Religion is our subject; science is our method

Conjectures of religion's benefit to a member or a society. When I went to Jared Diamond's lecture on religion a couple years ago; I asked the same question that arises now: Why does society or a member need to benefit? Many cultural practices survive that do not have an obvious net benefit. The meme propagates for its own sake. I respect and practice some aspects of some religions, so I do experience benefits. I'd like to hear how religion benefits religion; I think that is a more honest approach to explaining its popularity.

Despite having said that, I do find the above article insightful into how humans might enhance altruism and diligence through rituals and ghost stories. After watching The Sixth Sense, a friend asked if I believed in ghosts. I said, "No, but I believe in ghost stories." Rituals and beliefs have real impact on the quality of a person's subconsciousness (some that I can attest as beneficial), even if those rituals and beliefs are inconsistent with the "scientific truth".

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