I always saw it as a crutch for those who can’t cope with the cruel harshities of life and need to affix meaning and reason to the randomness we live in.
It takes a lot of reading and self interpretation of texts, which to me is “figuring life out themselves.”
In the context of Christianity, i don’t think you can say anyone is ordered around by religious leaders anymore - we live in a thoroughly secular society, and people know they can just walk away if they don’t like what a priest/pastor is saying (Or find a different one).
Can’t really speak for the other religious in that regard.
But maybe you can see that discerning between “which leader do i listen to” is an act of figuring life out by yourself.
And if they have read them, they use the texts to justify their own actions/lack of action. I went to a jw event where they basically kept saying “look, there are wars and extreme weather events happening, we just need to keep ‘studying’ to get closer to god to save everyone”, stuff like that, and comparing real life to whatever fictional events they have in their books as “proof” that it is real
Religion is for people who would rather be told what to do than figure life out themselves.
I always saw it as a crutch for those who can’t cope with the cruel harshities of life and need to affix meaning and reason to the randomness we live in.
It takes a lot of reading and self interpretation of texts, which to me is “figuring life out themselves.”
In the context of Christianity, i don’t think you can say anyone is ordered around by religious leaders anymore - we live in a thoroughly secular society, and people know they can just walk away if they don’t like what a priest/pastor is saying (Or find a different one).
Can’t really speak for the other religious in that regard.
But maybe you can see that discerning between “which leader do i listen to” is an act of figuring life out by yourself.
no, I dont see that. Picking between canned ideas is still consuming canned ideas, but feel free to do that. I’m not here to tell you what to do.
Lol, most religious people have never read a single line of their relevant religious text in their whole life.
That would mean that they are not just being told what to do, to be fair.
And if they have read them, they use the texts to justify their own actions/lack of action. I went to a jw event where they basically kept saying “look, there are wars and extreme weather events happening, we just need to keep ‘studying’ to get closer to god to save everyone”, stuff like that, and comparing real life to whatever fictional events they have in their books as “proof” that it is real