What is Religion?

Yes, I on the other hand argue the modern definition distorts the meaning of religion. The function of a dictionary in todays world is only to help people effectively communicate. Dictionaries typically do nothing more than report 'popular usage'.

420 means pot. I prefer the number to four hundred twenty as seen, not pot.

The same was done with the word religion.

religion
[ ri-lij-uhn ]

noun
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion;the Buddhist religion.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.

5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

religions, Archaic. religious rites: painted priests performing religions deep into the night.
Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one's vow.
Definition of religion | Dictionary.com


This idea that religion is supposed to only apply to worshiping the divine is only one of many definitions of religion. (to narrow)

Lots of people like it 'overly' simplified though I think.

 

I/Durkheim defines religion as a 'valuation call' that may or may not have a deity as a source.

No, tax exemption only applies if you register your religion with the government.
The secular humanists were unhappy that the government views them as a religion.

The Latin verb religare means to 're-bind'. The Latin noun religio referring to obligation, bond, or reverence is probably based on religare, so religio and its English derivation religion connote a 're-binding'.

Peter Hulen - Religion
http://persweb.wabash.edu › facstaff › hulenp › religion


What does it mean being bound?


adjective. tied; in bonds: a bound prisoner. made fast as if by a band or bond: She is bound to her family. secured within a cover, as a book.

under a legal or moral obligation: He is bound by the terms of the contract.

Bound Definition & Meaning - Dictionary.com
https://www.dictionary.com › browse › bound



religious (adj.)
c. 1200, "devout, pious, imbued with or expressive of religious devotion," used of Christians, Jews, pagans; also "belonging to a religious order," from Anglo-French religius, Old French religious (12c., Modern French religieux) and directly from Latin religiosus, "pious, devout, reverencing or fearing the gods," also "religiously careful, anxious, or scrupulous," from religio "religious observance; holiness" (see religion).

The meaning "pertaining to religion" is from 1530s. The transferred sense of "scrupulous, exact, conscientious" is recorded from 1590s but restores or revives a sense right at home among the superstitious Romans. As a noun, from c. 1200 as "persons bound by vow to a religious order;" from late 14c. as "pious persons, the devout." Related: Religiousness.

Entries linking to religious
religion (n.)

c. 1200, religioun, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "action or conduct indicating a belief in a divine power and reverence for and desire to please it," from Anglo-French religiun (11c.), Old French religion, relegion "piety, devotion; religious community," and directly from Latin religionem (nominative religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods; conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation; fear of the gods; divine service, religious observance; a religion, a faith, a mode of worship, cult; sanctity, holiness," in Late Latin "monastic life" (5c.).

This noun of action was derived by Cicero from relegere "go through again" (in reading or in thought), from re- "again" (see re-) + legere "read" (see lecture (n.)). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (Servius, Lactantius, Augustine) and the interpretation of many modern writers connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via the notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, the re- would be intensive. Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens.

In English, the meaning "particular system of faith in the worship of a divine being or beings" is by c. 1300; the sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.


irreligious (adj.)

"not religious, without religious principles; condemning religion, impious, ungodly," c. 1400, from Late Latin irreligiosus "irreligious, impious," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + religiosus (see religious). Related: Irreligiously.



The English word "religion" is derived from the Middle English "religioun" which came from the Old French "religion." It may have been originally derived from the Latin word "religo" which means "good faith," "ritual," and other similar meanings. Or it may have come from the Latin "religãre" which means "to tie fast."

Requirements of a Definition
https://www.qcc.cuny.edu › phil_of_religion_text › Re...



Religion - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Religion
Concept and etymology · The term religion comes from both · In classic antiquity, religiō broadly meant conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation, or ...
‎Concept and etymology · ‎Definition · ‎Academic study · ‎Specific religions

 

any citations?

