New research led by the University of Oxford has found that perceptions of globally shared life experiences and globally shared biology can strengthen psychological bonding with humanity at large, which can motivate prosocial action on a global scale and help to tackle global problems. The findings have been published today in Royal Society Open Science.
I assume that you are American. And I assume that when you are talking about religion, you are talking a about the Christo-Fashist flavour of Protestantism that is all too common there these days.
And I understand the bitterness. I see and agree on the harm done by said group.
But.
Speaking about humanity, there is a lot of religion going on. Some is clearly bad and does indeed separate their participants from the rest of humankind. Christian Fashism, Islam, Hinu Nationalism. I see that.
Some is just neutral tough. Most of Europe these days has a Christian flavour of some kind that happens more in the background and isn’t in the way of progress, science or a secular moral system.
I am a Buddhist, and it has done nothing but help me become a more logical and a more compassanate person. I don’t see a downside so far. Have there been harmful Buddhist movements? Absolutely. Look at Myanmar and you can see how the Dharma can be used as a tool of hate.
I guess what I’m trying to say is: When religion becomes a tool of othering people, of creating a “us and them” dichotomy, then it is harmful, I agree with you.
But by making such a broad statement as yours, grouping every singe person on the planet that has some theistic belive together, you are too and I don’t think that is a good thing to do. Certainly not when we need unity more than ever, as the article does point out correctly in my opinion.
Your opinion does not offend me at all.
But your opinion also seems to lean towards dictating certain things to people, based on your beliefs and opinions.
Not exactly helping the cause homie…
Could you specify this a bit, please? I honestly don’t see what you mean here.
Congratulations, you are a Buddhist. And you say it basically brings you peace and a logical way of thinking. That’s fantastic, and I don’t doubt you a bit.
But you state it in a way that suggests if everyone on the planet followed your beliefs, then the world would be at peace and everyone would think logically, and start cooperating to fix all the world’s problems.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that hypothetical idea. Sounds great on paper, but we got like 8 billion people on the planet.
Good luck getting them all to even so much as agree what a spoon is, let alone peacefully, logically, collectively cooperate towards fixing all the world’s issues.
I am sorry, but neither have I writen this nor have I implied it. If you read it that way then okay, you can interpret it that way if you wish so. But I am, rest assured, not of the opinion you statet here.
Religion isn’t for everyone. Buddhism isn’t for everyone. Nor is Atheism. I think what view of the world you choose or don’t choose should be up to you and you alone. I don’t support preaching about it, I for sure don’t support trying to convert others to your way of thinking.
I think every person should make up their own mind about those things, while staying open to others arriving at a different conclusion. That is the mindset we would need to arrive at a true level of global cooperation.
No, you did not write or even imply that, agreed. But it is your own biased suggestion based on your beliefs.
And that’s awesome! Believe it or not, my thoughts and opinions are quite similar to yours.
Personally, I’m a Pastafarian. I believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster and his open nature of accepting other beliefs.
Besides, if we didn’t have spaghetti, we’d all be dead by now.
R’Amen!
I think I am not the one in this conversion who is biased, if you need my view to aline THIS HARD with your idea of religion even if I have explicitly made clear that it is not.
I don’t care what you belive or don’t. But you can’t see past your idea of that believing and religion is.
You missed the entire point of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It’s basically a parody of a ‘religion’, where the main premise is basically to believe whatever the fuck you want.
Literally the most open belief system out there. I’m not the one bitching in all caps, nor do I care to start.
Go reflect upon your noodles, they need a little stirring…
I’ll reflect on my noodles a bit then. Maybe it’ll show me the sauce of your confusion.