RipVanWinkle Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 ```````One of the questions I have heard Xtians ask is: "If society were to eliminate religion and the church, what would take their place. While this obviously has nothing to do with whether any particular religion is true, it is a good question. As we all know millions of people throughout the world attend church or its equivalent once a week or more. It provides a diversion and an outlet for these millions which I think helps them cope with the many hardships of life. It fills a need. ThIfe diversion is not necessarily good, but it works in the sense that it provides a purpose in life. And they have some good charities. If they don't spend their time believing and working for god what can they do? We must keep in mind that most people are not "gifted" with special skills. Indeed, half are, by definition, below average intelligence. What to do? bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted January 15, 2013 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2013 1. secular charities 2. UU church 3. eastern religion/meditation 4. church of freethought 5. church of Satan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Millions of Russians, over a billion Chinese, millions of other Asians, millions of Europeans all forgo church and seem to do just fine without it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted January 15, 2013 Super Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2013 Good substitute for religion? What's a good substitute for orgasm? Religion serves a unique purpose in the twisted mind of Man. Some churches do feed the poor or provide temporary shelter. I guess you could mimic those things, but that ain't religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted January 15, 2013 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2013 James 1:27English Standard Version (ESV) 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 .......OK..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raoul Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 One word - Truth...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronxo Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Politics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.W. Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 "If society were to eliminate religion and the church, what would take their place. Look to western culture before Christianity. In a word: "hedonism" And there isn't a damn thing wrong with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissingLink Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 There are some good answers here.... I'm embarassed to say my first thought was "sleep"....! (I'm enjoying making up for all the Sunday mornings I got up at 6:00 a.m. to make it to the early service). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 There are some good answers here.... I'm embarassed to say my first thought was "sleep"....! (I'm enjoying making up for all the Sunday mornings I got up at 6:00 a.m. to make it to the early service). Don't feel embarrassed. It's a good answer. For me the answer is rational thought. I'm happier than I have ever been in my whole life. Today I passed this Church and it's board proclaimed "A person who owns a Bible that is in tatters has a life that isn't". I just thought to myself that was so not my experience. Back when my Bible was all marked up and well worn I was an emotional basket case begging Jesus to give me the kind of sanity I later found without God. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annier Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I remember when I was a teenager, I went to a secular youth group. While the focus was on social gatherings and healthy activities for ourselves, we often took part in charity works, such as raising funds for children's hospitals etc. As an adult I have been involved in many secular organisations, such as community centres with similar ideals. While most churches here do have some sort of community service programs, most of the neighbourhoods I have lived in in South Australia have had secular organisations which do provide the fellowship and support for each other and the greater community. I believe that here at least, if the churches were to disappear at first there would be a large gap, but that would soon be filled by the secular support systems. It would probably take some prodding of politicians, but we have many community minded people here who love to dojust that. I personally view the local church groups as little more than big clubs anyway. Like-minded people getting together to do what they all do. Just like a car club, or philatelic society, but with brainwashing added. Of course, from the wonders of the interwebs, I have learnt that perhaps, as a nation, here we have become more relaxed about 'religion' than many other parts of the world, I believe the world would survive without religion. If we look around here at ExC, and then the world wide torment historically caused by religion, it couldn't get much worse, could it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Sex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annier Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Sex. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadedAtheist Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 As the culture gets less religious people's habits change. Some people like going to group meets and talking and always will, just instead of church it might be an atheist meeting, or something not to do with religion at all. For those who can take it or leave it, pretty much anything can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted January 16, 2013 Super Moderator Share Posted January 16, 2013 Sex. Yes Definitely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annier Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Sex. Yes Definitely! Please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akheia Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Sex! Yay! Given how dysfunctional societies tend to be intensely religious, I suspect that as the US corrects its dysfunction, religion will become less and less relevant. Wage disparities, high crime rates, healthcare issues, lack of a social support net, institutionalized