What do football, iPhone and Harry Potter have in common? At first glance, nothing, but if you think about it - each has a colossal army of loyal fans who devote a lot of time to their favorite thing, know everything or almost everything about even the smallest details, and, most importantly, are ready to die on this hill for their beliefs.
In other words, the same characteristics that religion had for the vast majority of mankind just a couple of hundred years ago. Remember the Crusades, religious wars and other "charms" of the Middle Ages? Yes, now religious fanaticism has significantly decreased, but worship of new idols has definitely taken its place.
This was also noticed by the topic starter of one of the threads in the AskReddit community, who just a few days ago asked the question: "What is not a religion, but people treat it with the same attention?" And so, as of today, the thread already has over 34.8K upvotes and around 27.7K different and sometimes extremely pathetic comments.
Bored Panda made a list for you that includes the most interesting and popular elements of the original thread. Sports and brands, music legends and internet traditions - all that make people worship them so devotedly. So feel free to scroll to the very end (literally everything is interesting there!), mark what you definitely agree with and, of course, don't forget to write your point of view straight in the comments!
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elon musk. he’s annoying, he’s not saving the world so please shut up about what a selfless person he is. he exploits his workers. stop being annoying fanboys. don’t worship billionaires
The way Americans talk about their constitution is very reminiscent of religion.
They worship it, but they haven't read it in a long time. Maybe never.
They insist that you should respect it, even if you're not a member of the cult.
They tend to assume that a justification for every opinion they have is in there somewhere.
They treat the men who wrote it as if they're prophets.
They can become sullen, withdrawn, or even hostile when you say it's wrong and requires serious alteration.
It was intended to be a fluid, adaptable and evolving document. Hence, all of the amendments added over time as mores and ideologies changed.
And why it's vague, as the writers knew society would change.
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I live in the south. I see it every day. Trucks with huge trump and american flags flying off then back playing loud annoying redneck music. There is a church on every corner with a big American and lots of times confederate flags flying. Since the day trump was elected I have felt like the flag makes me uncomfortable. Honestly, I never thought about it until then. But now my eyes are wide open.
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Thomas Jefferson intended for the American Constitution to be reviewed and updated every 19 years. We failed.
Yes. Unfortunately, it also ended up being incredibly hard to amend it. I don't think Jefferson was too thrilled with that.
Load More Replies... I think this could extend beyond just the constitution and encompass American Pride in general. American Patriotism has become almost synonymous with under educated, rascist, homophobic, redneckasshole bible thumper.
As an American I agree- The constitution is c**p and needs to be updated and never worshiped. Not all American are crazy
You're free to leave if you hate this country so much. I hear Canada's a lovely dictatorship by now, headed by mini Castro
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They seriously need to do some upgrades. Ours (South Africa) permits LGTBQ+ marriage, for example, and abolishes death penalty.
i can agree with some of this. i haven't heard of a person thinking the founding fathers were prophetsl if there is fault to be found it is probably the fact that the educational system that is available today didn't teach civics like it was taught when i was in school. being an old fart now i would have to refer to the document for confirmation on some things. the most i ever hear from people is claiming their right to free speech and right to bear arms without knowing the purpose of those rights or their origins.
Pt. III - Do I fly our national flag? Yes, I’m proud of my home and the opportunities it’s afforded me; I used to fly the Gadsden Flag until is was high-jacked by people who don’t understand its true meaning...unfortunately similar to the swastika that traces its roots to Native American and Indian traditions/symbolism. Constitution? I think it’s pretty cool...and dynamically adapted to changing times. Do I know it by heart? Admittedly not...but that doesn’t dismiss my respect for it. Everyone else respect it? That’s not for me to demand or decide... but it does govern our highest levels of government and lays the foundation for many of the mechanisms for how our country works.
Pt. IV - Prophets? Don’t think so, but I’d say it’s fair to say our Founding Fathers and original authors/signers had a level of foresight to anticipate that times, conditions, relevancy would change over time and enabled the ability to modify it as its citizenry deem necessary. Yes, I would agree it could use some tweaks. However it’s also worth pointing out such adjustments take time...by design. It’s not structured to be impulsive, but rather to elicit the overwhelming majority (through multiple measures of adoption) of its citizenry to agree to any changes over time.
