LGBT inclusion can tear congregations apart

[drumdude]

I think the vast majority of the benefit from religion does indeed come from community. That’s the “mechanism of action” as they like to say in the medical world.

The problem I see is that outside of religion, there are few motivations to produce a similar community. Especially on a global scale. I’d be all for a church that had weekly talks about science, philosophy, history, and ethics. But I can’t see that developing the way religion did. There’s just not the same incentives to create and attend such a community.

Locally I think you can find some book clubs, community gardens, bowling leagues, etc. But you can’t expect to find them anywhere you move like churches.

[Marcus]

I think the vast majority of the benefit from religion does indeed come from community. That’s the “mechanism of action” as they like to say in the medical world.

The problem I see is that outside of religion, there are few motivations to produce a similar community. Especially on a global scale. I’d be all for a church that had weekly talks about science, philosophy, history, and ethics. But I can’t see that developing the way religion did. There’s just not the same incentives to create and attend such a community.

Locally I think you can find some book clubs, community gardens, bowling leagues, etc. But you can’t expect to find them anywhere you move like churches.

My personal experience leads me to believe otherwise, but I'd be interested in seeing if anyone has researched this.

[ceeboo]

Hey Double D

I think the vast majority of the benefit from religion does indeed come from community.

I read this - then I read it again - then I thought - then I thought some more - now still thinking.........

Here is where I am at the moment: I am not sure if I agree.

The first that came to my mind (and I still think it is a significant player in this) is what religion are we talking about. For example, I would think Judaism, which has some very tight communities, probably does provide various benefits to many within the community. I would think that being LDS or JW might provide similar benefits.

But I am struggling a bit to see obvious community benefits with, for example, Christianity or Islam. Take Christianity as I have some personal experience with that: While I do indeed have friendships, shared beliefs, and acquaintances, I don't think I have any community benefits? Perhaps I do and I just don't recognize them.

Anyway, I think it's a very interesting topic. I will follow the thread to see what else is contributed, if anything, as I continue to chew on this.

[drumdude]

Hey Double D

I think the vast majority of the benefit from religion does indeed come from community.

I read this - then I read it again - then I thought - then I thought some more - now still thinking.........

Here is where I am at the moment: I am not sure if I agree.

The first that came to my mind (and I still think it is a significant player in this) is what religion are we talking about. For example, I would think Judaism, which has some very tight communities, probably does provide various benefits to many within the community. I would think that being LDS or JW might provide similar benefits.

But I am struggling a bit to see obvious community benefits with, for example, Christianity or Islam. Take Christianity as I have some personal experience with that: While I do indeed have friendships, shared beliefs, and acquaintances, I don't think I have any community benefits? Perhaps I do and I just don't recognize them.

Anyway, I think it's a very interesting topic. I will follow the thread to see what else is contributed, if anything, as I continue to chew on this.

I sometimes think about the people in my life I know without religion. Some are perfectly happy and able to build a community around them. That might be parties, might be family, might be lucky to have a really close friend group.

But a lot of the people I know who aren’t religious are kind of lonely and (from my limited perspective) a little lost. Especially when they don’t have a lot of family and friends. Religion can kind of come to the rescue in these situations and provide a community. It’s not always foolproof, and I’ve seen some real oddball people get shunned my the religious community for being weird. But more often than not I see a lot of people, especially elderly people, getting a huge benefit from regular church attendance.

YMMV of course. All of these are generalizations and very subjective.

[ceeboo]

I sometimes think about the people in my life I know without religion.

Me too.

Some are perfectly happy and able to build a community around them. That might be parties, might be family, might be lucky to have a really close friend group.

I have seen the same - These are very fortunate people, in my opinion.

But a lot of the people I know who aren’t religious are kind of lonely and (from my limited perspective) a little lost. Especially when they don’t have a lot of family and friends. Religion can kind of come to the rescue in these situations and provide a community. It’s not always foolproof, and I’ve seen some real oddball people get shunned my the religious community for being weird. But more often than not I see a lot of people, especially elderly people, getting a huge benefit from regular church attendance.

Excellent point - I hadn't thought about the elderly - which I would absolutely agree that there is tremendous community benefit on that front.
That point alone, is very significant in my opinion. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Marcus]

...I sometimes think about the people in my life I know without religion. Some are perfectly happy and able to build a community around them. That might be parties, might be family, might be lucky to have a really close friend group.

But a lot of the people I know who aren’t religious are kind of lonely and (from my limited perspective) a little lost. Especially when they don’t have a lot of family and friends. Religion can kind of come to the rescue in these situations and provide a community. It’s not always foolproof, and I’ve seen some real oddball people get shunned my the religious community for being weird. But more often than not I see a lot of people, especially elderly people, getting a huge benefit from regular church attendance.

YMMV of course. All of these are generalizations and very subjective.

My mileage varies considerably. I take it that, as you mentioned "elderly people" and based on your past posts about family, you don't consider yourself elderly? I mention it because, although my age would probably qualify as getting elderly, I don't consider my interests to be defined by my age, and I agree with your comment about subjectivity.

As I mentioned before, I don't see religion, in my area, as the only or even main option for friendship, companionship, and especially not for expressing one's interests or sharing them with others. It may be a geographical issue, I'm on the East coast, and the amount and variety of ways to find people with similar interests or beliefs is almost uncountable. Of course, there is also a church at each end of my block and more than a dozen within my small town, so I see the argument.

Again, it would be interesting to see if anyone has researched availability of resources by geographic area. I'll see if I can find anything.