How to Press the Reset Button on Faith

[gtar100]

28. I'd say that abberation is a product of our time, almost our entire historical timeline.

But I'll stand by my tool and project analogy. Religion is a tool that can be used to for both good and evil, from providing a framework for people to reach out and help each other in times of need, to providing people a sense of community out of which to build meaningful lives and relationships, to subtle manipulations and abuses of trust and position, to mob destruction of people and places as you've well illustrated.

You may try to stamp out religion in total because of the shit people do with it, but it's not going to go away and I think that's because it's built into our very nature - the urge to share values and rituals with "our people" (tribe, club, community, business, school, etc), it won't be stamped out by those who disagree. Mao, Pol, Joseph, and many others in the name of the state...they have tried and failed; the Christians themselves tried to wipe out the pagans, yet they still survive to this day. I get the message (loud and clear) many here believe that the practice of religion is a weakness but I don't feel that it is weakness to join with others in community and ritual practices. It's powerful and full of potential. And yes it is misused and abused in some of most horrific ways imaginable...that can't be understated in these times. But it can and is used for good as well. It's our choice what we do with it. And if criticizing it, mocking it, rejecting it and stamping it under foot frees one from the cultural brainwashing we are immersed in, fine. Whatever it takes as long as it doesn't injure others. But at the end of the day we are still left with our essential selves which I think contains the archetype (to coin a jungian term) out of which religion arises in culture after culture after culture. It's fundamental to the human experience.

One last thing about the op. I didn't get the impression that he is saying "religion is simply a force for good". Using the word "simply" I think is, well... an over-simplification. I can't speak for Guy but that wasn't how I interpreted it.