What is the fundamental nature of religion?

Ellion,

If you take away the promise all that would be left would be guidelines for morality - why would that be a religion?

 

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why would it be a religion just because it has a promise of an after life?

are you saying the only criterion for an organisation to be classified as a religion, is for it to promise life after death?

the message that is the essence of the religion is a package including all the bits and pieces that the religious packers decide their religious suitcase contains. well thats how i see it.

 

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Stretched,

I agree – once I understood religion sufficiently well to know it should be rejected I experienced a great relief and an inner satisfaction and knowledge of myself.

See I’m not sure you can make such sweeping statements. I find the mediation techniques I have used do a far better job than religious faith. Religion does give positive benefits mainly because of the placebo effect, but I don’t think that is the underlying nature of religion. Meditation does the same thing and that is not religious, or rather doesn’t need to be.

 

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Ellion,

Because I think that is the solution people want and what religions provide. Can you think of any other philosophy that promises an afterlife that isn’t a religion? Now I am sure there are some minor religions that may not make such promises – does Deism do that? I don’t think so, but then Deism is more atheist than religious. The pantheistic religions may not quite adhere to this but even then they tend to advocate spirituality – e.g. an eternal essence or soul (afterlife).

Not the only, but the primary underlying distinguishing characteristic.

Yes I understand, but if you subtract the spiritual (soul) aspect which implies afterlife or duality then is it still a religion, or is it simply another philosophy.

I don’t know but are there examples of meaningful religions that do not have a spirit/soul/afterlife aspect.

 

you are saying (A) people want the promise of an afterlife and religions provide that SO (B) the promise of an afterlife makes an organisation a religion. how do you see (A) causing (B)? there is no connection between them. unless the suggestion, which you have not stated outright, is the promise is a false promise only put in the religious suitcase to satisfy a need.

i would disagree, i still see the primary underlying distinguishing characteristic of religions as propogating a message, whatever that message may be in accordance with the various cultures. using your the same methodology as you have used above: take away all the teachings, all the texts and scriptures, all the symbolisms and theur modes of communication. and what is left. almost instantly there is nothing left on the physical plane. all the principles and phenomena exist but there is nothing that utilizes them as a system there is no recorded knowledge of them to be susutained. the religion is instantly simply a collection of experiences locked inside individuals.

yes it would be just another philosophy if the soul aspect where taken out.
so is the fundamental nature of religion to propogate a usable body of knowledge in relation to the subjective and objective constitution of man and the cosmos?

 

Hi Cris,

Quote c:
"I agree – once I understood religion sufficiently well to know it should be rejected I experienced a great relief and an inner satisfaction and knowledge of myself.

* Religion is a pathway to self knowledge. The relief I totally understand. This was a process rather an epiphany?

Quote c:
"See I’m not sure you can make such sweeping statements. I find the mediation techniques I have used do a far better job than religious faith. Religion does give positive benefits mainly because of the placebo effect, but I don’t think that is the underlying nature of religion. Meditation does the same thing and that is not religious, or rather doesn’t need to be."

* People tend to seek answers to the meaning of life, existance, etc, outside of themselves. They seek answers in relationships, self-help courses, material possessions, careers, etc, and in religion. In searching to understand mans place in the universe, religion has played a key role via metaphor or other, for endowing mankind with significance, within the cosmos. So I feel, like other paths to self knowledge, including techniques such as meditation, religion has given man a much deeper understanding of his psyche. But yes, this need not be the fundamental driver behind religion per se, even though I think it is a strong motivator within the subconscious.

Allcare.

 

Religion expresses the traditions and activities that are considered to reflect the reality of its deity, and to express the nature of faith in that deity. So according to their concept of God (theology), the "fundamental nature" of each will differ.

The Bible has this to say about the fundamentals of religion:

1 Timothy 5:3-4
Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

James 1:22-27
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.​

 

To me, religion is like language textbooks. As long as you are bound to the textbooks, learning the language, there is little you can say yourself, you repeat what is in the textbooks, with little variation.
But, at some point, you master the language, and you don't need to cling on to textbooks anymore. -- And that is the aim: To be able to speak the language without using textbooks.
And similar with religion.

 

Christians' religion is all about godliness and perfection in this world and towards eternity.