I think people are happier with religion because (inter alia) it addresses certain collective needs and goals that [can be found to] have evolutionary success. If the left (at least some of which professes to collectivism) desires to provide an alternative (or antidote) it has to either exponentially accelerate its deductive exercise or consider the legitimacy of a holistic attitude (within which 'tolerance' would fall). In other words: assuming a goal of peaceful and fruitful co-existence, there are human activities and arrangements that work today for [significantly] achieving such a goal. Despite the stuff about sin, fate, afterlives, etc, etc, religion is able to incorporate these activities and arrangements into the centre of its affairs, whereas modern leftism/atheism is unable (or unwilling?) to do so.
[...]
full at -
<http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/pipermail/lbo-talk/Week-of-Mon-20071008/019269.html>
.....................
"...exponentially accelerate its deductive exercise"
LOL What? I didn't know HAL 9000 joined the list.
Let's try that again, this time with less word drunkenness.
...
Religion makes people happy.
It creates community; it gives us comfort during difficult times; it provides hope of life after death. Religious people feel that ultimately, there is indeed justice in the world: God's judgment.
This is powerful stuff which meets fundamental human needs - both material and emotional.
Many of us on the Left are non-believers. We'd like to meet our common needs - and inspire people to progressive action - without depending upon lovely myths. But how can we compete with the durable power of religious belief?
Peaceful coexistence.
We should graciously accept religion as an unshakable fact of human life. We should learn from the best practices religious groups have to offer. For example, religious communities have many centuries of experience building associations; we can learn from their successes.
Needless to say, as non-believers we won't have much patience for stories about angels or eternal damnation or even the sometimes useful concept of sin. Despite this, we should find shared goals with our believing comrades.
The worst thing to do is become like Richard Dawkins: he lectures and condescends, he assumes all religious belief to be 'false' and unenlightened. He wallows in reductionism and scientism.
This insults people, pushing them into a corner from which they feel they must defend their traditions - even if they have doubts.
....
There, fixed that for you.
.d.
There are fusion reactors everywhere, billions of stars, and not one of them is toroidal.
Dr. Robert Bussard
...................... http://monroelab.net/blog/