Religion
In reply to the discussion: The two big things I think religion provides that secularism does not. [View all]cbayer
(146,218 posts)ask themselves the "WWJD" question when faced with an ethical delimma. The "J" part could be replaced by anyone one admires or looks to for guidance. In the end, I think most people, religious or not, are primarily driven by self-interest closely followed by a desire to do the "right" thing. I have not found the ethics of most religious people to differ substantially from the ethics of most non-religious people.
As to the second, I think the emergence of more organizations that are interfaith based, include both believers and non-believers, and identify themselves as clearly non-religious is interesting and an indication of the desire for community. While churches and other religious institutions have traditionally provided much of this, the growing number of people who identity as atheist, agnostic or simply not affiliated appear to be seeking ways to replace what those groups have provided in the past.
Good post. I wish for you some fruitful and enlightening conversation.