 

The Church of Satan works publicly to maintain a clear understanding of the atheist, individualistic, and law-abiding nature of Satanism and regularly consults with law enforcement as well as journalistic researchers and academicians to this end.
The Satanic Temple Fact Sheet - Church of Satan


The Satanic Temple Fact Sheet
https://www.churchofsatan.com › the-satanic-temple-fac...
They are not Satanists, do not have shared “deeply held beliefs” and are unrelated to Satanism, a globally recognized religion founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor ...


Satanic Temple: IRS has designated it a tax-exempt church
https://apnews.com › article
Apr 25, 2019 — SALEM, Mass. (AP) — The Satanic Temple says it's been designated a church by the Internal Revenue Service. The Salem, Massachusetts-based ...


The Satanic Temple now recognized as legitimate religion ...
https://www.clickondetroit.com › news › 2019/04/26
Apr 26, 2019 — The Satanic Temple has become the first Satanic church to be legally recognized as a legitimate religion by the IRS, giving it a tax-exempt

 

Oh didnt see that,
yup!

What is an example of ethical?

Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty.

What is Ethics? - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
https://www.scu.edu › ethics › ethical-decision-making

striking resemblance

The 10 Commandments

• You shall have no other God's before me.
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. ...
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. ...
• Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy. ...
• Honor your father and mother. ...
• Thou shalt not kill. ...
• Thou shalt not commit adultery. ...
• Thou shalt not steal.

More items...
•
Dec 10, 2021

Understanding the 10 Commandments and their relevance for ...
https://www.reporter-times.com › faith › 2021/12/10

 

why should I?

 

Thanks but the first quote struck me as a hasty generalization fallacy, far too broad and missing the target to have any value for me.

Then much of what is said in parts 2 and 3 I am not able to effectively connect the dots to get to his conclusions.

So I thought I'd check out your link which took me to amazon and read some of what people said which I am sorry to say didnt inspire to read further. It did explain why I am having difficulties with his work though.

Based on the way this guy wrote his review, (this is just a small snippet), left me with the impression he has experience in philosophy, metaphysics etc, but thanks for turning me on to it
Mr. Struan Hellier
This book, by contrast, is not only philosophical nonsense, but also very badly written.

There is nothing here beyond the `boo/hurrah' of his own feelings, the discarding of a dualist metaphysics, a position that was abandoned long ago by modern scientific philosophy.
To focus on the heart of the matter, Pirsig sees his philosophy as throwing some brilliant new light upon the field of ethics. In this he is surely wrong and I extract just one example to demonstrate why.

If you want to be bored silly by a dull narrative, while at the same time indulging in the worst type of new-age nonsense, then buy 'Lila.' If you seek serious moral philosophy then look elsewhere.
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Yeah, THAT guy
1.0 out of 5 stars If you liked ZAMM, avoid this bomb
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2011

I loved ZAMM, and was really looking forward to Lila. To say that I was extremely disappointed is a gross understatement. Lila has none of the characteristics that made ZAMM charming and compelling. Everybody wants to head out on a motorcycle with his son, exploring the West and musing on the meaning of existence. Nobody wants to be stuck on a boat with a nasty drunk who also happens to be a crazy slut, no matter what you're thinking about. The switch from a single narrator in ZAMM to an omniscient narrator in Lila just doesn't work. The "unreliable narrator" as a literary device is great when it's well executed, but Pirsig handles it badly when he switches POV from Phaedrus to Rigel. Who can you believe? Who cares. Worst of all, the "metaphysics" of Lila are poorly constructed. Essentially, Pirsig assumes that "everybody knows Victorian morals are stupid and outdated", without proving any such thing. Combining tiresome rants, with poorly written philosophy and unlikable characters is not exactly a recipe for success. Pirsig manages to put all of that together in such a way as to not only produce an unplesant read, but also to seriously undermine his fine work in ZAMM. If you want to preserve your positive memories of the first book, leave this one on the shelf.
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Ripper
1.0 out of 5 stars Bad, bad, bad
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2002

