What is your religion?

submitted by Ponderer from (self.debatealtright)

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[–]NeoRail 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

But I agree with the general point that any true religion should consist of observations of nature and natural law, rather than proclamations made up by a human mind.

Religion deals with the supernatural, not with the natural or the purely rational. What you are describing would not be a religion at all.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I feel like religions take natural things and make them supernatural, so that they do not have to face the hard scientific facts about these natural things.

[–]NeoRail 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

That would be pantheism or something related to it, although worship of nature typically goes hand in hand with scientism, rather than fighting against it.

As far as I am concerned, there is basically zero overlap between the area of interest of religion and that of modern materialistic science. I do not think a genuine religion should be engaging with scientific matters too much.

[–]Ponderer[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'm not sure I agree. Many deeply religious people might dispute there is a natural/supernatural distinction at all.

I agree that a system that's purely descriptive would probably not be a religion. But something that deals with subjective beliefs, and informs the believer about what they should do with their lives and what is truly meaningful, would have at least some similarities with religion.

[–]NeoRail 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Many deeply religious people might dispute there is a natural/supernatural distinction at all.

This can be a valid perspective, but this is also an entirely different thing from reducing everything to nature alone.

I agree that a system that's purely descriptive would probably not be a religion. But something that deals with subjective beliefs, and informs the believer about what they should do with their lives and what is truly meaningful, would have at least some similarities with religion.

I think what you are referring to here is much closer to myth in the secular sense, rather than religion. Religion does deal with the things you mentioned, but its approach to those things is informed by a metaphysical position. If we take some types of Buddhism as an example, there are indeed rules for personal conduct, a value system and spiritual practices, but all of this is justified on a supernatural basis, specifically attaining enlightenment.