Quote:
Originally Posted by RickyMaveety
perhaps you will begin to understand the distinction between a philosophy and a religion.
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Philosophy: the study of a subject for which we have no scientific method to create hypotheses, make experiments, or analyze results. May include some religions.
Religion: (1) A systematic method of attaining awareness of, and offering reverence to, that which is sacred.
(2) From Timothy Leary: A system to create a specific religious experience, or "
the ecstatic, incontrovertibly certain, subjective discovery of answers to seven basic spiritual questions":
- The ultimate Power question: What is the basic energy underlying the universe?
- The Life Question: What is life? Where and how did it begin? How is it evolving?
- The Human Being Question: Who is man? What is his structure and function?
- The Awareness Question: How does man sense, experience, know?
- The Ego Question: Who am I?
- The Emotional Question: What should I feel about it (life)?
- The Ultimate Escape Question: How do I get out of it?
Deities optional. Religion does not require a sentient being in charge. You could say it requires a "god" if you're willing to redefine "god" to mean "anything that's considered sacred." Which seems like a much bigger stretch than accepting non-theistic religions.