I'm a little concerned with all those saying the goal / purpose of religion is to control others and set up a system of hierarchies that benefit the established authority at the expense of the 'brainwashed' masses. That is a very reductive, overly simplified, and conspiratorial line of thinking. I have a hard time believing that any religion was set up with the express purpose of power and control (with perhaps the exception of Scientology, which many would argue is not a religion). I'm curious how many of you feel comfortable using a corruption of the system as evidence of its true purpose. The current political system in America may be deeply flawed (according to the opinion of some), but that does not mean it is what the original writers of the constitution had in mind. That may be a poor analogy, but I think the point is clear.
With that said, I think the "goal" of religion (I hesitate to use that word because of the connotations it may conjure) is to connect human beings, both on an individual and collective basis, with something beyond their own experience in order to improve the lives of those individuals/societies while preventing them from engaging in damaging behavior (again, both individually and collectively). This may manifest itself in an emphasis on connecting to a divine consciousness, the earth, deep compassion for others' suffering, or any number of other messages at the core of the world's religions. When left uncorrupted, this system of belief can be a very effective and beautiful impulse, containing a lot of wisdom. However, as history has shown us, we humans have a tendency to allow even those things that religion is meant to warn us against and keep us away from to seep into those structures. But this is not the fault of religion. Take, for one oft-cited example, the horror perpetrated by the Christian church throughout the middle ages and its vast power structures and hierarchies. This was a result of Christianity being adopted into the existing imperial Roman power structures, which themselves were quite corrupt and propagandistic. And yet few people criticize the Roman Empire today for the same actions. In fact, it is viewed in an almost admirable, or at least interesting, light.
I'm curious what others think.
With that said, I think the "goal" of religion (I hesitate to use that word because of the connotations it may conjure) is to connect human beings, both on an individual and collective basis, with something beyond their own experience in order to improve the lives of those individuals/societies while preventing them from engaging in damaging behavior (again, both individually and collectively). This may manifest itself in an emphasis on connecting to a divine consciousness, the earth, deep compassion for others' suffering, or any number of other messages at the core of the world's religions. When left uncorrupted, this system of belief can be a very effective and beautiful impulse, containing a lot of wisdom. However, as history has shown us, we humans have a tendency to allow even those things that religion is meant to warn us against and keep us away from to seep into those structures. But this is not the fault of religion. Take, for one oft-cited example, the horror perpetrated by the Christian church throughout the middle ages and its vast power structures and hierarchies. This was a result of Christianity being adopted into the existing imperial Roman power structures, which themselves were quite corrupt and propagandistic. And yet few people criticize the Roman Empire today for the same actions. In fact, it is viewed in an almost admirable, or at least interesting, light.
I'm curious what others think.
