Religion
In reply to the discussion: Have We Evolved to Be Religious? [View all]GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)I agree that the universality of spiritual feelings (whether expressed as religion or not) strongly hints that there's an evolutionary component, though whether it's genetic or memetic certainly isn't clear.
I'll disagree mildly with one point, that being that the spiritual urge isn't adaptive for the individual. Seeing oneself as integral to some larger whole can prompt altruistic action in favour of one's tribe (whatever that may be), and promote inclusive fitness responses.
Developing a feeling of spiritual unity can also confer enormous peace of mind when an individual is feeling alienated and separated in an apparently material, value-free universe. Positive emotions are crucial to mental well-being, and the feeling of transcendence and unity is an extremely powerful emotion. It re-connects one's sense of self to the greater world of nature and other people in a non-intellectual way. Because of that it can be a very valuable mental health tool for the individual.
I speak from experience here, because this is exactly why, as a depressed, despairing, alienated, 57-year-old lifelong strong atheist, I sought out and worked hard to develop a direct experience of the sacred. In my case it was through Buddhism, Taoism, Advaita and Jungian depth psychology, though I've now dropped all the labels.
I suspect that whether one recognizes sacred underpinnings in politics depends largely on what sort of politics you've been involved with. I can understand someone whose only exposure has been mainstream American politics rejecting that notion. But I know, also from experience, that there is a very strong sense of the sacred underlying much of the socialist/social justice and Green politics I've been involved with in Canada. It's just that unless a party eschews those kinds of values they stay marginalized forever. There's little sacred about money and being owned by corporations, as is the case in mainstream power politics.