Religion: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:13, 28 December 2023

Religion is belief in god in practice. Those that believe in a god that has certain qualities will express those beliefs in their traditions, rituals and worship practices.

Unfortunately no such traditions exist for those with secular orientation. But since tradition and ritual are integral to culture, it is necessary for metaculture to develop traditions and rituals that can reinforce modern values like freedom, reason, science, equality, etc.

metaculture's Core Theology

Details on the key theological beliefs and assumptions behind metaculture are listed here:

Essential Components of Religion

A fully fledged religion needs to have

A god
A creation story
Cultural history
A system of ethics
Enforcement of taboos
Rituals to celebrate life's milestones like birth, coming of age, marriage and death
A narrative that provides meaning, context, and easy transmission of a culture's most critical beliefs
Enough followers to not be considered a cult

metaculture should provide all of these things in order to fully serve the social and psychological functions of religion without contradicting the rational, materialistic view of the universe.

Evolution of Religion

Throughout history, the traditions of one culture have been coopted and repurposed by the next. Saturnalia becomes Christmas once the Roman Empire becomes a Christian state. This makes sense from a psychological perspective since it is much easier to redirect an existing habit than to form a new one from nothing.

Christmas has already been coopted again by the god of capitalism, and as such it should be embraced. Rather than being a selfish perversion of the teachings of Jesus, it can be a joyous celebration of all the wonderful stuff that capitalism is so good at producing. This is simply acknowledging the evolution in meaning that the Christmas holiday has already undergone.

And this is the nature of rituals. They evolve and change their meaning with the tide of history. Old traditions become new by taking on new meaning imbued by future generations. Rarely are they simply made up out of whole cloth, and when they are it's more likely to become a cult than a religion.

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 == Evolution of Religion ==
-Throughout history, the [[traditions]] of one [[culture]] have been coopted and repurposed by the next. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia Saturnalia] becomes Christmas once the Roman Empire becomes a Christian state. This makes sense from a [[psychological]] perspective since it is much easier to redirect an existing [[habit]] than to form a new one from nothing. Christmas has already been coopted again by the [[god]] of [[capitalism]], and as such it should be embraced. Rather than being a selfish perversion of the teachings of Jesus, it can be a joyous celebration of all the wonderful stuff that [[capitalism]] is so good at producing. This is simply acknowledging the evolution in meaning that the Christmas holiday has already undergone.
+Throughout [[history]], the [[traditions]] of one [[culture]] have been coopted and repurposed by the next. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia Saturnalia] becomes Christmas once the Roman Empire becomes a Christian state. This makes sense from a [[psychological]] perspective since it is much easier to redirect an existing [[habit]] than to form a new one from nothing.
-And this is the nature of [[rituals]]. They evolve and change their meaning with the tide of history. Old [[traditions]] become new by taking on new meaning imbued by future generations. Rarely are they simply made up out of whole cloth, and when they are it's more likely to become a [[cult]] than a religion.
+Christmas has already been coopted again by the [[god]] of [[capitalism]], and as such it should be embraced. Rather than being a selfish perversion of the teachings of Jesus, it can be a joyous celebration of all the wonderful stuff that [[capitalism]] is so good at producing. This is simply acknowledging the [[evolution]] in meaning that the Christmas holiday has already undergone.
+And this is the nature of [[rituals]]. They [[evolve]] and change their [[meaning]] with the tide of [[history]]. Old [[traditions]] become new by taking on new meaning imbued by [[future]] generations. Rarely are they simply made up out of whole cloth, and when they are it's more likely to become a [[cult]] than a religion.