2007-10-23 18:46:34 · 17 answers · asked by PEACE 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Religion provides structure for many people, and that's ok. It also provides community for many, and that's a good thing, too. It's certainly something that all cultures have needed at one time or another, if only for the purpose of codifying acceptable behavior in the early development of a civilization.
2007-10-23 18:51:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Several possible reasons...
1. Some people are innately weak people. These people need someone to tell them what to do because they can't handle the world by themselves.
2. Some people are like children that simply can't grow up. They need a daddy figure to scare them into behaving so they don't have to take responsibility for their own actions.
3. Some people are terrified. Of... well... everything. So they cling to false mythology in the hopes that it will provide them comfortable easy answers so they don't need to be scared anymore.
4. Lasts but not least, some people are just plain lazy. Finding a real, reasonable, logical answer to their questions would require too much work, and they'd have to accept that they may not ever have a satisfying answer to their questions. So they let the religion do their thinking for them.
Hmmm... on second thought, there are three reasons I didn't address...
Stupidity, gullibility, and brainwashing
2007-10-24 02:09:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I answer this question so many times, I should just have a readily available copy-and-paste answer.
People, at least on the whole, want to have 1) a way to express certain feelings they can't put into words, 2) some kind of dogma for foundation, 3) ritualized expression and symbolism, and want to have 4) layman-term answers (largely for the sake of self-satisfaction) regarding the physical world, reason for living, and reasons for human behavior. Religion is one way to get all of these in a single package.
I don't see anything inherently wrong with all that, and I don't see religion going away any time soon. The problems, I think, happen when it goes from being a private tool, to a public cause.
2007-10-24 02:14:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It makes a lot of people comfortable. They take comfort in thinking that when they die they will eventually see all the people they left on Earth. Believing they will meet their lost loved ones also comforts them when they lose someone close to them.
Some people need a reward in order to do good things. Others need a consequence to keep them from doing evil things. Therefore, Heaven and Hell is taught.
Responsible, reasonable human beings do not need religion, so they don't bother with it. Those who aren't responsible, or cannot reason, turn to religion.
2007-10-24 01:55:40 · answer #4 · answered by Uh-oh 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Religions originally developed as ways to try to explain the unknown.
Opportunistic people became leaders of religions in order to benefit from followers' gullibility.
Politicians took advantage of religions to increase their control over the populace.
Now you know why there are so many irreligious people around.
***
2007-10-24 02:01:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because people on the whole are very stupid, and need something to give the universe meaning, somebody to complain to when things aren't going their way. Somebody who they can imagine as watching over them and looking out for them (and siding with them in times of war and strife).
On account of people on the whole being very stupid, it doesn't have to be a very logical or believable religion. Look at most mythologies (including the ones that people still believe in, which we call religion instead): they're FILLED with weird unnatural crap going on, things that you very nearly had to be on drugs to invent.
2007-10-24 02:09:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No one needs religion.
What they need is to look at the world as it is, not as they want it to be and realise that there is no afterlife, no Santa machine in the sky giving out gifts and that the only meaning of life is one we create ourselves (the religious do create their own meaning of life but not understanding what they're doing means they get a sick parody of a meaning for living).
2007-10-24 02:00:49 · answer #7 · answered by bestonnet_00 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
in most cases the end results of “organized religion” distracts from the intent of God. it could better be called an “organized relationship.” there is no plan to reach God [he has reached out to them]. there is no pride [all is received by grace]. there should be no squabbles over leadership [Christ is the head]. there should be no prejudice [we are all one in Christ..being organized isn't the problem. following a religion is the problem.
2007-10-24 01:50:51 · answer #8 · answered by Silver 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
People need God.
God has testified that the only path to Him is the reconciliation He has provided in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world.
2007-10-24 02:04:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I need it because w/o the Lord I would not even have existed and would not have a home or nothing of that sort.
I love God for all he has done for me.
Well actually all you need is Jesus Christ =)
2007-10-24 01:50:45 · answer #10 · answered by St. John Bosco 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