10/01/02: Religion is a bunch of fucking bunk.

juju · 10-01-2002, 03:40 PM

I got an essay back today that I wrote for my Anthropology of Religion class, and I received a 90%! This is very exciting for me, because although it's not 100%, i've been doing pretty lousy in school through lack of motivation these past couple of semesters. It's very depressing to know exactly how to do well in school, but not actually do well because I can't make myself do the work. So, this is a great ego-boost for me, especially since I also got 100% on my last Cultural Anthropolgy exam. I'm posting my paper below. I suspect that this might come off as lame and boring, seeing as how I don't particularly like reading most college essays myself. However, this is the most interesting thing that's happened to me today, aside from playing Quake III with my lovely wife. And I doubt you want a play-by-play of that. So, onto the journal pages this goes. The assignment was to write 2 pages, double spaced, on your our of religion, how it's affected your life, what it's role is in society, etc. It's basically just a 'what's your opinion' paper, and you can't really go wrong with a subject like that.

I am not religious, but religion does have a direct effect on my life. Christians in particular are always changing my society for the worse. For example, I can't buy beer on Sunday. In fact, a lot of businesses I'd like to buy things from are closed on Sundays. Also, I can't say things like "god dammit!" or "Jesus Christ!" without getting strange looks. I really enjoy saying these things, and I don't think like I should feel like an outsider because of it. Also, Christians are always trying to suppress the things I love, like Dungeons & Dragons, video games, music, movies, novels, cursing, and sex. They're always harassing my gay friends, and making sure the government never gives them marriage rights. They're welcome to their own opinions, of course. Unfortunately, they never stop at just having an opinion. They feel they must actively force their opinions on others. It wouldn't be so bad if they actually had a logical reason for their beliefs. You can't reason with them, though, because they don't use reason or logic. In short, religious people in America are always trying to screw it up for the rest of us.

What follows is my personal theory on how religion came about. It's only my opinion! It's as close to a model as I've been able to figure out.

Humans comprehend their environment by giving meaning to objects. When a human sees a new object, he observes it and tries to associate some meaning to it. If he doesn't understand the object, he becomes frightened and angry. Sometimes, if no meaning can be found, one is simply made up and adopted as truth. This is how religion was born. It's much easier to just make something up rather than face the frustration of not knowing. The fear of not knowing the answer to a whole slew of philosophical questions is too much for most people. Humans are endlessly driven to understand everything. This isn't so much because we feel that knowledge is a noble quest. It's just that not knowing the answer is extremely agitating. Whether the meaning is true or not is irrelevant; people just want that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing everything.

Well, I'm sure you're asking, why did I take this class if I think it's all a bunch of nonsense? Well, I find religion fascinating in a Robin Hood or King Arthur sort of way. I've always loved fantasy and science fiction novels, and the core of a good fantasy story has always been a detailed and elaborate world for its main characters to participate in. Most religions have also assembled extremely detailed and fascinating worlds to explain the unknown. It's fascinating to read about them, and wonder whether or not they're true.

Beyond the story aspect, though, I'm also intrigued by religion's incredible power to control people. When it comes to making people do what you want, it's more powerful than a gun. After all, a gun can only be pointed at a few people at a time. Religion can control the actions and morality of an entire continent, long after the religion's founder has died. And, unlike victims at gunpoint, religious followers will be more than happy to do all sorts of insane things.

All people form a mental model of the world inside their head. Religion can be thought of as the type of architecture of that mental model. Thought of in that way, religion can be seen to control potentially everything about a person, including the way they think and act. It's this that draws me to study religion the most. I'll have to deal with people all my life, so it's extremely important to me to understand how their mind works and how they view the world.

The instructor's comment at the end of the paper read:

Regardless of your personal convictions, you have presented ample critical insight into religion as a human construct. I do appreciate your candor and sincerity, and your extreme intellectualist viewpoint about religious thought.

How cool is that??

