CriticalThinkingAcademy

This is a continuation of the topic "what causes religious belief". So far we have been analyzing mechanisms internal to theistic belief systems that cause them to persist. This is a continuation of that analysis.  The Role of Story Telling This is somewhat obvious at first, given that scripture is just one big story (hearsay specifically). But it’s a bit deeper than imagined on second glance. Story telling is paramount in religion. It extends directly from the notion of metaphor, because what good is a metaphor without a guiding story that contains temporal ordering, directing the adherent to some end. I don’t just mean stories in the abstract sense; I also mean stories in the form of “testimonials” such as near-death experiences and encounters with “god working in someone’s life”. These minor stories serve to bolster the grander narrative told by scripture. They act as mechanisms supporting the much larger world view, among other story-like literary devices such as allegori...

What I wish to do here is continue with the analysis presented in the previous post. What follows is a description of core features I find pertinent in regards to explaining the phenomenon of religion. I think it represents how an agnostic might approach questions related to religiosity.  Infantilization  “Worldly” knowledge and experience are perceived as contaminants to an innocent state; they are conceptualized as corruptions of the purity of our “perfect untouched” selves as envisioned in the story of Genesis. Healthy development is sabotaged in favor of preserving our most vulnerable states: ignorance, incompetence, inexperience, submissiveness, obedience, and dependency. This is particularly apparent in the founding story of the Abrahamic Religions. Quoting from a video from Theramintrees:  “In many religions; certainly, the Abrahamic ones — infantilization is intrinsically woven into the central divine concept. The god character described in scriptural creation myt...