Or they e never read it and can't tell the difference between the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence and they only know 2-3 rights from the Bill of Rights. Most of these types couldn't even pass the citizenship test.
And the irony of it being based on a British document (the magna carta) is lost on them too.
Pt. II - We’re a big and relatively young country; still figuring things out. Our public transportation isn’t the best...big country. Extremely divergent opinions across 50 distinct states all with their own governments, further divided into counties, parishes, municipalities, cities, and towns...big country. The U.S. simply does not have the same historical constants that many other countries do...it’s not an opinion, it’s just the reality of the situation. Before anyone bashes me please know I’ve spent ~3% of my life in over a dozen foreign countries (~9 months alone in Asia) and ~10 states. I’ve tried to always be respectful and adhere to other people’s customs whether in my own country or elsewhere.
Combine this with the belief they are also religious in some way. This mindset is dangerous
I'm not religious, but I grew up Christian, been taught the bible extensively from a young age, and read it myself cover to cover. In my opinion, these fanatics' beliefs are completely incompatible with Jesus' teachings, and those of the early church leaders. That's the biggest mindf**k of all, that they profess to believe in the sanctity and authority of these scriptures, and their behavior is the furthest thing from its teachings.
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What always got me infuriated was Supreme Court Antonin Scalia would say that "the constitution is not a living document." Idiot, of course it is, otherwise the amendments would have stopped, along with repeals of those. The document is interpreted within the times that it is being reviewed within. We would still have prohibition, slavery, etc. if that were the case for what that man said.
Pt. I - It would be refreshing to read more selective entries; it grows increasingly tiresome seeing excessive generalizations on BP about the U.S.; much of the vitriol we see here can be attributed to such absolutism.
Pt. V - Apologies for the perceived rant, but again it grows tiresome to continuously see such commentary on BP. If I picked another country and roasted it I’d likely be eviscerated...yet for some reason piling on the U.S. is almost encouraged based on more recent BP topics. Anyway, I’ll continue to love my country, not force it on anyone, and be a conscientious and courteous visitor wherever my travels may take me...hopefully OP can do the same.
Pt. I - It would be refreshing to read more selective entries; it grows increasingly tiresome seeing excessive generalizations on BP about the U.S.; much of the vitriol we see here can be attributed to such absolutism. We’re a big and relatively young country; still figuring things out. Our public transportation isn’t the best...big country. Extremely divergent opinions across 50 distinct states all with their own governments, further divided into counties, parishes, municipalities, cities, and towns...big country. The U.S. simply does not have the same historical constants that many other countries do...it’s not an opinion, it’s just the reality of the situation.
I think people don't realize the constitution of the U.S. is the ruler of the U.S. The president and the rest of the federal government are administrators of the constitution. We're ruled by a document, not a person.
Seriously is indeed the most important document of our nation and is regarded as something akin to the bible. Yes there is on going debate but it is the law of the land of freedom and home of the brave.
"land of freedom" you are kidding, right? You don't really know what freedom is
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Also that thing with the flag in schools every morning is some high level indoctrination one would expect from North Korea and the like.
Funny. Seems all those that want to alter it, seem to also want to institute Socialist Fascism. It's kinda hypocritical to mock those who believe in the Bill of Rights, when you are peacefully burning cities in order to institute tyranny and political theft of personal property and income. Sooo...
There are too many assumptions in this post, including the one that no other country has this kind of nationalism. While blind loyalty can be toxic in the wrong hands, the historic significance of the way this country was founded is valuable, even now. Please resist the urge to throw the baby out with the bath water.
That's the beautiful part of its design! It CAN be altered. Unfortunately, the 2 political parties are going in extremely opposite directions
They also conveniently forget it was written by a bunch of rich old white male slave owners, and when they wrote about how all men were created equal, they meant all men like them. Not women or any other gender, not people of colour, not any other sexual orientation than straight. The document needs to be updated, otherwise uneducated right wing (and old rich white racist) people will keep trying to use it to justify treating people the way the original writers did.
