You obviously can find a lot of topics which people don’t have time thinking about, so they copy rituals and belief systems from their parents, other attachment figures, or even the media.
The sources of those beliefs are decentralized though, and the individual person can pick beliefs which suit their whereabouts, environment, and sub culture best.
Religion however is a centralized source of belief systems, which comes with problems:
- One size fits all solution leads to problems like this: Oh your best friend is gay? Too bad, our 2k year old manifest says they are bad people/subhuman/sick. (This makes me SO angry)
- Central authorities can and will exploit their power if possible: Witch hunts, crusades etc
- Self-actualization is constrained by a fixed set of rules: Tolerable in times where basic needs are often not met and are more urgent, but becomes an issue when 95% live better than a Pharao.
I resonate with your comment very much. I always felt like some religions could be less poisonous if they were willing to change, or at least somewhat follow the actual morality of certain eras. For instance, in 2021 most people already realized that being gay is not evil. Most religious people I know tend to think otherwise.
The sources of those beliefs are decentralized though, and the individual person can pick beliefs which suit their whereabouts, environment, and sub culture best.
Religion however is a centralized source of belief systems, which comes with problems:
- One size fits all solution leads to problems like this: Oh your best friend is gay? Too bad, our 2k year old manifest says they are bad people/subhuman/sick. (This makes me SO angry)
- Central authorities can and will exploit their power if possible: Witch hunts, crusades etc
- Self-actualization is constrained by a fixed set of rules: Tolerable in times where basic needs are often not met and are more urgent, but becomes an issue when 95% live better than a Pharao.