To continue thinking out loud, about none literal belief, and the harm that comes from the culture of religion, rather than the supposed word of none existent gods. What really makes religion a problem, is that it encourages people to think that its ideas come from a deep source of authority. Whether that be a higher power, like a god, in literal theist belief, or belief in deep tradition, and thereby confers great fake authority to those who want that. For example:-
None of these people taking part in this ritual, really believes that a spoon of oil magically confers a right to rule, the mandate of heaven, and divine blessing on their monarch. But they all believe, that as controllers of that source of prejudice and entertainment, they gain power and prestige.
None of these people literally believed in Wotan, Siegfried and Valkyries. Yet they all believed in the power of these arts, to imbue a people with just the prejudices needed to make them easy to manipulate, towards fascism.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.The British really know how to put on a show. So much tradition and ceremony in an attempt to make religion seem real. What's with the screen? Do they not want to show the new king in his underwear!? It almost sounds like they're singing rahmen instead of amen.
jackjr
Level 7
Dec 16, 2023
1
I know. The screen may have started so that the people in the pews could not see them having a quick drink.
But seriously of course. The whole idea is to big up the state, the church and those in charge. So if you do not let everyone see what is happening, then they will probably inflate its importance in their own minds. Based on the the psychology of. "The ceiling is always higher in a dark room."
@Fernapple Like the saying. Perhaps I should use this. The main portion of my house was formerly an old manufactured home. Everything is up to standard and doesn't look like a manufactured home but the ceiling is lower (7'
. I like it because it keeps the heating bill reasonable. Perhaps when I get visitors I should dim the lights lol.
So much of religious tradition is repeating words or rituals because our parents grandparents, etc., did, so we go through the motions, without thinking of the meaning and the origin. It's just rote - and we are following the same patterns over and over.
Religious tradition often just allows us to live our lives without thinking, leaving all the important stuff to someone in the sky who is handling all this for us. No responsibility, thoughtfulness, compassion, sense of fairness is necessary for the religious believers.
I remember hearing "God helps those who help themselves." Um... well, if we are helping ourselves, why do we need God?
Just because people feign belief, or go with the program as it's been for generations, those people think they deserve some sort of honor -- when in reality, those who might think beyond all that and can come up with truly meaningful rituals, words and actions deserve the credit for moving forward, rather than stagnating or going backward.
Julie808
Level 8
Dec 15, 2023
3
On the other hand, non-literal belief, meaning belief in the symbolism or metaphorical value in a ritual, can be a descriptive way to illustrate a significant change to one's life.
For example, for some of my beach weddings, the couple will both scoop a handful of sand from under their intended's feet, which represents the history and previous choices their spouse-to-be has gone through, and they accept all that about each other and then blend the grains of sand together into a bowl which shows the permanency of what they are doing, blending their two lives together. The sand isn't really their history and nobody thinks so, as it is a symbolic unity gesture, an illustration, so it is seen as that, nothing more.
It is the establishment of the inheritance of kingship along the male line that was the real bug bear. Some offspring were Horrific. To ignore complete failure to pass on strength , consitency and integrety and rely upon lucky genes was unforgivable.
Mcfluwster
Level 7
Dec 15, 2023
2
In religion and installment of royalty is included many do believe in the magic. I know I did when I was a catholic.
Theresa_N
Level 8
Dec 15, 2023
2
Yes many do, but not those men taking part.
@Fernapple It's really only when you start to question your thinking about those men d do you get some sort of light bulb going off. Maybe not even those men but the way the people in the church act when they are not in church. Actions have always told me so much more about a person than what they say.
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