at what point does a philosophy become a religion, or a religion become a philosophy...
personally, i would say i don't have a religion, part of it is an aversion i have for the established associations of religion that requires you to be subservient and lesser than a supreme creator of life, placing ourselves above our base animal nature...i don't worship a specific entity as such, i do pursue information that pertains to my beliefs as they develop from spontaneous interests, and on some level these beliefs do guide my system of values and how i live my life...and i do have energies i work with frequently, however...

i do honor...entities, and would even consider myself devoted to some on a certain level of reverence...i don't have a spiritual leader, choosing independent discovery, but couldn't those that inspired me on my paths be considered leaders, even if they're not currently active in my life?

i'm not trying to get an assessment of my belief and adoration of certain aspects, as i still prefer it to not be a religion, but am curious what the difference is between a philosophy and a religion?

Oh good god no, not again....

what?

a philosophical approach to religion has had me wondering for awhile now, but getting involved in a pointless debate with an insultive twit made me even more curious...

i was argueing that all spiritual beliefs can be a form of religion, and he was adamantly rude that it was strictly a philosophy, i wanted some opinions from people who can actually discuss such a matter on a more intellectual level versus the "nah, nah, nah, i know it all" approach i grew frustrated with...needles to say, i have no interest in that forum any longer.

it's not a philosophy versus religion thread, my title was poorly chosen, but more of a...at what point does a personal philosophy become a religion, or a religious practice becomes a philosophy?

On civilization, enlightenment and culture.

Starting on page 2 or 3. A ridiculous conversation it turned out to be.

i just got off work so my clever skills of perception are a little challenged right now, but i read up to page six, and don't see how it really pertains...and i've now got a headache...

there's just some beliefs that seem to have started out a philosophy, borrowing concepts from religions and their deities and spiraled off into a religion...despite the aversion these groups have for the idea of religion...and on a personal level...i don't have a religion persay, but some of my beliefs could be considered religious...i'm just trying to get other opinions on what seperates a practiced belief, from a philosphical approach and how it all could possibly morph into a religious inspired practice.

so it's really not a philosophical ponderance, and i'm not wanting to debate religion...i just want to know if i had a valid arguement or not, from those who have no idea what was being argued...if that makes any sense.

I have to scream . . . However, out of respect to Jordyn; I will present a breif summary of my opinion.
I believe that a religion produces philosophical concepts when it presents material based around common experiences that human beings can relate to, and postulates a dialogue on the subject of human motivation and philosophy. If you examine various pantheons and mythologies, you will notice that many deities and narratives hold certain philosophical truthes. So I say that religion starts to bridge the gap into philosophy when it begins to examine and postulate upon well known and common aspects of human nature. I consider religion and philosophy to be very inclusive.

If your personal beliefs aren't linked to a higher power in some way, then it isn't a religion.

that makes sense, and i can agree with that...my problem is with those who feel just because they perceive themselves an expert on a particular belief, adamantly dismiss it all as a philosophy, refusing to recognize that for some it is a religion?

am i wrong in this...assessment...can one person decide if another persons belief is a philosophy or religion, even if the person is not sure of it themself?

Well, a lot of people pick and choose what portions of a religion they will follow without paying full homage to the religion of their choosing. There are many people who follow specific passages from the bible to the exclusion of all other practices required by the Christian faith and there are also those who create concepts that were not even explicitly threre to begin with. So to find a true beleiver, someone who beleives in the deities, observes all the sacraments and follows the inherent philosophical concepts of a religion is extremely rare. Only highly ranked holly-men in religions that have taken interpretations of their chosen faith that are not overly restrictive of their human sides seem capable of fully living a religion.
I think it all comes down to what you choose to accept from a religion and how much respect you have for that religion in it of itself, I'm sure that we could find people who use philosophical concepts from a religion in their day to day lives who profess no influence from a specific religion.
As for me, I will readily admit that many of my philosophical concepts and life-style choices have been in some way influenced by Buddhism but I would not claim that I am of the Buddhist faith out of respect to the religion because I do not feel that I have enough knowledge or that I follow all of it's sacraments.

It dosent matter since they are practicaly the same, to follow one you run into the other, and if you try to comprehend one with out the other your closing your mind ,. to even try to coprehend something like GOD we as humans need philosophy and if you continue to mingle you may end up with a religion and a sorta Logic vs Faith situation ..I find a nice mix of both can bring much peace of mind !

like all good relationships?

Agreed, on both counts I think.

I've come to the conclusion that religion IS philosophy..

I spent most of my day today talking, well, repeating myself to Police, fire dept, med. examiners, and morgue folk about the neighbor..
We opened his apartment today to find him as i believed, deceased. most likely around the 28th of dec.
And in subsequent thought since that time, I have decided that religion and philosophy are one and the same..

Your religious belief IS your philosophy. It is ingrained in every action you take (to a degree)and effects all things you do..

philosophy = truth through reason

religion = truth through belief

Philosophy only becomes religion if you ultimately hinge things upon that which can only be concluded true through belief, as it cannot be proven true through reason.

Right, like my fairy garden vs. Plato's cave and shadows.

Plato's cave and shadows was an analogy, not his version of reality.

No, but it's the perfect example of philosophy being confused with religion.

Really? I've never met anyone that's confused Plato's Allegory with scripture...at least, I don't know any practicing Platonists, worshipping the perfect forms that lie in the spirit realm.

Religion does have to do with analogies though. That's what scripture is about.

Tell that to a fundamentalist; I'm sure they'd disagree, right before or after they told you you were going to burn in hell for not believing in the literal word of their scripture.

But yes, the gospels in the New Testament are full of analogies. Of course, I'm personally inclined to wonder if Jesus weren't simply a man influenced by Buddhist travellers from India, but then that would be blasphemy, wouldn't it?