Philosophy Now Forum

A temporary anesthetic whose potency is not to be underestimated for only as long as it can circulate through one's neuronal content; after which every wish and every memory simply flat-lines including memory of oneself. Peace beyond description, nothing lost, nothing gained...or what is a Nirvana for?

What purpose should religion serve?

FUNERALS

Dubious wrote:A temporary anesthetic whose potency is not to be underestimated for only as long as it can circulate through one's neuronal content; after which every wish and every memory simply flat-lines including memory of oneself. Peace beyond description, nothing lost, nothing gained...or what is a Nirvana for?

The gain is found in the return to existence, after the break in continuity of consciousness caused by lowering brain frequency such as during sleep, and at other times.

Continuity is a habit, and habits are auto-pilots activating mental sequences and muscle memory from the basal ganglia rather than from higher frequency states of consciousness associated with abstract thought.

The simple peace of surrendering to habits frees the mind for abstract, imaginative thought. Forbearance and the wisdom to listen to the elders of one’s cultural traditions allows for establishing proper and appropriate habits while one is young and strong. So, attentiveness to what counts when young enhances the quality of the short time.

Proper religious habits can serve as balancing antidotes for human tendencies towards attachments that may cause bouts of self-sabotage leading to a miserable existence and/or an early demise. Attachments such as arrogance. For example, kneeling before your maker (OMG, did he really write that?) as part of some religious practices is a physical act that reveals to awareness through experience, the arbitrary, transitory, conditioned and clinging nature of pride. It’s a little thing, but little things add up.

For one thing, delusions of the past becomes obvious.

This has been described in various ways, such as, “Seeing the light.” Seeing the way of things, seeing the truth of things.

The upshot, as relevance to still mind in which thoughts and thus existence are not, and where the brilliance of intellectual dancing flatlines without conceptual music, is that sooner or later this is going to happen to everyone who sheds the mortal coil.

However, an advantage to a human birth is that, when the flatline happens sooner rather than later, then dualistic mind that exists in relation to sensory and mind phenomena is reborn within the continuity of form.

This is the cause that moves evolution of consciousness in a predictable direction towards detachment, equanimity, sensitivity and intelligence which benefits the individual and species.

One wonders why the persistence of religion in the existence of personkind needs any explanation or justification at all. It simply is. The record of Person indicates a tendency to worship or at least wonder about the mysteries so much that the mind moves as thought, and the body then moves in religious rituals according to learned customs. Scientists happen along much later after the event and piece together a premise from religious artifacts in which religion is a prime mover of couch potatoes.

attofishpi wrote:What purpose should religion serve?

FUNERALS

Why?

Walker wrote:

attofishpi wrote:What purpose should religion serve?

FUNERALS

Why?

It provides at least a glimmer of hope - that not all is necessarily lost. What does atheism bring to a funeral?

attofishpi wrote: It provides at least a glimmer of hope - that not all is necessarily lost.

"In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection..."
They're not all that sure and certain, are they?
I mean, like, what if the dead person didn't utterly, wholeheartedly enough accept Jesus Christ as their personal redeemer? What if they were too rich to drive a camel through the eye of that needle? What if they blasphemed sometime when stubbing their toe? What if they held a garage sale on the Sabbath? What if they didn't honour their father properly?

What does atheism bring to a funeral?

Sometimes, a celebration of the person's life and legacy, maybe some commiseration of the living on losing that person.
Closure.
Never having to see those noisome relatives again.
Confidence that a not-so-perfect ancestor isn't burning in hell for eternity.
Relief from having to light candles and pray for them and pay ransom the rest of our lives.
No expectation of a vengeful god's judgment awaiting us not so far down the road.

Skip wrote:

attofishpi wrote: It provides at least a glimmer of hope - that not all is necessarily lost.

"In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection..."
They're not all that sure and certain, are they?
I mean, like, what if the dead person didn't utterly, wholeheartedly enough accept Jesus Christ as their personal redeemer? What if they were too rich to drive a camel through the eye of that needle? What if they blasphemed sometime when stubbing their toe? What if they held a garage sale on the Sabbath? What if they didn't honour their father properly?

What does atheism bring to a funeral?

Sometimes, a celebration of the person's life and legacy, maybe some commiseration of the living on losing that person.
Closure.
Never having to see those noisome relatives again.
Confidence that a not-so-perfect ancestor isn't burning in hell for eternity.
Relief from having to light candles and pray for them and pay ransom the rest of our lives.
No expectation of a vengeful god's judgment awaiting us not so far down the road.

I understand, if you were religious you'd be top of the fund-a-mental-list.

I go out of my way - though not inconveniently far - to avoid being on top of any of those.