The Emotional side of Religion

I have talked about religion off and on, and what my beliefs are. And I talk to religious people and usually I analyze the religion by the stories by books and by thought. But that doesn't really touch on why I think religion is an important tool to use. Now usually when you say "religion" and "use" you think politics and how to get votes or use influence or take over a country or start a war... that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about as an individual.

And there are some points in everyone's life, especially death and young death especially where it just doesn't seem natural that you know what? ANYTHING that works. Oh you don't usually exactly believe in a personal god or the Abrahamic God or whatever. But you PRAY or meditate or WHATEVER WORKS, because the searing pain is so powerful and you have been numbed to the point where maybe you can't take it any more and you cannot function. Maybe you want to end it all or maybe you aren't that far yet but you don't want to get out of bed but you still have a family to raise and support and you have to be strong and taking on all that is tremendously stressful so if it's Christ or Allah or Buddha or anything that helps you get through it.... how can I have a problem with that?

Critics often call religion the Opiate of the masses, in fact it was Marx that coined the term. But really sometimes you NEED that opiate and the closest easiest one with the most support, take it, even if it doesn't necessarily fit. Just worry about that later. In fact in this day and age, take more than one.

Now with actual opiates you can get into danger and cause more problems for yourself, but f the people who go to your Church or A church or whatever seem normal enough, they can function, hey that's maybe what you need.

"It's lies and stories and fairy tales!" some say.. who cares. Worry about it later.


Now some people who are already IN the religion often find that they lose faith in God or whatever. I have lost faith in a SYSTEM  or folk style of belief before, and I guess I didn't quite regain it. In fact I ended up with a more balanced and atheistic-ally influenced style of religion.. but I wouldn't say the basic concepts changed much. I don'y know what it's like to lose faith in a God of a specific system that I wholeheartedly believed in.

So maybe you need something new to get through this. A new opiate. Maybe it is an emotion. Maybe it is hate or blame or maybe it s anger or ATHEISM as a new belief system. Those things can damage you over time... but for NOW... I would say the same thing honestly. Whatever works. Try to tale the opiate that least damages you and benefits you the most. Spend time with friends, listen to music, fill yourself with IDEOLOGY of a cause.. whatever... well actually I guess my old belief system had all of these factors and sort of got me into trouble... but in the end I would say it worked out okay. But pick something mainstream. Some cause or fight that the society not only allows, but supports and encourages. That's why Christianity tends to be the one of choice. Buddhism... is also okay but in America the really push the Christianity to the point where politicians basically have to pretend to have found God and Jesus specifically if they haven't been religious in the past. So there it's encouraged.

And really, sometimes you NEED it and after you have gotten through it all and are able to look around and past your grief.. well then you can talk about whether you would like to follow the Gospel of Thomas or Mary Magdalene over the Synoptic Gospels or whether you prefer the teachings of Thich Naht Hanh or Deepak Chopra. But in horrible tragedy you may very well need something hard and strong and in a group with lots of crying and hugging and that sort of thing. And singing and going into altered trance like states... as long as there is control and in the end you get up on workdays and go to work and cook dinner and what not... what's the harm.