I believe that there are pros and cons to both religion and secularism. Mankind has lived under both systems. Off the top of my head, I personally feel that we need a good balance of both in our lives. Being too religious can lead one to live a very restrictive life but some religion is good, especially in times of trouble. I like the idea of having some transcendent source or god that will never fail and that has limitless qualities. In comparison, I feel that secularism takes away from decency standards and can become too open. Like marriage for instance. Outside of a religious or sacred context, marriage just seems to be a contract. Nowadays, it seems people divorce for any reason, and you wonder if there's a point to marriage since many people are having romantic/sexual relationships and kids outside of marriage. However, I do enjoy the freedom of thought and expression that secularism can bring eventhough I think it needs to be scaled back a bit.

So what do you guys think are the pros and cons of religion and secularism? Do you agree with my view? Do you disagree? Please explain!
 
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You make some good points AB. I feel similar to you.
Christianity can narrow or broaden. I think when it broadens us, it is truly liberating. When it is rule obsessed, it becomes limiting.
But we need structure. Or our life is built on sand . Jordan Peterson made a similar observation. People need structure.cpeople need something to rebel against. The commandments were training wheels for people who lived in chaos. Structure is the guide, not the hard and fast unbreakable rules. This is where fundamentalists get it wrong imo. They think if we break the rules, we are bound for Hell. Buy I disagree. If we ignore the structure, our life ends up in turmoil. So it's the tendency rather than the actual rule violation. Slippery slope if you will. We need to exercise or we become fat and lazy. We need to respect the structure of diet and exercise, if we are to thrive in this life. If we have one lazy week, it's not the end of the world.
We need God or the religious structures that point to him. As you say marriage is one example. Also grief. Funerals. It's like we use God, to our own convenience. That's wrong.
Try to appreciate life every day. Thank God for nice weather. I believe in the God of appreciation.
 
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I believe that there are pros and cons to both religion and secularism. Mankind has lived under both systems. Off the top of my head, I personally feel that we need a good balance of both in our lives. Being too religious can lead one to live a very restrictive life but some religion is good, especially in times of trouble. I like the idea of having some transcendent source or god that will never fail and that has limitless qualities. In comparison, I feel that secularism takes away from decency standards and can become too open. Like marriage for instance. Outside of a religious or sacred context, marriage just seems to be a contract. Nowadays, it seems people divorce for any reason, and you wonder if there's a point to marriage since many people are having romantic/sexual relationships and kids outside of marriage. However, I do enjoy the freedom of thought and expression that secularism can bring eventhough I think it needs to be scaled back a bit.

So what do you guys think are the pros and cons of religion and secularism? Do you agree with my view? Do you disagree? Please explain!
Am i allowed to post on this topic?