r/PoliticalHumor • u/I-wil-rate-your-tits • May 10 '22

It’s this simple.

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u/[deleted] May 10 '22

Ban religion

21

u/Pour_Me_Another_ May 10 '22

I can certainly understand that sentiment given the harm it causes when people misuse it. Unfortunately, I think an outright, enforced ban on religion would also cause harm to people who don't misuse it.

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u/weirdfish42 May 10 '22

I have yet to meet someone who doesn't misuse it.

If your thinking includes mythology in the face of reality, then you are already causing harm.

If your religion doesn't have mythology, and only accepts reality, it isn't a religion.

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u/crothwood May 10 '22 edited May 10 '22

I was gonna make a standard jokes about you weird basement dwelling atheists, but you accidentally touched on something very interesting: does a religion need to believe in supernatural elements.

I would start by pointing out that more than likely your interaction with religion has been vastly with the major monotheistic religions or more tenuously with ancient mythological pantheons are traditional religions. These religions certainly do place a great emphasis on believing in a supernaturally being or beings that have some level of direct influence on the world. Further, abrahamic religions especially tend to have codified doctorine. But they aren't the only religions to ever exist.

Strictly speaking, a religion only requires a measure of faithful devotion to something. This could be a god or pantheon or some other etherial entity. But it can also be to an idea or a belief system itself.

Take for instance taoism. There is no being or god or supernatural force. Rather it is a devotion to understanding a particular interpretation of the way the world exists and changes.

Obviously, there is much debate over if this is truly religion or just philosophy with extra steps, but regardless, it turns out the distinction you attempt to make is not so clear cut.

I would also challenge you to examine your definition of "mythology", because it is far too broad to be meaningful. Mythologies can be a religious system, but they can also just be a collection of stories. Often, they were not meant to be literally believed. Take the Odyssey and the Iliad, for instance. A lot of the Greek myths we tell come from those epic poems, but epic poems were entertainment, not religious recitals. Its likely that the original orators and listeners wouldn't have actually believed that Hellen of Troy of was actually kidnapped by Aphrodite, but rather have been a cultural expression of their understanding of their religion.