Narcissim & egocentricity at centre of religious belief?

[Born Free]

I have been thinking recently about the extent to which much religion appears to be at the level of the importance of "ME".

I can have a personal relationship with God.
Me and my religious group are God's Chosen, specially set apart.
God favours my side in a war/conflict.
God will help me reap vengeance upon my enemies.

I was confronted with this as recently as last night watching a media story on the middle east, showing Palestinians praying to God to take vengeance on their Jewish enemy for their acts of destruction.

So the question arises, 'Is religion of inherent appeal to the emotionally and intellectually immature'?

The older I get the more accepting that I am just another part of a big ecosystem. My pet Maltese dog of 9 years died last week suddenly of a blood clot then rupture in one lung, and there were quite a few tears around this house. But at the end of the day does religion appeal to the same part of my mind that might have been tempted to have my dogs remains cremated rather than disposed of in a mass burial of dead animals?

Does our desire for ritual around life's key passages arise out of our fear that our life might be of no greater consequence that the growth and then decline of the gum tree in my back yard or the life of our beloved pet pooch?

But there is both something distressing and comforting in the acceptance of such an idea. It makes me more available to what is on offer now in my friendships and relationships; but I might have to let go of a notion like Mormonisms that my wife and my relationship is for 'Time & Eternity'. But as I park that idea aside for a while and scrutinize it, (Eternal Ordinances), it does seem just a tad grandiose for Mormons to claim the power to act in God's name for all Eternity, when you look at what percentage of the earth's population they are.

But then again, it needs a liberal dose of grandiosity to accept the above on the basis that God especially choose me; special, select ME.

That idea never resonated well with me. I would rather see the truth than have 'God' blowing hot air up my nether regions!!

Daryl

[helemon]

I have been thinking recently about the extent to which much religion appears to be at the level of the importance of "ME".

Religion is about trying to control our environment and our fate or in otherwords is about trying to control the future. The human mind is constantly trying to predict what will happen next and for most things we are pretty good at it. But in predicting possible future outcomes there are always a multitude of ways things could work out, good and bad. I think religion developed as a way to try and tip the scales in the favor of the good predictions and reduce the likelihood of the bad predictions. And since so many things in life are tied to competition for resources with other human beings, hoping for good outcomes for ourselves tends to cause negative outcomes for others.

I think we like rituals because they are stable, familiar, comfortable, and provide a means of connecting with others who share our beliefs about the world. So much in life is unpredictable and constantly changing, ritual can provide a way to feel grounded.