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Greetings,

So, yesterday, I went to temple, and as I was sitting among the people, I realized that the majority of the people had absolutely no idea what the rabbi/cantor were saying. I was one of the few who did, because I go regularly and have some grasp of the Hebrew language.

So this led me to a question: Why do so many believe going to religious services, whether they be synagogue, mass, mosque, whatever, when they have no concept of a) what they are saying and just chanting aimlessly and b) don't really have a personal relationship with G-d, Allah, Christ, whichever deity they so choose.

For purposes of this debate, we are going to assume G-d exists. That isn't necessarily a true fact, but in order for a somewhat objective debate, we all need to be on the same field.

I will not be scared to infract or warn people if it gets out of hand, but I will only do so if I believe it is necessary.

"A toothache, or a violent passion, is not necessarily diminished by our knowledge of its causes, its character, its importance or insignificance".- T.S. Eliot

Buddha is not a deity brosef.

Fuck. Stupid me. Edited. #imanidiot

"A toothache, or a violent passion, is not necessarily diminished by our knowledge of its causes, its character, its importance or insignificance".- T.S. Eliot

Well, I used to attend church when I was little because I was forced to. But, I believe that people attend such religious services when clueless because it's tradition. I've spoken to people who told me they attend church because they like to socialize with people there, not exactly for the service.

It may be a family tradition. They may go against their will. They may go in hopes that their children grow up with those religious values even if they themselves don't quite understand them. Well, there are so many people out there so there's probably not a single reason. Depends on the case, I suppose.

Mistakes are made, and regrets are our luggage; we will drag them with us to slow us down.
The victories are flashes of light, sudden and unlasting, which allow us to glimpse the road ahead before darkness descends.

Love is bitter, yet it is the bread that keeps us. Over and over it fills us up, only to starve us.
The people whom we love shape our destinies and our strengths,yet leave us cold and alone in the darkness.

But does going making you a better believer, I guess?

"A toothache, or a violent passion, is not necessarily diminished by our knowledge of its causes, its character, its importance or insignificance".- T.S. Eliot

In my opinion, it does not make you a better believer. Because, I don't think you need any kind of service to be a better or a worse believer. No one can tell you what to believe in, and you're a good believer in it. Only you know your beliefs, and only you know your devotion to them.
I don't know if I made sense.

Mistakes are made, and regrets are our luggage; we will drag them with us to slow us down.
The victories are flashes of light, sudden and unlasting, which allow us to glimpse the road ahead before darkness descends.

Love is bitter, yet it is the bread that keeps us. Over and over it fills us up, only to starve us.
The people whom we love shape our destinies and our strengths,yet leave us cold and alone in the darkness.

I agree with that, to an extent. But do the positives outweigh the harms? Like, does going to organized service dictate your beliefs system to an extent?

"A toothache, or a violent passion, is not necessarily diminished by our knowledge of its causes, its character, its importance or insignificance".- T.S. Eliot

Nice name change, although I prefered the old one.

Interesting question.

Well, that depends on the service itself and the person in question. But I think in general, if you don't believe/aren't paying attention to that service when you attend it, then it won't dictate your beliefs system, and vice-versa. All of this to an extent, of course. Since, even with all organized systems, there are always personal belief systems and traditions.

What harm may come of it? Well, if you're easily influenced, it may cause quite some harm, expecially if the belief in question is intolerant towards other beliefs. It's a matter of drawing the line to how much you let it take control of you. I can't give a clear answer to this because it really depends on too many variants.

Mistakes are made, and regrets are our luggage; we will drag them with us to slow us down.
The victories are flashes of light, sudden and unlasting, which allow us to glimpse the road ahead before darkness descends.

Love is bitter, yet it is the bread that keeps us. Over and over it fills us up, only to starve us.
The people whom we love shape our destinies and our strengths,yet leave us cold and alone in the darkness.

within a religious organization, religious services serve certain functions that reaffirm the perception that said religion is true and correct and meaningful. Ceremonies and rituals, whether they are understood or not, serve in the social construction of reality by attaching meanings and values to material and non material artifacts. The more these rituals are observed, the more the psyche places value on the reasons for which they are observed. Also, to some extent people are going to pick up on something. They have to know(to some extent) what exactly it is they believe in if they are going to stand by it. though it is true many devout religious people are not fully aware of the nature of their own religion, it would only be worse if they never attended services devoted to to. in the modern world, not many people can spare the time to devote to their religion and the study thereof outside of religious ceremonies. It's really a pillar for maintaining religion.

I believe that people who do not understand what is being said, either go to begin to understand or to fill a void in their life, and to make it seem like they are doing something religious.

As Karl Marx so aptly put, "Religion is the opium of the people."

People go to religion for reassurance or help. They have no one else to turn to but God, which may explain why people are going without having a clue what is being said.