What is religion and its purpose?

I think many religions start out as some leader's idea of a good way to help people live better. But all successful religions evolve into something that serves the religion, itself, as if it were a sort of living thing.

It is possible for a pattern of thoughts to take control of a mind (to a certain extent), just as a pattern of code can take control of a computer. When this happens to computers, it is called a computer virus. For minds, it has been named a meme (rhymes with theme).

Below, I have linked to a video on this topic.

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Regards,

John Popelish

The purpose of a true religion would be to instill into minds that "religion is not a part of your life" It is a way of life"

A way of life, that teaches you everything, from the least to the most important things in your life. How to stay away from stress and tension even in the most horrible periods of your lifetime. Religion comforts you, controls you from within you from not doing harm to anyone(or anything) even if there is no proof of it. The government of a country could declare a criminal to be innocent. But when will he be punished? When is life going to be fare to the victims of the crime he had committed? A true religion is the perfect answer to those who think about the "real purpose of life"!

religion is defined as a way of life.

religion joins people of like-beliefs in a social structure which is essential for mental well being.

and done correctly, there are gifts of prophecies and revelations that help teachers, and prophets to teach others who seek enlightenment and salvation.

its a public forum for teaching correct doctrines, as long as people actually have correct doctrines to teach

religion and church is also described as an economic back up which can promote financial survival, that is if everyone helps out.

in the pearl of great price, it says that Zion was the kingdom of God on earth, where there was NO poor among them, and that they were a society of the pure in heart.

http://classic.scriptures.lds.org/en/moses/7/18-21...

at best, the kingdom of God on earth should be religious and a theocratic government, it should be like what jesus instituted in his day, where The saints had all things in common but not the same thing as atheist socialism is today. or world globalism under luciferian facism.

This is a very slippery question. The subject rarely leaves anyone neutral. I came to my own rational when I was a teenager. At the time, I decided that it was a pacifier of sorts, keeping people in line with the promise of something better in the afterlife.

As I honed that theory, as I became more aware of other religions, my view became more complicated. I now understand that all religions as far as I know came about as guidelines for living harmoniously in society. All of them, at their core, are excellent guidebooks and all are very similar to each other. Whichever you read, all guide toward doing good by your fellow man and striving to grow spiritually.

But man saw an opportunity to take advantage of this situation to obtain population control and thus political power. It is the man-made layer in religion that governs through fear and shame and exploits people's need to "belong" therefore to follow a group, too often blindly. Because of this absolute power they exert over their followers, religions have been able to wage wars! The crusades for example! These wars were about conquering territory and followers who could be made to do whatever was necessary, if they could be made to believe that God wanted it.

Religion has been a man's world and as such has been at the core of the domination and exploitation the poor, the uneducated, the vulnerable and of women, possibly with the exception of Budhism. I still need to learn more about Budhism but so far, from what I know, it may be the least "contaminated" of religions I have read about.

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible, the Koran and all such books were written over time and by men. They have been fine tuned over this time to suit the leadership of the Churches and to attain the power they have over people. When the Churches say that they are the word of God, I take that with a grain of salt. I interpret that to mean that these books are meant to inspire good behaviour but not to be taken literally, word for word.

Personally, I have never needed to belong to any social group and don't think I need or can hold a single book as the one and only truth. I respect those who do but feel sad if they cannot see that they are a the mercy of men, not God. I believe in making my own mind about what makes sense or not. I also feel that I need to count on myself more than on the Church to "save" myself.

Religions and the beliefs varies. There is so many different practices. But we all have something in common an that's to draw close to God.

I'm one of Jehovah Witnesses by the way. I can't speak for every religion but I will say his about Jehovah Witnesses. We publicly preach about God's kingdom. There's a message in the Bible. Many promises Jehovah God has given us. We want to share this hope with others and give people the truth about the Bible.

If you'd like to know more about God's kingdom and what it will accomplish just click on the links below.

http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/wha...

http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/wha...

Religion is simply a way to teach moral wrongs and decencies that any human with common sense should know. It is, like stated, to control the masses to believe in a fake deity and to make them live in fear. They are presented with false hope of heaven and presents and whatever they desire, but it says in their book that gluttony is a sin. They borne a society to destroy technology to avoid the discovery that it is entirely bullshit.

Arthur C. Clarke summed it up well as the most widespread form of mental illness on the planet. Religion per se has no purpose; its adherents have purposes ranging from deception and control to avoiding imaginary punishments.

Religion and believing in a god are two different things. “Man Will Never Be Free Until The Last King Is Strangled With The Entrails Of The Last Priest.” Hence the priest, a tool of religion. Religion control a population through theocracy or otherwise. Always has and always will.

Believing in a god WITH OUT religion is more tame and less volatile.

Submission

religion is a belief system based on a certain dogma (things you take for true without proofs)

its not necesserally bad, but since the dogmas part cant be proved it can lead to some scary things (fanatism, brainwashing), but it can also lead some people to do great things and be great persons (from a humanistic point of view, if you take for example the tibetan buddhists resisting without violence or the religious caritative foundations), its a double-edged sword, thats why, I think its better to keep your mind clear and avoid to fall into a state of not questionning your beliefs