

One-Minute Animated Primers on Major Theories of Religion - insider03
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/10/18/60-second-adventures-in-religion/

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bambax
In "Lies We Tell Kids"
([http://paulgraham.com/lies.html](http://paulgraham.com/lies.html), 2008)
Paul Graham argues that religions are a combination of 'bizarre lies' and
'useful things/advice': _" The bizarre half is what makes the religion stick,
and the useful half is the payload"_.

The example given of 'bizarre customs' are innocuous (snapping your fingers
before eating fish) and of the 'useful half' desirable (being honest and
industrious).

This view sounds wrong. First, it seems to present religion as a mostly good
thing, that simply rests on "tricks", but which is having a positive effect on
the world. That view doesn't strike me as particularly accurate.

But secondly, and much more importantly, it supposes religions were
fabricated, on conscious purpose, as this curious mix of sticky lies and good
payload, _in order to_ help the payload spread. A conscious and benevolent
maker made religion? Santa Claus invented Santa Claus!

Religion is either the work of God (if you're a believer) or it doesn't have
any purpose or meaning; it can't be a thing built on purpose with clever
tricks in order to benefit the world, while at the same time being independent
from deity.

That's why "religion as a virus" (4th video) is such an attractive and
fascinating hypothesis.

Religion is the work of natural selection of ideas. Religions that survive are
the ones that are effective at surviving. It doesn't matter if they harm (or
even kill) their host, what matters is that they spread to another host before
killing the first one. Some religions are "good" and some are "bad" _but it
doesn 't matter_; their goodness or badness is absolutely orthogonal to their
success.

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comice
For 60 second "primers", they waste an awful lot of time with inanity.

I think it would be more accurate to describe these for what they are:
advertisements for the open university (and imo, poor ones at that).

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emil0r
I kinda miss the videos where the theists and the deists make their case.

