Is Religion More About Community than About Belief for Most People?

[Grandliseur]

It seems to me that for most people, belonging to a community is more important to them than the beliefs of their religion. Relatively few people seem to be as enthusiastic about their religion's beliefs as they are about meeting up with their friends and acquaintances for services, etc.

Please note. I'm talking about most people here, and not specifically about members of RF. I think RFers are probably more interested in beliefs than most people because, basically, this forum is for discussing beliefs. But the average religious person seems more interested in community to me than to his or her religion's belief system.

What do you think?

No doubt about it. If it were about beliefs mostly, many would not be in the church there are in now.

While growing up and learning about the Bible, I thought it was about our beliefs. Fortunately, my father during that time encouraged plain Bible reading and study, which I did.

Later, as my knowledge increased, I found that challenging the established church dogma was a no no, though I had valid reason. Now, I am non denominational - a painful choice.
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Even for the first century Christians who were taught the undiluted version, fellowship always was of extreme importance. The being together, the doing things for each other, helping, contributing with things others needed - it was as I believe one said, 'a love feast.'

This phrase came with a warning against the ones who introduced harmful dogma, etc.:

Jude 12-13 12 These are the rocks hidden below water in YOUR love feasts while they feast with YOU, shepherds that feed themselves without fear; waterless clouds carried this way and that by winds; trees in late autumn, [but] fruitless, having died twice, having been uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea that foam up their own causes for shame; stars with no set course, for which the blackness of darkness stands reserved forever.
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[Jumi]

Almost all people seem to follow the religion of their parents in some way, when there are people who actually don't know or deeply care the beliefs of their religion we like to call them different names like "Christians out of habit", cultural Catholics, cultural Muslims, secular Jews etc. They still often defend their group like they would believe it.

 

[LuisDantas]

Based on statistics are atheists more likely to commit suicide that non-atheists?

Probably not. But that does not tell the whole story. There are doctrines that discourage suicide by encouraging living hell.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Personally I go to church for the community. I guess it could be based on the religion. When I go to UU Services it is definitely about community as all the people there have various beliefs.

Do you think that someone who didn't accept the UU Seven Principles - and didn't keep this secret - would be accepted enough by the rest of his UU community to participate fully in it?

 

[corynski]

It seems to me that for most people, belonging to a community is more important to them than the beliefs of their religion. Relatively few people seem to be as enthusiastic about their religion's beliefs as they are about meeting up with their friends and acquaintances for services, etc.

Please note. I'm talking about most people here, and not specifically about members of RF. I think RFers are probably more interested in beliefs than most people because, basically, this forum is for discussing beliefs. But the average religious person seems more interested in community to me than to his or her religion's belief system.

What do you think?

The solidarity achieved through common belief is the essence of society. And that was one of the original purposes of religion and belief. Humans create gods and goddesses, not the other way around, as the anthropological record attests. Each ancient society created their own gods and this served as the unique identification for members of the group, i.e. they grew up with that particular belief system, and it was considered 'real' to them. And each and every society lies to it's children about their origins.
But now is not then....... We have surpassed the stage of human development where gods were needed, we are now at a later point of human mental development where hopefully reason will reign supreme, but likely won't, as it appears that humans can't really agree about much, and would rather fight than switch. Or learn.......
And notice that societies don't teach their children anthropology, or the truth about their origin. Instead there are myths about why each particular society is the 'right' one, created or chosen by a 'god', and all the other societies and their gods are wrong and in error. We've been at this stage for centuries now, with little prospect of achieving any enlightenment or progress at this point, i.e. this point referring to nuclear weapons status of the world..........

 

[Kemosloby]

I think belief gets them there and once there they are part of a community. If not for belief I don't think anyone would go to church.

 

[corynski]

I think that is true, and that it is generally for the best that it is so.

Few if any beliefs are quite valuable enough to justify schisms that shatter families and social groups.

Hmmmmm......... Jesus didn't seem to think so, if Matt 10:34 is any indication:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, etc.........", and 10:37, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, etc.......".

 

[idav]

Do you think that someone who didn't accept the UU Seven Principles - and didn't keep this secret - would be accepted enough by the rest of his UU community to participate fully in it?

That's a good question because the beliefs are so diverse that atheists participate as well but a person would need to be respectful of others beliefs, I've never seen otherwise where I am at. That's not really something that's a religious belief issue though, as per the OP question, UU accepts that their are various beliefs. They don't congregate because people have the same beliefs in their religion and anything else would be philosophy. I guess I'm not seeing UU as a religion so much since people in UU can literally have different religions. Again that's a good question, I'd be curious to what other UU participants say.

 

[BSM1]

It seems to me that for most people, belonging to a community is more important to them than the beliefs of their religion. Relatively few people seem to be as enthusiastic about their religion's beliefs as they are about meeting up with their friends and acquaintances for services, etc.

Please note. I'm talking about most people here, and not specifically about members of RF. I think RFers are probably more interested in beliefs than most people because, basically, this forum is for discussing beliefs. But the average religious person seems more interested in community to me than to his or her religion's belief system.

