There are a lot of possible answers to this question depending on one's perspective. As a former Roman Catholic-turned-atheist, my perspective is that the primary job of religion is to keep the blinders over its adherents' eyes about what is actually going on in this world and why.
A book I recommend is 'A History of Private Life' - Revelations of the Medieval World. In the 1100s the local lords and landowners found that creating churches was a good way to control their people. I am taking a class at a local university currently concentrating on this period of time. Prior to the 1100s, it was the lord(s) who went to pray to god to protect his people. This is an oversimplification, but from what I understand to be reasonably accurate.
To share culture and values, provide for community. Religion's rituals and traditions can bring order and security to our lives.
Read Alain De Botton's "Religion for Atheists: A non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion".
Atheists can borrow from religion "...ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies." De Botton..."looks to religion for insights into how to build a sense of community, make relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel, get more out of art, and reconnect with the natural world."
in a passive sort of sense, I agree, MOE; even MoMism says that (all?) people have (are born with?) 'the light of Christ' ... Has that thought gone down the memory hole lately?
GNPE Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > (me) in it's Pure rendition, the object of > religion is to teach by word & example, the > difference between Right & Wrong. > > comments?
The basic problem with your premis is that it assumes that all of us have the same sense of what's right and what's wrong, and that is just not true.
All Homo sapiens kill people and other living things, in that we are the greatest destroyers of the environment that has ever existed on Earth. Many of us pretend we have some sort of profound higher lifestyle if we are not religious. Consumerism is the most pervasive "religion" on Earth. Most people in the U.S. take it to a whole different level, believing that well adjusted "normal" people need; a big screen TV, cell phone, motor vehicle, cheese burger, airplane transportation, Starbucks coffee, 5 pairs of shoes, golf clubs, electricity, dams & reservoirs, cable/satellite TV, plastic, Disneyland, etc., etc.
The author Jared Diamond argues in his book The Third Chimpanzee that this disaster began when we crossed from hunter gatherer to agriculture, i.e., removing huge swaths of the natural environment and replacing it with human consumption systems.
Control fueled by arrogance. Religion starts with the premise that someone other than you knows what is best/true/righteou/valuable and you don't but they can teach you. The concept of God is the power they use to control the portion of the world that they have been able to carve out to be the lord of themselves. Sometimes a few people and sometimes millions. 25,000 Gods and counting so far since time began since the first cave man claimed he knew the super being that was causing the sound of Thunder and became first middle man. Then we went from asking for bette crops to wanting to get heaven wholesale.
That is what religious leaders are. Middle men. Well except they are repping someone who doesn't exist. Pretty clever. Great way to get the prestige you crave. Just ask Oaks and Bednar. OR any religious leader out there. Religion is about a big boost to the ego. For them. For you. That is its purpose. To make you feel better than others. A human need. A deep human need.