Religion vs Behavior – which came first? June 10, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in psychology, religion.Tags: behavior, buddha, buddhism, catholic, chicken, christ, christian, confirmation bias, criticism, culture, egg, hinduism, psychology, religion, sin
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Well depending on your religious or non-religious beliefs, this question seems pretty cut and dried:
- If you believe in a creator, the God(s)(esses) created whatever does the behavior
- If you don’t, man came up with the idea of religion
Over at Cafe Philos, Paul posted a blog questioning how religion impacts the behavior of the individual. He seems to come to a conclusion primarily favoring the idea that individuals interpret religion to justify their behavior, which is something I would not necessarily disagree with. He also acknowledges how the idea is incredibly complex.
Likely the relationship between behavior and religion lies strongly in the idea of confirmation bias, the idea that the human brain will usually interpret new information in a way consistent with their existing belief systems. So if a man inclined to believe that he shouldn’t be forced to pay his debts finds a religion that agrees with this viewpoint, he is more likely to take to that religion than one that encourages exact payment of all money owed. Or, in a more personal example, when an ex-girlfriend of mine decided it was over, she found it comforting that God also confirmed this by speaking to her from the tree in her front yard.
Of course, the religions we are raised with certainly color our own interpretation of events. My slight Catholic background likely causes me to look at religious matters as black and white: either you accept this particular aspect of your faith as true or you don’t, you can’t be unsure. I often find myself arguing with Christians that they aren’t truly Christians since they don’t believe in Jesus Christ dying for their sins.
One could argue that Buddha had such a confirmation bias when he founded Buddhism… the story of Buddha involves him rejecting the established faith of Hinduism till he finds a belief system that he could follow.
Ultimately, we probably choose our religion and our religion chooses us in a complicated chicken-egg sort of cycle that ends with us believing in whatever gives us the most comfort – be it the familiar we were raised with or the radical that allows to think of ourselves as agents of change. What do you think?
I was sitting down with a Christian girl, at the point (and most likely still) I would not mind going on a date or two. Well I believe in God, I think Jesus was alive and that he died for everyone. I was raised Catholic, I have lost all faith in the Church, not the people that attend and preach at the Church mind you.
While we were talking about what my religious beliefs were because she told me that she knew they were different but had never asked. She was wrong on what my beliefs were but we did differ, I have a biased opinion that she just did not want think of me as more then some guy in high school.
Well I have a strong belief that we are not in the world of God. Biblical reference: Eve ate from the tree and was cast out of the garden.
I take that to mean that in God’s world humans were not meant to eat. From that point on we see countless ways that humans have deviated from God’s world.
I think that todays world is so hard to get by in because we are so far from the world of God. This fact has lead people further away from God, it has lead me closer to God. God judges us at the end of time, we have no right to say who is going to Hell or who is going to Heaven. Intent, will, asking for forgiveness and what we had to guide us, all play a part in how we are judged. I do not even know all those factors about myself, so who am I to say someone else is going one way or the other.
Muslim Extremist (Jehadists) are taught in preschool that their God, their country and there family want them to blow themselves up for their religion. So when they kill themselves, all that they ever knew was that was their purpose in life. I think the People that will go to Hell for that died many years ago, but I think there is still a chance that God will Judge that those who killed themselves, when it was all that they knew, belong in Heaven.
-NK
I think you’ve got an interesting point NK- any religion has to address the fate of people who believed prior to its existence. I’m curious what religion you consider yourself, since I’m unaware of a major movement that would support your interpretation of the afterlife. I’m not undercutting your beliefs. It is interesting to me how in modern religion many of us take certain parts of religion and reject other parts.
My catholic grandmother ignores certain major Catholic tenets as she considers them immoral or even prejudicial yet she still considers herself a Catholic. I don’t criticize her for that, I just think it is an interesting development and I wonder if it is a modern aspect to religion or if in the past people were like that as well.
The last one hundred years has given a lot more time for thinking things out. Automobiles have given more time to the day, by turning an hour walk into an eight minute car ride. Telephones and the internet have brought a lot of people together faster and things that were never really even thought of are discussed almost endlessly. The television has shifted to appeal to the masses, who in turn shift. Coffee has added countless hours to think about the world and the chemical stimulus to not control every thought we have.
Instead of walking, which releases stress. Instead of enjoying the five minute conversation, we dread the hours of endless chatter to avoid feeling alone. Instead of working all day to feed your loved ones, we work at jobs that are mundane and only give us money to waste on entertainment.
If I could live however I wanted. I would walk all day, to travel to new places. I would work when I found someone in need of a hand or to trade for a place to stay. Everyday I would meet a new person that would willingly tell me their story.
As for my belief in God, I believe there is a God. From there I am working on it. I know that you should not judge people for their religion, but that does not mean you have to condone their practices or allow them into your home. Everyone is a person and they deserve your respect, worry about your well being. Understand that you might be ignorant to the truth and make sure your beliefs suits what you want for yourself.