A comment I posted in abstractthought

[novapsyche]

When I think of the Latin word 'religion', immediately the first thing that comes to mind is ritual. Tellingly, it's of some fantasized Catholic ritual (I've never been to Mass). But I can relate to ritual because I've been to Protestant churches and to pagan rituals. At work, I do things systematically, but my actions could also be called ritualistic. If I deviate from my system, I get flustered. Ritual provides a sense of calm through activity.

A living religion would be one where the ritual and its symbolic activity still hold emotional and symbolic meaning for its adherents. A dead religion has dead ritual, mechanistic and/or unsymbolic (i.e., literal). Dead religion often relies on dogma to support itself.

(Read the whole discussion.)

Comments

[liquidgrey.livejournal.com]

here's a thought:
religion as a linguistic-convention - a bunch of people have awakenings to the presence of the divine, and they agree on symbols and terms with which to discuss and meditate on these experiences.
The symbols only have any meaning at all because there is experiential data of the spirit to draw from. For a religion to be living, the spirit-connection of its adherents must also be alive and strong.
The mediation of self's relationship to one's divine-aspect (soul) by dead religions only produces disconnected egos, feverishly searching for solace.

[poetpainter77.livejournal.com]

I like going to a Protestant church because religion is treated more as fulfillment and lifestyle there rather than at a Catholic church, where they believe more in physically working towards God's love.

My church is confusing me right now. I can't wait till I'm an adult. I'm going to live in either NYC or San Fran, and if I live in NYC I'll definately go to the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It's just so much fun there. I love it!

I've been going to church all my life, too. There's no way I'll be able to live my adult life without going to church. That's just the way it is with me.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

I understand this from a mystical/philosophical point of view. :) My statement above was more a sociological point of view.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

What kind of church do you attend?

I was a very avid churchgoer when I was a teen.

[liquidgrey.livejournal.com]

You stated it so well with regards to the sociological, I just thought I'd fill out the philosophical penumbra :)