Does organised religion have a useful social function?

Looks like this topic hasn't been active for awhile, but it's salient for me and maybe somebody else will be interested. "Does religion have a useful social function?" For me, it's the center of my social life. I attend Church (Methodist) and Sunday School on Sunday, travel to another town for a similar gathering (Disciples of Christ) on Sunday evening, and attend Bible study sessions at the Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian and Baptist churches during the week. I even fit in an atheist study group from time to time. Covid has put a crimp in these activities. I miss the lunches and dinners with the groups but have been otherwise able to get by with Zoom. I've found that the Zoom sessions tend to be more intimate. People look like they just rolled out of bed, and are more informal in their home surroundings. I think religion is multi-functional socially. We have the benefit of reinforcement of our own ideas from others in the group, in addition to a sense of community. These are people who share my basic beliefs and values, and it's nice to know I'm not alone. Of course there are also folks outside the group who don't share the beliefs and values. The Methodist church in particular, has a Sunday school class that meets one floor down from ours and is essentially a different religion--ours being progressive, that one being traditionalist and fundamentalist. The gay issue has been traumatic for the church, and has already led some of my Sunday school to leave for fear the Church is getting more conservative on the matter. But generally, I think the experience is good for us, not only in providing good company, but in promoting good values and a conduit for altruistic endeavors. But I thing it depends a lot on the churches. Some are downright hateful--breeding grounds for toxic faith syndrome.

I've taken a Catholic friend with me to the atheist dinners and have enjoyed seeing him interact with the others. They're just people, for the most part good people, and the conversations aren't too different from what we encounter at Christian dinners. Some bring their kids, and my friend has commented approvingly on their parenting. No detectable horns or cloven hooves. We also checked out the local Mosque until Covid got in the way, but I plan to get back to that if we ever get through the virus crisis. Nice folks

I have lots of friends who would meet that description. Many have turned religious in recovery programs--the twelve steps of AA and NA. The ones I know are strong Christians--not particularly into the fine points but grateful for delivery from booze and drugs. From a pragmatic perspective, it tend to think they're better off.

 

The dominant religions spreading today all incorporate Aristotelian logic, and encourage people to organize along the lines of a flock of chickens. Before the industrial revolution, almost everyone was illiterate, and lived in extended families and small tribes and towns, and were lucky if they traveled 200 miles from home over their lifetime. Organizing like chickens, meant they could stay organized even when the lights were on and nobody was home. Today, using the same logic empowers people to organize by the millions, and religions have all evolved right along with modern science. Militant atheists have moved into academia, and use the same approach as their fundamentalist counterparts, of arguing over the definition of stupid, ensuring they poison the middle-ground and suppress any genuine salt-of-the-earth politics, which don't favor the wealthy. In other words, religion and science combined are responsible for the rapid pace of technological development, while communism is dead, and oppressive religious states are backwards.

 

Behold--I beseech thee to inform me as to the state of religion / faith of 10 million years ago. Thank you.

 

And I beseech thee to try living their lifestyle for five minutes. Tribal groups tend to average between seven and eleven adults, not enough to promote televangelism or produce high tech.

 

That's no answer.

 

Nor is begging the question.

 

"I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was living among the Sakyans. Now there is a Sakyan town named Sakkara. There Venerable Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, "This is half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie."
"Don't say that, Ananda. Don't say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path."

"And how does a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, develop & pursue the noble eightfold path? There is the case where a monk develops right view dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. He develops right resolve... right speech... right action... right livelihood... right effort... right mindfulness... right concentration dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. This is how a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, develops & pursues the noble eightfold path."

"And through this line of reasoning one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life: It is in dependence on me as an admirable friend that beings subject to birth have gained release from birth, that beings subject to aging have gained release from aging, that beings subject to death have gained release from death, that beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair have gained release from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. It is through this line of reasoning that one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life."
Upaddha Sutta

Organized religion can have a useful social function, in that a faith community can provide the guidance, encouragement and support to enable someone to pursue "the holy life". That is why the community of faith; the Sangha, is one of the Three Treasures of Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote that sangha is so important that he doubts someone in isolation can maintain their practice for long, so he encourages folk if they can't find a spiritual community to glom onto, to create one.

Of course, there's an inverse to the Upaddha Sutta:
"Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool."
Dhammapada 61

 

what it serves might well be served without it. but then if it were, whatever serves it, might well then be called the same thing.

preventing yourself from doing extremely inconsiderate things, has nothing to do with anyone telling someone else what to pretend.
it has more to do with not wanting to live in a world or a universe, where inconsiderate things are commonly done.
we all influence each other by our own example, whether we are aware of doing so or not.

i have not found the unhappiness others speak of, following the solitary course that i have.
nor have i followed that course by comparing myself to others, but rather entirely by not doing so.

 

There seem to be plenty of unsophisticated Christians in fear-based religions who have no real moral compass and make messes of their lives. Think of pedophile priests. Humans seem to have an amazing capacity for denial, rationalization, and fixating on the mote in their brother's eye while ignoring the log that is in their own eye..

 

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.”
Napoleon Bonaparte

 

In too many instances, "organized religion" all too often drifts away from the "sacred", and, instead, gets far too involved in politics and what people are doing, in private, in their bedrooms.

Meaning NO disrespect whatsoever to ANY denomination, a person does not NEED to actively participate in any given religion, if he believes in "The Big Man" high up above us in the celestial penthouse, and, also, treats his religion and beliefs on a PERSONAL level, between him and his Maker, then THAT is what MATTERS.

I do not claim to be the most religious man in the world, BUT, what "religion" I DO have, is something that I regard as personal between myself and "The Big Man Upstairs"........