There are numerous religions in the world today; some of these have been around for thousands of years and some could be described as new in comparison. And as well as the religions that are clearly definable as religions, there are also other figures and establishments that are serving a very similar purposeBefore we take a look at what these reasons could be, let’s look at the word religion and its meaning. In the dictionary the world religion comes from the Latin word Ligare and this means to bind.
So then, anything that connects one to something could be classed as a religion based on this meaning.
And as the saying goes ‘The map is not the territory’. deliverance ministers near me Something can be called a religion, but that is just a word and it does not explain much of what is actually going on. It does not explain the psychology that is involved.
The word has gained a somewhat negative meaning over time and this is because of the behaviour of some of the people that have associated themselves with a particular religion.
Religion can be blamed; but it does not take away our own individual responsibility.
The purpose
Is not important whether one believes in religion or not. The purpose of this is to look deeply at what might be attracting people to associative with religions and at the same time what needs this could be fulfilling within the person.
This is also not to say that what attracts people to religion is always dysfunctional.
A Metaphor
It is just like when one is hungry; here one consumes food to appease the sensation of hunger. The desire to eat is not negative or dysfunctional; it is simply a part of life.
However, it would be sensible to look at why one is hungry and also what would attract one to certain foods. Sometimes these will be healthy foods and sometimes these will be unhealthy. One might be attracted to unhealthy foods, but instead of blaming the foods one can look at what is attracting them to the foods. This could be classed as being a conscious eater.
My opinion
These views are my opinion and I do not claim to have all the answers or the only answers. My interest is not in the legitimacy of any religion or religion per se. What interests me is looking at the psychology of religion.
I believe that through the observation of how the ego mind functions, one will be able to gain a better understanding of religion.
The Ego Mind
This is the part of us that is conditioned by our experiences. Some of these can be traumatic and some of these can have very little effect on our lives. And what these experiences do is form how we perceive reality.
And the way it perceives life is though polarities. Here there are only ever two ways and the whole of life will be perceived through one of these ways. This is the good and the bad; the right and the worn and so on. Existence is then broken up into parts. Life becomes an expression of hierarchy and not wholarchy.
The ego fears change and this is because the only way it can function and exist is through things being the same. It feels safe with what is familiar. And if something were to change; it would mean death to the ego mind.
