[ACoochy]

Believers often get angry when one describes religion as a “superstition,” for they don’t want their beloved faith analogized in any way with rabbits’ feet, four-leaf clovers, or ghosts. A superstition I had as a child, and one I still rarely entertain though I don’t believe it for a second, is not stepping on sidewalk cracks lest bad fortune ensue. Is that really any different from saying you’ll go to hell if you don’t confess that you masturbated?

To resolve the issue, I looked up “superstition” in that paragon of rectitude, the Oxford English Dictionary, and found these definitions:

II. Senses relating to belief.

3. Religious belief or practice considered to be irrational, unfounded, or based on fear or ignorance; excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural.

and this:

4. A religious system considered to be irrational, unfounded, or based on fear or ignorance; a false, pagan, or idolatrous religion.

and this:

5. A religious belief, ceremony, or practice considered to be irrational, unfounded, or based on fear or ignorance

They’re all pretty similar. (Note in #4 that it refers to a “false” religion. What’s a “true” religion?) But for the life of me I can’t see why religion isn’t a “superstition” according to these definitions. For all religions, or at least those that are theistic and posit unevidenced realities, are irrational and unfounded.

However, there’s one curious definition that, for reasons I don’t understand, removes religion from the other supernatural stuff:

7. Irrational, unfounded, or erroneous belief other than that based on religion or the supernatural; an unreasonable, groundless, or mistaken notion.

Is religion a superstition?

That is unwarranted privileging of religion! Based on these definitions, I do see religion as a form of superstition...

[Big Bear]

Jesus is the lord and savior.

[TheGoldenGoose]

If somebody wants to believe in God or Allah and Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny then you're not going to stop them. They cross the line when then insist others believe in the same. Religion is not only a superstition, it's the cause of all wars on Planet Earth.

[zizoudane10]

Of course it is... Religion, superstition, homeopathy etc.
Weak critical thinking skills, fear etc

[The Kraken]

If somebody wants to believe in God or Allah and Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny then you're not going to stop them. They cross the line when then insist others believe in the same. Religion is not only a superstition, it's the cause of all wars on Planet Earth.

I used to think the same thing. Now I realize war is just human nature. If religions disappeared tomorrow we'd be war'ing over something else.

[muldoon]

I used to think the same thing. Now I realize war is just human nature. If religions disappeared tomorrow we'd be war'ing over something else.

Religion and nationalism easily rally people who otherwise would consider each other strangers.

Wars themselves, are almost always about land, and control of the resources within.

And yes, of course religion is a superstition.

[jtoler]

lol

[Big Bear]

Of course it is... Religion, superstition, homeopathy etc.
Weak critical thinking skills, fear etc

[katstale]

Believing that giving poor people other peoples money will lift them up is the greatest and fastest growing religion in the world. In fact, I would submit, with all the centuries of evidence to the contrary, that it takes more faith to believe in that than to believe some good man arose from his own grave.

[zizoudane10]

Do you have anything to say you fukkin loser?

[IlluminatedOne]

Religion could be observed as nothing but control, after all you are seeking something outside yourself.

[statnerds]

I used to think the same thing. Now I realize war is just human nature. If religions disappeared tomorrow we'd be war'ing over something else.

what he said...

superstition or not, it is important to keep in mind that the dominate religions of today are the result of random outcomes and events that gobbled up the other 1,000s of religions along the way. a chance happening here or there or one battle goes the other one, we could have completely different dominate religions.

the point is these man made constructs are just that, created by men. religion was inevitable and we seem to view it through the narrow prism of a few hundred years. religions surviving this long don't make them right, just makes them the lucky winners of randomness.

[brainfreeze]

lol

Smh...

[Snowball]

life is a frikkin superstition.
if this ain't weird enough, i don't know what is.

[rkelly110]

A new season of Through the worm hole with Morgan Freeman is coming on again. He will be discussing about this
very subject. Are we here through random evolution or was/ is there a higher power? Tune in to find out.

[ByeShea]

I do see religion as a form of superstition...

Deuteronomy, 5:12 says it best, "ACoochy is a a fagg0t."

[Ghenghis Kahn]

religion is necessary to keep stupid fukks in line.

[ACoochy]

Deuteronomy, 5:12 says it best, "ACoochy is a a fagg0t."

