Religion correlation with poverty

[Moontanman]

I don't think religion causes poverty but it does seem to thrive in poverty stricken areas... almost like the lotto...

[iNow]

I don't think religion causes poverty but it does seem to thrive in poverty stricken areas... almost like the lotto...

It wouldn't be terribly hard to argue that religion could itself cause poverty. After all, in many instances religion serves as a distraction from that internal friction that so often spurs one to action.

 

Humans very regularly take actions and do things with their lives to escape the dissonance they feel. That feeling of hunger is what causes us to find food. That feeling of thirst is what causes us to find water. That feeling of lust and love is what causes us to find a mate or a partner in life. It is the friction we feel between what we are and what we want to be that ultimately causes us to act.

 

We change our positions in life as a result of that unease we feel; as a direct result of that discontent we experience with our current state and due to the awareness of how far away our current state sometimes is from our ideal.

 

Religion, though, rather often serves to sooth the dissatisfaction in one's life... To distract the mind from the existential pain and awareness of the delta between what we want to be and what we are. Religion for a great many individuals generally replaces the desire to be better and to improve ourselves with stories and mythologies and ruminations and rituals. It often makes people more content with where they are, distracts them from where they want to be, and it often makes people less keen on striving toward something better... or out of poverty.

 

To be frank, I don't really think this is a very strong argument, but it is a valid one. There are times when religion could, in fact, cause one to unnecessarily live in poverty, and I haven't even yet bothered mentioning those instances where individuals give up everything they own, abandon the world of materials and goods, and choose willingly to walk away from comfort and security and safety to instead live in poverty as a direct result of their religious beliefs.

[swansont]

!

Moderator Note

Discussion on what constitutes religion has been split http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/71983-what-defines-religion-split-from-correlation-wpoverty/

[immortal]

It wouldn't be terribly hard to argue that religion could itself cause poverty. After all, in many instances religion serves as a distraction from that internal friction that so often spurs one to action.

 

Humans very regularly take actions and do things with their lives to escape the dissonance they feel. That feeling of hunger is what causes us to find food. That feeling of thirst is what causes us to find water. That feeling of lust and love is what causes us to find a mate or a partner in life. It is the friction we feel between what we are and what we want to be that ultimately causes us to act.

 

We change our positions in life as a result of that unease we feel; as a direct result of that discontent we experience with our current state and due to the awareness of how far away our current state sometimes is from our ideal.

 

Religion, though, rather often serves to sooth the dissatisfaction in one's life... To distract the mind from the existential pain and awareness of the delta between what we want to be and what we are. Religion for a great many individuals generally replaces the desire to be better and to improve ourselves with stories and mythologies and ruminations and rituals. It often makes people more content with where they are, distracts them from where they want to be, and it often makes people less keen on striving toward something better... or out of poverty.

 

To be frank, I don't really think this is a very strong argument, but it is a valid one. There are times when religion could, in fact, cause one to unnecessarily live in poverty, and I haven't even yet bothered mentioning those instances where individuals give up everything they own, abandon the world of materials and goods, and choose willingly to walk away from comfort and security and safety to instead live in poverty as a direct result of their religious beliefs.

 

LoL, you don't know what being rich means.

 

 

3. Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

- Gospel of Thomas.

Chapter IV—Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi (I)

 

1. "Maitreyi, my dear," said Yajnavalkya, "I am going to renounce this life. Let me make a final settlement between you and Katyayani (his other wife)."

 

2. Thereupon Maitreyi said: "Venerable Sir, if indeed the whole earth, full of wealth, belonged to me, would I be immortal through that?" "No," replied Yajnavalkya, "your life would be just like that of people who have plenty. Of Immortality, however, there is no hope through wealth."

 

3. Then Maitreyi said: "What should I do with that which would not make me immortal? Tell me, venerable Sir, of that alone which you know to be the only means of attaining Immortality."

 

4. Yajnavalkya replied: "My dear, you have been my beloved even before and now you say what is after my heart. Come, sit down; I will explain it to you. As I explain it, meditate on what I say."

 

5. Then Yajnavalkya said: "Verily, not for the sake of the husband, my dear, is the husband loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self which, in its true nature, is one with the Supreme Self. "Verily, not for the sake of the wife, my dear, is the wife loved, but she is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the sons, my dear, are the sons loved, hut they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of wealth, my dear, is wealth loved, but it is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the brahmin, my dear, is the brahmin loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the kshatriya, my dear, is the kshatriya loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, are the worlds loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the gods, my dear, are the gods loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the beings, my dear, are the beings loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the All, my dear, is the All loved, but it is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, my dear Maitreyi, it is the Self that should be realized—should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realization of the Self, my dear—through hearing, reflection and meditation—all this is known.

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

Your society is very poor.

[John Cuthber]

 

LoL, you don't know what being rich means.

 

 

3. Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

- Gospel of Thomas.

Chapter IV—Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi (I)

 

1. "Maitreyi, my dear," said Yajnavalkya, "I am going to renounce this life. Let me make a final settlement between you and Katyayani (his other wife)."

 

2. Thereupon Maitreyi said: "Venerable Sir, if indeed the whole earth, full of wealth, belonged to me, would I be immortal through that?" "No," replied Yajnavalkya, "your life would be just like that of people who have plenty. Of Immortality, however, there is no hope through wealth."

 

3. Then Maitreyi said: "What should I do with that which would not make me immortal? Tell me, venerable Sir, of that alone which you know to be the only means of attaining Immortality."

 

4. Yajnavalkya replied: "My dear, you have been my beloved even before and now you say what is after my heart. Come, sit down; I will explain it to you. As I explain it, meditate on what I say."

 

5. Then Yajnavalkya said: "Verily, not for the sake of the husband, my dear, is the husband loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self which, in its true nature, is one with the Supreme Self. "Verily, not for the sake of the wife, my dear, is the wife loved, but she is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the sons, my dear, are the sons loved, hut they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of wealth, my dear, is wealth loved, but it is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the brahmin, my dear, is the brahmin loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the kshatriya, my dear, is the kshatriya loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, are the worlds loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the gods, my dear, are the gods loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the beings, my dear, are the beings loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, not for the sake of the All, my dear, is the All loved, but it is loved for the sake of the self. "Verily, my dear Maitreyi, it is the Self that should be realized—should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realization of the Self, my dear—through hearing, reflection and meditation—all this is known.

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

Your society is very poor.

Actually, we do know what being rich means: we can measure it and correlate it with religion.

You, on the other hand, are living in the Humpty Dumpty world again.

You are changing the meanings of words so that they say you are right.

However, it's a silly ploy. We know what the words mean so you don't convince anyone.