What do you think of the "Meme Theory"?

[caty]

All religions are just memes - cultural viruses that take over gullible minds.

The belief that all religions are parasites of the mind is known as the 'meme theory' of religion, and has recently been gaining ground among anthropologists and sociologists. The theory states that memes perform two types of actions:

(1) Take control of their victims' minds.
(2) Encourage their victims to spread the meme to others.

Though the meme theory accurately predicts and explains the behavior of the more intolerant and aggressive cults, Buddhism does not seem to possess any of the properties we would expect from a meme. See MEMES for a detailed argument why the meme criticism of religion does not apply to Buddhism
http://kwelos.tripod.com/objectionstobuddhism.htm

[Ravenseye]

1. I love Memeology

I really think it's interesting, but it's not just about religion.

Meme's are any ideas, and Memology is studying how they spread. Obvoiusly it can be used in studying religion, but it's by no means limited to that.

An example of a non-religious Meme is "Pittsburgh is a dirty smoky city." It's an incorrect one, while a correct version would be "Cleveland is a horrid wretched city." IS correct. :)

[whistle]

2. Marx said it was an opiate......

....virus, drug? It matters little. The result is always to blur reality, mask truth, confuse senses, control thoughts and create obedience.

[Jo March]

3. Funny.

I thought that the result of my religion was to instill in me a love of all mankind and a desire to help and love others along with the promise of eternal salvation and everlasting life.

Wow. I've been such a fool.

[BlueEyedSon]

4. LOL!

[whistle]

16. Well.....has it?

[Warpy]

8. And relieve lazy people of the necessity of thinking, wondering,

and experimenting. Once you say "god did it," there's no reason to trouble your pretty little head with any of that hard stuff.

Not all believers are lazy, of course, but that's the function it serves for the believers who are lazy.

[DanCa]

5. I believe in memes

But lets point out that the pro-life movement was created by men not Jesus. I mean Jesus was a free thinker and they crucified him no? As Mother Theressa once said, "I dont fear Jesus just some of the ones that fear him."

[trotsky]

6. It's fascinating to examine ideas in that context.

You can break down large memes like "Christianity" into smaller sub-memes, all of which contribute to its spread. ("Go out and convert", "don't think too much about this", etc.) It truly becomes very much like a strand of memetic DNA that is replicating.

[Hugin]

7. I'm a big believer in "Meme Theory".

Religion's penchant for resolving all questions actually
causes a release of endorphins and other pleasing
stress nullifying chemicals in the brain.

So, there's some proof that it's actually an addiction.

A hypothesis and evidence... I guess that makes it a
theory.

[Hugin]

9. Kick for Alternative Theories...

:kick:

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Remember that the definition of 'meme' isn't 'cultural virus'

but 'cultural gene'. Memes encourage their own survival, but one of the ways they can do that is by working with other memes to ensure the survival of all of them. They can be symbiotic rather than just parasitical. Religion, for instance, can help produce a stable, peaceful society - which will produce more people, who believe the ideas of that society.

[lectrobyte]

12. but language is a virus from outer space

http://www.languageisavirus.com/

[lectrobyte]

11. It works for me.

[Javaman]

13. now listen to me very carefully....

You are a chicken, you are a chicken, YOU are a chicken...

[caty]

15. BOUK bouk bouk bouk

:crazy:

[donkeyotay]

14. me me me me. Meme memeology

Cool, but inflammatory to those who are attached to their memes. It is probably more constructive to stick to the idea of memes as genes - in that sense they are value neutral.

Currently, I'm more worried about political memes, although the two areas are overlapping; it's hard enough to change someone's political memes and darned near impossible to change religious ones.

[radfringe]

17. my theory

1. all religions believe in a higher power
2. all religions believe they are right

everything else is just mental masterbation