To: TigerPaw who wrote (15 ) 9/19/1999 12:14:00 PM From: Cisco Read Replies (1) | Respond to
<<t's really a case of fundamentalist thought found in many religions, and I suppose some non religious philosophies. It's mostly a case that the less support in facts and common sense in a world view, the more it has to rely on dogma and isolation. >>Healthy spirituality enlightens the mind by broadening the vision; it changes the heart for the better--to be more courageous and prudent--and transforms the will to be genuinely loving. On the other hand, unhealthy religiosity darkens the mind by narrowing the vision, hardens the heart with fear and foolhardiness, and transforms [people] to be selfish and hateful in general, or at least towards people with a different belief system. When God Becomes A Drug states it slightly different:So much of religious addiction is built on fantasy--on beliefs that God will fix whatever is wrong or that being religious makes you a better person. By extension. . .religious addicts must create the fantasy that others are somehow bad, inferior, or evil in order to maintain a sense of superiority. I like to think of religion as a means to a healthy spirituality but not a substitution for a healthy spirituality.
