Religion is about how to live in the best and most proper way.
Cultures differ on what the best is seen as.
Religion is not directly or completely “theism” and “faith”.
People will disagree on -Should-
Without -Should- there is no religion or spirituality.
Religion, teleology and living. Mix all 3 and you get spirituality.
You’ve just described something that others often call ethics.
Religion is a VERY loose term.
Even ‘soccer’ or ‘football’ or anything that has a fanatical following are at times referred as a religion.
Here is my favorite reference to what is religion;
Smart studied all the religions in the world and noted the following common traits in all those religions;
There are seven dimensions that Smart uses to define the characteristics of a religion:
I. The Practical / Ritual Dimension
II. The Experiential / Emotional Dimension -the ED
III. The Narrative / Mythic Dimension
IV. The Doctrinal / Philosophical Dimension
V. The Ethical / Legal Dimension
VI. The Social / Institutional Dimension
VII. The Material Dimension
Read the details here;
mmiweb.org.uk/hull/site/site … sions.html
God is not a critical element because there are many non-theistic religions in the world.
Any critique on the above?
IMO, religion is an optimal option [within existing constraints] for the majority but it is not the best nor the progressive way of living for humanity’s well being in the longer run.
So what is?
Is there any difference between religion and spirituality?
Maybe religion is a practice while spirituality is an experience.
Experience of what?
I think it should be: Spirituality, teleology and living. Mix all 3 and you get religion. A spirituality doesn’t necessarily entail a religion, but an essential part of any religion is spirituality.
Otherwise, I agree that yours is one possible interpretation of why religions were conceived and constructed by humans. Personally I think you’re partially right, as are people claiming religion is devised out of man’s desire to maintain control over others, and what better way than to appeal to a higher force so powerful that it supposedly created everything.
Almost anything important to people can be used against them.
Control and shouldness are quite similar.
I defined religion as very should oriented.
Just to clarify, I am not disagreeing with your reply.
Net positive fool proof spirituality.
Note my post above.
viewtopic.php?p=2516943#p2516943
To qualify as to what is normally understood as ‘religion,’ there must be the presence of the 7 mentioned dimensions.
Spirituality in general is contrasted with the physical, i.e. the non-physical aspect of the human being.
‘Spirituality’ is another very loose term, which could be ghosts, evil spirits, low/high spirit, esprit de corp, etc.
‘Spirituality’ in contrast to ‘religion’ is positive spirituality, something like high ‘team-spirit’, and it is directed towards the optimal well being of the individual and humanity.
If all the cells, organs, functions and faculties are team members with a person, then positive spirituality strives to co-ordinate all these entities to work collectively as a team [the self] with high optimal team spirit and flow [see below].
Positive Spirituality thus generate synergy continually to promote and sustain optimality for the individual and humanity. Positive Spirituality is represented by a trend of net-progressiveness and optimality all the way.
Religions do comprise spirituality but not in a specialized way. In addition some religions which do not have a high intensity of spirituality but are actually regressive in terms of mental synergy within the individual. This why terrible evils had manifested by SOME believers and the threats of evil in the past and will continue in the future from SOME evil prone believers.
The necessary organizational features of religions is a big hindrance to natural progress and evolution of the individual.
Many doctrines of religions are dogmatic and their holy texts from an infallible god are immutable and cannot adapt to the inevitable changes in time.
In other words, you have no idea.