racism and sexism, these are things that non-religious societies don't tend to see as much of. Religion doesn't address societal dysfunction at its core, but it does keep it nicely in place. As to culture, we already are starting to fill those gaps without religion. There's a city in my state that flings wide its cultural doors on the first Thursday of every month, giving free admission to all sorts of attractions and hosting all kinds of neat cultural events--and this is far more inclusive and identity-building to the city than all its churches combined have managed to accomplish. And that's just one thing they do. There are festivals nearly every month, plus a huge farmer's/artisan's market, plus free concerts and plays, public food and wine events, and a lot more. I'm hard-pressed to think of anything really cultural or even similarly city-unifying that the churches in this area do at all. I'm sure there is something, but whatever it is has been drowned out by the dozens of cool, fun events the city hosts. Plenty of societies live just fine without religion, and by objective markers do even better than religious ones. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Akheia, love the ideas from your community. In my area, the Freethinkers-atheists-Secular Humanists have started a tradition of regular Sunday morning brunches once a month, book clubs every two months, and a variety of extra barbeques and movies throughout the year. We also host Camp Quest. We also participate in other community events such as Multicultural Festival, World Religions Conference, and a literary endeavor called Word on the Street. I think Dan Barker helped us get started ten or twenty years ago, sometime before my time, and I heard our current president say we--SOFREE--serve as a resource for others who wish to start a group in the province. It works for me as a face-to-face community in lieu of the church and I don't have to twist my brain to accept the values being promoted. This is not to say I agree one hundred percent with every word spoken at podiums but nobody is condemning me to hell or even a miserable life for rejecting his/her message. The good part of the community events is that I can browse to see what the other groups and organizations have on display. If I were up to all the events listed and announced in the community, I would be busier attending events than I ever was going to church. Because this is farming country, outside of town there's things like plowing matches and farm shows. So what if you're rubbing elbows and shoulders with religious nuts at these events so long as they're not preaching. The focus is on the biggest pumpkin, the best dog, the straightest furrow, the best story, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 What is the best replacement for religion? Spirituality. Finding ones connection to life, to others, to the world; in a poem, a song, the embrace of another, the sunset, a walk in the wood, life. Life, and Life. Religion, is actually a substitute for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annier Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 What is the best replacement for religion? Spirituality. Finding ones connection to life, to others, to the world; in a poem, a song, the embrace of another, the sunset, a walk in the wood, life. Life, and Life. Religion, is actually a substitute for this. This ^^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raoul Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 What is the best replacement for religion? Spirituality. Finding ones connection to life, to others, to the world; in a poem, a song, the embrace of another, the sunset, a walk in the wood, life. Life, and Life. Religion, is actually a substitute for this. Religion is a substitute for religion? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 If what I described is what you saw as religion, than why would you have left it?You may wish to consider expanding your knowledge of the world to include this common term. "Spiritual but not Religious". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNo Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I think this is a question that can be easily dismissed at first glance, but it is a very important one. The social connections and support that formal religious institutions provide, I believe, are a large part of what keeps religion going. Because at that point religion leaves the realm of logic and rational thought for the congregant, and it enters the realm of emotions. Several studies in the mental health disciplines have shown that logic and rationality alone are usually not enough to produce long-lasting change in someone. Insight alone seldom leads to change. An emotional experience, on the other hand, can motivate someone to turn their life around, change a bad habit, or in this instance, cling to an irrational system of beliefs. Think about how many Christians will admit to having questions about the Bible or God from time to time, but they simply pray or dismiss them without pursuing them any further. This is because the emotional cost is too high. I know that for me, it was not until some of the emotional connections were weakened that I was able to even entertain some of the questions that I had been having. My mom had passed away (so I no longer had to fear disappointing her) and I had moved to a community where I could not find any guys in church that I had much in common with, so I did not feel particularly connected to anyone. That's when I really started to see the cracks in the foundation of Christianity, because the fog of emotion wasn't obscuring my view. So providing alternatives to organized religious institutions that fill the emotional gap might just make it easier for people to leave their faith and live logically. For example, I think that when people live in strong neighborhoods and communities were you are known and accepted for who you are, they are much more likely to feel free to explore other systems of thought and decide for themselves what makes sense rather than experience that connection in a church setting. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I haven't found one. Depends on your definition of "religion". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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