have manifested itself regardless of cultural influences. The multiverse will almost certainly contain such genius inspired by hard-core pornography…nailed on…
Religion has been an integral part of human culture in pretty much all times and places, and has been involved in both the good and the bad. As Communism has demonstrated, societies without religion aren’t necessarily any better than those with. And even though just like everyone else Buddhists have had their wars, it’s pretty clear that overall it’s a more peaceful religion than Islam, which means you can’t really blame much of anything on “religion” per se, because religions are so different from one another that talking about “religion” isn’t saying much. My primary problem with religion isn’t that Religion Poisons Everything, because I don’t think it does. My primary problem with religion is that I don’t think any of them are actually true. (I do have secondary problems of course…).
Bach’s music celebrates vicarious redemption, a joyful, though flawed, moral concept. Had he lived in our times his music would not have been so uplifting but would sound more like Dmitri Shostakovich in his tribute to the victims of WWII and fascism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41HIXtBElH4&t=11s
Religion DOES poison everything. It weaponises in-group , out-group conflict by validating it with the blessing of a higher power….