10-01-2002, 03:40 PM	#1
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	10/01/02: Religion is a bunch of fucking bunk. I got an essay back today that I wrote for my Anthropology of Religion class, and I received a 90%! This is very exciting for me, because although it's not 100%, i've been doing pretty lousy in school through lack of motivation these past couple of semesters. It's very depressing to know exactly how to do well in school, but not actually do well because I can't make myself do the work. So, this is a great ego-boost for me, especially since I also got 100% on my last Cultural Anthropolgy exam. I'm posting my paper below. I suspect that this might come off as lame and boring, seeing as how I don't particularly like reading most college essays myself. However, this is the most interesting thing that's happened to me today, aside from playing Quake III with my lovely wife. And I doubt you want a play-by-play of that. So, onto the journal pages this goes. The assignment was to write 2 pages, double spaced, on your our of religion, how it's affected your life, what it's role is in society, etc. It's basically just a 'what's your opinion' paper, and you can't really go wrong with a subject like that. I am not religious, but religion does have a direct effect on my life. Christians in particular are always changing my society for the worse. For example, I can't buy beer on Sunday. In fact, a lot of businesses I'd like to buy things from are closed on Sundays. Also, I can't say things like "god dammit!" or "Jesus Christ!" without getting strange looks. I really enjoy saying these things, and I don't think like I should feel like an outsider because of it. Also, Christians are always trying to suppress the things I love, like Dungeons & Dragons, video games, music, movies, novels, cursing, and sex. They're always harassing my gay friends, and making sure the government never gives them marriage rights. They're welcome to their own opinions, of course. Unfortunately, they never stop at just having an opinion. They feel they must actively force their opinions on others. It wouldn't be so bad if they actually had a logical reason for their beliefs. You can't reason with them, though, because they don't use reason or logic. In short, religious people in America are always trying to screw it up for the rest of us. What follows is my personal theory on how religion came about. It's only my opinion! It's as close to a model as I've been able to figure out. Humans comprehend their environment by giving meaning to objects. When a human sees a new object, he observes it and tries to associate some meaning to it. If he doesn't understand the object, he becomes frightened and angry. Sometimes, if no meaning can be found, one is simply made up and adopted as truth. This is how religion was born. It's much easier to just make something up rather than face the frustration of not knowing. The fear of not knowing the answer to a whole slew of philosophical questions is too much for most people. Humans are endlessly driven to understand everything. This isn't so much because we feel that knowledge is a noble quest. It's just that not knowing the answer is extremely agitating. Whether the meaning is true or not is irrelevant; people just want that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing everything. Well, I'm sure you're asking, why did I take this class if I think it's all a bunch of nonsense? Well, I find religion fascinating in a Robin Hood or King Arthur sort of way. I've always loved fantasy and science fiction novels, and the core of a good fantasy story has always been a detailed and elaborate world for its main characters to participate in. Most religions have also assembled extremely detailed and fascinating worlds to explain the unknown. It's fascinating to read about them, and wonder whether or not they're true. Beyond the story aspect, though, I'm also intrigued by religion's incredible power to control people. When it comes to making people do what you want, it's more powerful than a gun. After all, a gun can only be pointed at a few people at a time. Religion can control the actions and morality of an entire continent, long after the religion's founder has died. And, unlike victims at gunpoint, religious followers will be more than happy to do all sorts of insane things. All people form a mental model of the world inside their head. Religion can be thought of as the type of architecture of that mental model. Thought of in that way, religion can be seen to control potentially everything about a person, including the way they think and act. It's this that draws me to study religion the most. I'll have to deal with people all my life, so it's extremely important to me to understand how their mind works and how they view the world. The instructor's comment at the end of the paper read: Regardless of your personal convictions, you have presented ample critical insight into religion as a human construct. I do appreciate your candor and sincerity, and your extreme intellectualist viewpoint about religious thought. How cool is that?? Last edited by juju; 10-01-2002 at 03:48 PM.

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