On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 18:25:31 -0700, Ken Stuart <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 15:44:54 -0400, Brad Cooley <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >>All cultures have a "religion", or set of beliefs, that is a product of the >>culture. In turn the culture is shaped, in part, by the geography, food >>sources, methods of acquiring food, population density, etc. Egalitarian >>societies (hunter-gatherers) believe in spirits, or many "gods", that are >>all equal in power just as all individuals within the society are basically >>equal. In many agricultural societies with complex economies, monotheism >>is prevalent. Pastoral societies generally have religions based on a >>hierarchy of gods. > >I've studied religion and philosophy for 25 years and I've never come across a >religion based on a hierarchy of gods. Can you specify one? The Pueblo Indians, ancient Greeks, and ancient Romans are examples. > >>The religion reflects the culture. > >Only in terms that people express everything in terms of their culture. For >example, in cultures that has beds, people usually have sex in beds. In >cultures that don't have beds, people don't have sex in beds. However, this >does not mean that sex is determined by beds. For example, people who have king >size beds don't have sex with three or four people, as opposed to people who >have double beds having sex with just one other person, and people with single >beds only having sex with themselves. :-) > My point is that many aspects of a religion are determined by aspects of the culture. I realize that religion is an integral part of any culture...culture is a complex subject. As I said, my statements were a gross simplification. Without going into detail here, I listed two books that go into much more detail. BTW, I have a king size bed, but I don't usually have sex in it. >People who don't understand religion are continually coming up with theories to >explain it (cf Karl Marx). > Karl Marx said that religion is the opium of the masses. He was not entirely wrong. It depends on which "masses" you are talking about. >"Religion is a set of beliefs" is one of the major myths of our era, along with >"Fat makes you fat" and a few others that I won't mention because one >controversy per thread is enough ! :-) > >From the Cambridge International Dictionary of English, "religion" is defined as "the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship." >From Merriam-Webster's WWWebster Dictionary, "religion" is defined as 1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith - re=B7li=B7gion=B7less adjective > >-- >Cheers, > >Ken >[log in to unmask] Brad