Kaly, Intriguing thoughts, thanks. Your arguments are directed toward the social effects of religion. So you're not arguing whether there are health and psychological benefits to practitioners of religion and spirituality, which was the primary point of my earlier post? Replies are in red below.
Originally Posted by Tiny
Good for your health is the therapy, great psychological benefits. The religions were made to control, manipulate and get power and money. Religion is an effective regulator of human behavior, they achieve a high state of suggestiveness that is usually confused with relaxation or meditation.
Fear and guilt are used by all religions, without exception. It's the main technique in which a belief allows its expansion and lasts over time, promoting "the inheritance" in the different generations. The technique of fear of death is the most used.
A sense of belonging is created by appealing to feelings, to the feeling of family and of sharing emotional bonds. It seeks to suppress doubt and resistance to new ideas by exploiting the need to belong. Integration with the group is reinforced by participating economically in its financing, feeling responsible for the group's achievements in the same way as it is in sustaining a family.
Religious fantasies are always ridiculed against reality. Religious fantasies can't explain reality. When this confrontation is unsustainable confused phrases or extremely elaborate explanations are used that say nothing but appeal to the trick of intellectual superiority. It seeks to gather believers to avoid private reasoning in this way.
It's no coincidence that religions have a greater presence in less developed countries and in the poorest and most marginal environments. The more advanced the society, the less attachment to religions and superstitions. Because people do not need to feel fear or guilt to control themselves or to be happy.
Here I see you have a special fascination for army and church. Really dangerous and I don't feel me comfortable to find people use this forum to highlight both institutions.