| Ka-pi96 said: I don't think they are at all close. Religion is about believing something regardless of proof. While sports, or video games in this example are tangible things that can be seen and experienced. Also I'd say religion can be a lot stronger, sure you get some dedicated sports fans or video gamers but not to the same degree as really religious people. Religion can also go on the other side, it can still be there for people that couldn't really be described as religious. Sports and games are much more in or out than religion which is a bit of a mix. |
Is religion really about proof? When we talk about proof with religion we are generally talking about proving that something is real. But religion is submitting to some kind of fictional universe for the sake of revealing new ideas about the world (usually morals if we are talking about traditional religion). Most religious people, meaning not the pundits,talking heads, or terrorists, aren't concerned with proving themselves to others. Religion is generally about themselves.
With games you are appealling to some kind of fictional universe for the sake of finding purpose, usually just fun and not morals. Mario is definitely just a "fun" game but other games can go deeper and the meaning one finds within the games goes beyond just the "fun" factor.
And think of video game cravings like those found in MMO games and card games like Magic the Gathering. I think people tend to like these imaginary worlds cloud their judgement on the real world and they simply don't spend enough time in the real world.
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| vivster said: Yep. Definitely no difference between sports fanatics and religious fanatics. And that's not even sarcasm. Problem is though that there is a divide between "real" religions and modern ones. |
For some reason sports draw the parallel much better than videogames, and I think being physically tangible just makes the fantasy become that much more tangible. But nonetheless it can trickle down to the more mentally-based mediums like videogames or card and board games. My only question though is I don't quite understand what you mean between real and modern religions. Do you mean like Scientology vs. Catholicism or something like that?
