I think I may have not been clear enough for you, please bear with me. What most vicars, priests, Buddhists etc. see is? What most vicars believe is probably as far from what you propose as it is from what I propose. Metaphor was one example as was archetype there are many more the point is not that! the point is unless you ask each individual exactly what he believes why he believes it and explore that mythos, mythic structure, belief system etc with real experiential knowledge of it's disciplines you will be making huge assumptions about the what's whys and hows.
You will be making a comment on swimming having never swam! Now what a crock of crap that would be?
we can all make wild conjecture on what another thinks, believes feels etc. There are many many Christians who would deny the definition you would give to God. Many Buddhists who would deny the existence of the divine or even the self. You have people of many denominations and faiths who though deeply religious would question the existence of anything so dualistic as god and self. Yet you presume to know both their views and their rational for holding them.
Your definition of religious is way too simplistic!
The whole metaphor response
when is often given? where?
and yet again you seek to impose your definition why? Why is it so important for you (and others to tell people that they are wrong or right or disingenuous? You have very little information , hardly any relevant experience and yet you are the expert on whether THEY are being true to THEIR faith and THEIR belief.
what they believe in is really a crock of crap but for whatever reason they can't shake off their indoctrinated teachings.
How did you suddenly leap to indoctrination from belief?
Again you make a sweeping generalisation about people all over the world with different belief systems, different experiences and from different backgrounds. What qualifies you to do this?
Just more judgemental bigoted generalisations without one iota of evidence or experience to qualify them.
For the record I do not believe in god, heeby jeebies, devils demons, gods supernatural, heavens hells. I am a rational, educated fairly balanced man who gets no solace from an afterlife or reincarnation or any eternalistic crutch to hide from my mortality.
Yet I am religious!
I have worked internationally in war zones and famine districts etc I have seen terrible things done in the name of religion. I have also seen lots more terrible things done in the name of 'I AM RIGHT AND WHAT I mis-ASSUME ABOUT YOU MAKES YOU WRONG PHILOSOPHY' I consider the latter to be much more pernicious, nefarious and ultimately damaging!
