THEORY SUGGESTS PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO RELIGION FOR 16 REASONS

COLUMBUS, Ohio – People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other single reason, according to a new comprehensive, psychological theory of religion.

There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion, said Steven Reiss, author of the new theory and professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University.

These basic human needs – which include honor, idealism, curiosity and acceptance – can explain why certain people are attracted to religion, why God images express psychologically opposite qualities, and the relationship between personality and religious experiences.

researchnews.osu.edu...



interesting read

I have a theory that theories can't understand the true nature of the call of a being upon a spiritual path.

Such Theories are mental masterbation without climax.

Originally posted by Incarnated
Such Theories are mental masterbation without climax.

Is that a quote straight out of the Bible?

Wow 16 reasons? That's like saying there's 16 reasons why someone has AIDS or HIV, no there's only one, they contracted it. Religion they believe it period.

Waste of time and effort on something where that time and effort could be better spent. I really don't see why anyone would care unless it was to expose a corrupt priest/pastor.

This is actually a decent study to conduct...

There are some decent videos explaining some of these draws and how people get "attracted" to religion...

Google Video Link

The Virus of faith explains religion in terms of a virus... along the lines of "meme" theory...

its pretty decent for anyone who's interested...



[edit on 25-11-2008 by nj2day]

researchnews.osu.edu... "People who have a strong need for order should enjoy ritualized religious experiences, whereas those with a weak need for order may prefer more spontaneous expression of faith,”

Most of this seems to be fairly vague, common sense psychological gibber jabber. I wasn't blown away by any of the theory's conclusions; most of them seem logical. I think Marx, "religion is the opiate of the masses," narrows it down best for me.



[edit on 25-11-2008 by TheScribe]

Originally posted by Darthorious
Wow 16 reasons? That's like saying there's 16 reasons why someone has AIDS or HIV, no there's only one, they contracted it. Religion they believe it period.

16 reasons for AIDS or HIV???

WTF are you talking about???...that is an awful comparison.

Originally posted by DarthoriousWaste of time and effort on something where that time and effort could be better spent. I really don't see why anyone would care unless it was to expose a corrupt priest/pastor.

who is trying to expose a priest or pastor???