Religion, a prerequisite of a united society?

[Skandi]

Taking some points made by Psy here (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=103452&postcount=22)
And pretty much pinched straight from that post, with minor rewording :p

Is religion purely a private matter, or does it extend into the familial and social spheres as well?

Should a function of religion be to assist in ethnic cohesion? This was certainly the case in our ancestors' day.

I think this may have been asked before, but do you need a religion to create a strong, united front. By religion I mean any form of belief/worship, whether that be hero worship of a dictator, or a "recognised" religion.

Or is it sufficient to bash other peoples religion while not holding one yourself?

[Lutiferre]

Is religion purely a private matter, or does it extend into the familial and social spheres as well?
Of course it's not strictly private. That is just unrealistic.


Should a function of religion be to assist in ethnic cohesion? This was certainly the case in our ancestors' day.
It does do so, whether it "should" be it's function or not. I would say it's not it's function, but a side-effect of the unity in culture and mindset that results from the same religious practices and beliefs. If a religon is merely ethnic or merely for the sake of ethnicity, then it is no longer religion. Religion minimally implies a sense of connection with the divine.

[Loddfafner]

Islam has sure done a great job of ensuring the cohesiveness of Middle Eastern societies...

More seriously, the question conflates several very different kinds of functions a religion could fulfill.

1) It describes a few out of a much larger set of ideologies that could provide a sense of 'us' opposed to a 'them'. Sports might be more effective at this.

2) It provides a common set of images to focus the attention of a people. Flags and celebrities do this just as well.

3) It is a convenient label for a stock of stories and metaphors that provide tools for handling a range of crises. Grimm's Fairy Tales do this, too.

4) It comes with a calendar of holidays that give the community an excuse to come together.

[Liffrea]

Originally Posted by Thrymheim
Is religion purely a private matter, or does it extend into the familial and social spheres as well?

Religion can only function on a communal level, if we take religion to mean the ritual and the material trappings of a particular creed.

If we are speaking of our own personal beliefs regarding the divine then that is a different matter entirely.


Should a function of religion be to assist in ethnic cohesion?

Not really, any cult or creed will do if all you want is to enforce conformity.


This was certainly the case in our ancestors' day.

Really? All the time?……there have been enforced creeds, the cult of the Emperor in Roman society, the enforced Church of England rites in the late 16th and 17th centuries, but that’s different from genuine belief. How many people actually are truly genuinely spiritual and how many accept societal norms?

I think the question is more do we need a common focus (religious or not) for a society to function?