Requiring all children to pledge their full allegiance to a flag every morning in school has extremely strong (and creepy) cult vibes.
I remember a discussion with a die-hard gun nut who told me guns where there to stay because the constitution says so and it can't be changed😂
What you're talking about is "Jingoism", and *every* country has their own very, very, loud minority of them. My country is no exception. America needed to implement changes in multiple paradigms many decades ago, but the funding for these necessary changes were sabotaged so that the money could fill corporate pockets and fund corporate interest campaigns. They accomplished this by poking the fears and insecurities of luddites, racists, and other people afraid of change or different. The flimsy excuses and c**p defenses for the behavior that resulted are people pointing at our constituion, and *also* at the Christian bible, and other archaic documents to "justify" their abuses of our laws, freedoms, and rights. The majority of us aren't buying it, and if you're smart, you wouldn't either.
There’s a lot right with the US Constitution, but it’s often vague, like the horribly worded Second Amendment. I’m more a fan of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, but even that needs to update its language regarding marriage as a right between adults, not just men and women.
Many American Christians believe god inspired the founding fathers to write the constitution, same as god inspired prophets to write the Bible. They see no distinction between the two. But they don't study either of them and don't know what's actually written in them.
As an American, I love this. Our constitution needs serious work and I apologize for all those people who disagree.
Well it's the greatest document in the history of the world so... 'Murica!
Antivaxism
Problem in States is when ANYTHING is made mandatory people flip out and think somehow their freedoms are being threatened.
Mommy groups. Started getting completely out of hand when my kids were teenagers. I'm a crunchy mom, I'm this kind of mom, or that kind of mom. Those people get rabid. How DARE YOU listen to advice given to you from a doctor about your individual child, MY group thinks "THIS". Heresy! Blasphemy! We will CRUCIFY you!
They used to helpful, now they are f*****g cults.
Scientology
Germany considers it to be a scam, I can only hope that the US can follow that lead soon.
Workaholism / hustle culture.
I find this so... weird. I mean, it is cool that you work like 60 hours a week and so your boss can say bravo, but i want to work as much as i am payed, do my 8 hours a day and go and spend time with my wife, kids, friends or just by myself
Certain sports
Gender ideology (aka the pseudoscience surrounding transgenderism). I say this as a trans person. If you do not follow a woke belief system to the very letter you are treated like an apostate. The left used to be very areligious but it is all spiritual gender woo woo stuff now.
See, the use of the word "woke" is what concerns me in this one. Their gender identity notwithstanding, cis or trans, anyone who refers to someone as "woke" in order to dismiss them, I can't trust to comment on the issue they're talking about.
Brands in general.
People praising Adidas, Apple, Hugo Boss, etc.
Companies don't want customers, they want fans who will buy anything that company sells
Politics
Definitely. "THEY" are wrong, the blasphemers. WE are the true ones. etc.
Fraternities and Sororities. Down to the recruitment/shunning culture
They also can't even pronounce Greek the right way. "GGGGGAMMA", "BETA", "PHYYYYY", "DDDDELTA" (γβφδ). I may be exaggerating but still.
Crypto
No dude, crypto is as scammy and religiony as the stockmarket. Sure, some people are obsessed with it, yep. But so are stockbrokers.
astrology zodiac signs
let's see. Unscientific. Check. Magic. Check. Unfalsifiable. Check. Irrational beliefs, check. PS why are there jiggleballs there?
College football
I think it's Alabama's state college that has an adorable pug for a mascot. I don't like football, but I love dogs.
Homoeopathy
Also a potentially dangerous religion when the believer relies on it instead of science based medicine
Football! Biggest sport in the world, stadiums are genuinely awe-inspiring and the atmosphere created during a game is crazy.
(Edit) Okay okay... guys, I do mean FOOTBALL as that's what the vast majority of the world calls it but to allow other cultures to understand... yes, "soccer" is the biggest sport in the world.