What do you think?

I have said many times that most people attend church for socializing rather than soul searching, entertainment rather than enlightenment. (Yes, @Sunstone, we agreed on something.)

I find that the great thing about atheism is the near total lack of community.

But the keggers sure beat the ones down at the First Baptist...just sayin'.

 

[metis]

What do you think?

I think you make a very good point here, and at least one study I've seen sorta confirms your feeling. When people were asked whom are they mostly likely to contact if they need person advice on what would be proper to do in a given situation, clergy ranked either 4th or 5th, with family, friends, and educational leaders being chosen before them. Even some religious leaders I've read are often chagrined at how their religious advice seems to be only taken seriously by a relative few in their congregation. I remember one Lutheran pastor who hypothesized that maybe only 10% take his sermons seriously on any given Sunday.

And we see this also being reflected in how people act outside of the religious services, such as voting for people who simply do not reflect much when it comes to morality. Like with Moore down in Alabama, roughly 80% of the evangelicals there support him, although this survey was taken before the very recent allegation of pedofilia.

 

[LuisDantas]

Hmmmmm......... Jesus didn't seem to think so, if Matt 10:34 is any indication:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, etc.........", and 10:37, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, etc.......".

That may or may not be an accurate reading of the thoughts of the historical Jesus (whose existence remains dubious to me), but it sure does not seem representative of actual Christian communities as they are generally understood.

Most Christians that I know - as a matter of fact, most people that I know, period - seem to think that it is actually a bit rude to emphasize their beliefs over the general well being of the community.

Edited to add: There is also the not-inconsiderable matter that the specific quote that you provided is among the hardest to reconcile with what is generally understood to be Christian doctrine.

 

[Revoltingest]

But the keggers sure beat the ones down at the First Baptist...just sayin'.

I suppose that if we ever got together, that would be the result.

 

[Vee]

It seems to me that for most people, belonging to a community is more important to them than the beliefs of their religion. Relatively few people seem to be as enthusiastic about their religion's beliefs as they are about meeting up with their friends and acquaintances for services, etc.

Please note. I'm talking about most people here, and not specifically about members of RF. I think RFers are probably more interested in beliefs than most people because, basically, this forum is for discussing beliefs. But the average religious person seems more interested in community to me than to his or her religion's belief system.

What do you think?

I think you're absolutely right. Most people I know identify as Catholics but they only go to the church for weddings and funerals.

 

[DavidFirth]

It seems to me that for most people, belonging to a community is more important to them than the beliefs of their religion. Relatively few people seem to be as enthusiastic about their religion's beliefs as they are about meeting up with their friends and acquaintances for services, etc.

Please note. I'm talking about most people here, and not specifically about members of RF. I think RFers are probably more interested in beliefs than most people because, basically, this forum is for discussing beliefs. But the average religious person seems more interested in community to me than to his or her religion's belief system.

What do you think?

I think the word "religion" is over rated. Jesus is my savior, if you want to call Him a religion, go for it.

 

[JJ50]

I think the word "religion" is over rated. Jesus is my savior, if you want to call Him a religion, go for it.

Christianity is a religion like all the others, and with no more evidence to support its veracity.

 

[DavidFirth]

Christianity is a religion like all the others, and with no more evidence to support its veracity.

Wrong. We have eye witness accounts of Jesus, His death and His resurrection. Unbelievers just choose to dismiss and disbelieve them.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

It seems to me that for most people, belonging to a community is more important to them than the beliefs of their religion. Relatively few people seem to be as enthusiastic about their religion's beliefs as they are about meeting up with their friends and acquaintances for services, etc.

Please note. I'm talking about most people here, and not specifically about members of RF. I think RFers are probably more interested in beliefs than most people because, basically, this forum is for discussing beliefs. But the average religious person seems more interested in community to me than to his or her religion's belief system.

What do you think?

I disagree. While many churchgoers see the social aspect of church as being very important, I think that very few of them see it as more important than their actual beliefs. This could be illustrated by taking a survey of average churchgoers and asking them if instead of going to their traditional worship service on Sundays, they would consider gathering with their friends at an atheist think tank every Sunday. 99% of them would vehemently oppose this idea, even though the social aspect would still be there.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Wrong. We have eye witness accounts of Jesus, His death and His resurrection. Unbelievers just choose to dismiss and disbelieve them.

We have eye witness accounts of alien abductions too. Unbelievers just choose to dismiss and disbelieve them.

 

[DavidFirth]

We have eye witness accounts of alien abductions too. Unbelievers just choose to dismiss and disbelieve them.

Yeah, you don't have 2.2 billion people who actually believe like you do the New Testament, either. Maybe you can start up your own little club of people who make foolish comparisons like yours.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Yeah, you don't have 2.2 billion people who actually believe like you do the New Testament, either. Maybe you can start up your own little club of people who make foolish comparisons like yours.

Ahhh, the bandwagon fallacy.