81039

[VeggieDog]

Let's imagine that somehow you grew to adulthood without ever hearing about god. Then someone tells you about it. He hits the main points from the bible: the talking snake with the apple, the boat with two of every species, dividing a sea, virgin giving birth, coming back to life after three days of being dead, etc.

Would you believe it or think that person was fukkin nuts?

[Snowball]

Let's imagine that somehow you grew to adulthood without ever hearing about god. Then someone tells you about it. He hits the main points from the bible: the talking snake with the apple, the boat with two of every species, dividing a sea, virgin giving birth, coming back to life after three days of being dead, etc.

Would you believe it or think that person was fukkin nuts?

Just because you don't know the truth doesn't mean everyone else whose ever lived
doesn't know the truth.

[muldoon]

Just because you don't know the truth doesn't mean everyone else whose ever lived
doesn't know the truth.

An unproven fantasy - regardless of how many believe, is not truth.

Astrology is also believed to varying degrees by millions (or even billions).

[Buffalo Nickle]

Religion is not superstition. It is propaganda. It's how you control the masses.

[StackinGreen]

Religion could be observed as nothing but control, after all you are seeking something outside yourself.

Is willingly submitting to the Truth control? Said a different way, if you choose the truth over falsehood, being able to choose falsehood all the while, is that "control"?

[StackinGreen]

what he said...

superstition or not, it is important to keep in mind that the dominate religions of today are the result of random outcomes and events that gobbled up the other 1,000s of religions along the way. a chance happening here or there or one battle goes the other one, we could have completely different dominate religions.

the point is these man made constructs are just that, created by men. religion was inevitable and we seem to view it through the narrow prism of a few hundred years. religions surviving this long don't make them right, just makes them the lucky winners of randomness.

Some things are created by men, some things are not.

Why is religion at all inevitable? It is only inevitable if there is something that points toward unmeasureable things, statnerd. That point falsifies your hypothesis and explanations for things, not that you explained anything at all.

[thechaoz]

It's a mental disorder

[PAULYPOKER]

A thought is any thought you want it to be.
Therefore
A religion is any religion you want it to be.

However your thought process depends on what part of the world you were born in..

[ACoochy]

Some things are created by men, some things are not.

Why is religion at all inevitable? It is only inevitable if there is something that points toward unmeasureable things, statnerd. That point falsifies your hypothesis and explanations for things, not that you explained anything at all.

Because stacker, like in today's world drama sells but made up drama sells more...

[chipper]

Was it Karl Marx that said "Religion is the opiate of the masses"?

[Ra77er]

I believe religion has distorted the truth for way too long now. The true word of God is still found from within, going to lavishly decorated buildings to "worship" and listen to one man speak is ludacris imho. It is very hard to feel that presence in this day and age but I hope you all find it before your time here ends.

[StackinGreen]

We inevitably have a problem of terms in threads like this. First of all, are all "religions" the same? Clearly not. I have a vague idea of what people say when they use that term, but the detrimental thing about it is that they say "religion" with a blanket term. Do they really mean paganism? Are they against "religions" that claim that you can exchange this for that or manipulate God to do things?

Some religions do this more than others, some don't do it at all, and some human beings within the said religions do their own thing, incorporating various degrees of teachings and/or their paganism as desired.

Saying "religion" is a problem is as silly as saying "All paths lead to God or the truth". It's just asinine. But let me finish by saying I don't believe in "religion" because to me, by definition is that "religion" is man made. There are faiths that are not man made.

[marcoloco]

81039

is the war on drugs added in there? lol those are some crazy numbers tho

[marcoloco]

depending on the religion some can be considered superstition. Superstition is based on "you having the power" just like some religions also believe. Other beliefs are based on God or someone else being in control.

[Rollins08]

People need religion so that they can believe that this isn't the end. People need some kind of rules and order in their world. It's senseless arguing religion because nobody ever gets convinced one way or the other.

[Snowball]

An unproven fantasy - regardless of how many believe, is not truth.

Astrology is also believed to varying degrees by millions (or even billions).

lol. you are in no position to say what truth is.

[Buckandadime]

People practice Santeria and that's a religion.. What makes that different from Catholicism? Well, ok, maybe they are not a group of pedophiles that don't base everything on fear.