If you liked Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance don't read this, it'll put you off Pirsig forever. A disasterous attempt to prove that his first attempt at writing wasn't a fluke, which ironically proves the precise opposite.
Most of this is just barmy - worthy of a self-published no-hoper. There's a hapless attempt at building a philosophy, pretentiously titled the Metaphysics of Quality, which makes no sense from beginning to end. Other than that he spends most of his time trying to prove that what he says is what everybody already thinks anyway - his metaphysics is consistent with free will, evolution, the American constitution etc - so it MUST be right.
The story part of the book falls flat, the characters never come alive and are too obviously put in to illustrate aspects of his oh-so-precious theory. He borrows from ancient religions under the pretext that he is the first person to dig up these ideas and the only person who has ever really understood them. (Gosh aren't we lucky he was born!) In fact he seems not to even understand what he is writing, because he contradicts himself all over the place. It's as if he just copied bits and pieces from other texts that he fancied without really knowing what they meant. There are no footnotes, no references, nothing, we're supposed to believe that this all came from him. Basically it's all about proving that he's the greatest genius who ever lived and if you don't believe him well that's because you're just too blind to see it.
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J. J. Noh
1.0 out of 5 stars Keep your money
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2009

I loved "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", but I firmly believe that Pirsig should have not written Lila. It's like so many athletes coming out of retirement. Was he hurting for money?

Pirsig was never a great writer. He had interesting ideas which made Zen readable and interesting, but with Lila he has many fewer original ideas and relies heavily on his junior varsity writing abilities. Reading Lila felt like I was eating warmed over left-overs of Zen.

Mind you, Pirsig does have some tolerably stimulating ideas, but the intellectual content one could glean from this book could almost fill a slim pamphlet. It's like a near empty bottle of philosophy which is filled with water and shaken up. Now the patron is asked to pay dollar for a penny's worth of ideas.

And what's with the prurient sexual content?
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Tolstoy
1.0 out of 5 stars nah
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2014

never read it...probably a good book but the reviews were not all that convincing
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thad@hammerhead.com
1.0 out of 5 stars A tremendous dissapointment
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 1999

I loved "Zen and", it's one of my favorite books, but I really did not care for Lila at all. It had none of the economy, and very little of the grace of his previous book.
I'm sure that both books are more-or-less autobiographical, and it's interesting to see what happens to Pirsig after the astonishing success of Zen -- but it's incredibly depressing as well.
Zen is all about striving, about devotion -- and Lila is, too me, about failure. Now, failure is important...but I'd just as soon not have read it.
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Oops, sorry only wanted to post the one snippet not the whole page.
Couldnt find and edit function to get rid of the rest

 

I suppose I am old school? Few of my reads are: Aristotle, Plato, Nietzsche, Kant, Locke, Hume, Aquinas, Wittgenstein, Russell, Hegel, Spinoza, Rand, and of course Durkheim posted in the OP. Bit of my reading history...

When it comes to sorting out the word 'religion' Durkheim really stood out and grabbed my attention.

Had Persig in the first example used the words deity or supernatural, it would have raised my eyebrows and caught my attention, but the use of the word religion in place of deity I tend to look past since there are people who profess Godless science as their religion that it seems to me Persig did not take in account in his novel.

 

As a Witch I look at spirituality as a specific spiritual practice, not a religion. Religion is about a formal organization with rules and dogma. A spiritual practice is a purer form of spirituality.

 

AFAIK, a specific spiritual practice is religion. Not sure how you concluded its not?
Do we not all possess some degree of formal rules and dogma?

I dont understand what is meant by this?

 

This just sounds to me like he trapped himself.

When people drift too far from the middle of what is considered rational, they are usually seen as insane.

Im not sure how you are tying dilemma and dualism into this or if it even applies?

 

IMO -

• Religion: Tells people what to believe
• Faith: (however) Encourages people to believe

Religion is a method of controlling the mind,- and actions, of individuals en masse to follow the directions of a particular philosopy - based on - persuassion, trust and obidedience.
For me,
I follow and keep to my particular choice of Faith,- Witch gives Strength under adversity, and Solace through Life's difficuties