What I don't understand is why, when someone grabbed the ball and ran, the people who turned it into a new sport chose "FOOTball." Was it just that it came from football/soccer? Why didn't they call it handsball or something like that?
Crossfit
This is the only thing that came to mind. But I think it's ok if it's treated that way, you get a community and you stay fit. Win win.
The idea of a nation.
Nationalism, aka. the idea that you're superior because you were randomly born inside a certain set of nonexistent lines on the map.
Hot take: owning dogs
EDIT: owning specific breeds of dogs
The very concept of "pure-breed" dogs is a genetic disaster waiting to happen. As soon as you restrict the genetic diversity in this way, the extinction of the breed becomes inevitable. As much as people don't want to hear it, this is scientific fact. Don't even get me started on the ethics of deliberately breeding deformed animals that suffer throughout their lives in search of an aesthetic. And now we've moved on to doing the same thing to other species, like cats, rats, mice and guinea pigs. Even reptiles aren't immune to the greed and selfishness of the humans who breed them for "pretty colors".
Harry Potter
Note: this post originally had 35 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Right? I've seen people literally call him The Messiah. Literal worship of a false godking.
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Trump should Definitely be on this list! Why his Idiot Supporters Deify him, defeats me! He's a Cretin
Even if I supported his politics and thought he was worthy to lead the country, I think it's downright dangerous to worship a politician. They're fallible human beings.
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Well in my country at the moment it's 'royalty'.... so many people living in poverty that'll still go out and line the streets waiting for a coffin to pass by. I get that bit, what I don't get is all the doffing of caps and about how wonderful our queen was..... when she lived all her life absolutely cushioned from all the shite the rest of us normally have to deal with. I view her passing away with thoughts to her immediate family......... but i'm not going to go out of my way to idolise her or even give her death any more personal attention than she gave my daughter's........ which was none. I vowed when I volunteered for armed service that i'd serve her and her heirs.... but that vow ran out the moment I retired from service,. and it was tainted very much from several encounters with 'royalty' from her family whilst serving where theyen were just f*****g entitled pricks. Andrew used to 'work' just down the corridor from me the old war office...
when he wasn't out playing golf and passing it off as 'duty'....... I used to think of him as just a lazy f**k until it all came out about his association with sex offenders.. now it's not 'just' that I think bout him.
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i loved seeing the generational difference in the comments as well as the stereotypical millennial things: harry potter and ‘i can’t live without my coffee’ lmao
The coffee thing is way older than millennials. My grandmother had all these old posters, tees, pretty much any merchandise with coffee addict on them
Load More Replies... I feel like these can be broken into three categories: things that are genuinely formulated in a manner that mimics religious thinking, cultural/societal pressures that aren't necessarily religious in terms of the way they work but trigger similar levels of devotion/jackassery/personal parasocial /stuff/, and the inevitable results of leaving people alone with either an intentionally contrived point of contention or a single topic to talk about.
This often is rooted in religion, tho, ie Buddhism, Hinduism, etc
Load More Replies... Skin-care routines. I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that plastering your face with make-up and the need for a deep cleanse everyday because otherwise you develop severe skin irritations aren't directly correlated. I'm all for taking care of yourself and people being free to do with make-up whatever they want even though I don't wear any myself - but the sheer amount of skin products available these days is insane. I see youtubers dragging BOXES of bottles around just to get that perfect, Barbie-like skin.
This is so very accurate. The entire list is, yes yes, yep, huh uh. I'm either getting old and grouchy or people are becoming more awful. I think, the latter. Not all! But lots.
Yeah, fitness is important but there are people who take it WAY too far. In a few years, people will remove all hair, fingernails, toenails, teeth, tounges, and all non-vital organs.
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When I started working for a nonprofit years ago, I was shocked to discover the intensity of Starbucks fandom. People were downright perplexed that I didn't drink Starbucks until one day somebody finally asked me why. I said I don't dislike the coffee, but prefer to support local businesses instead. After that, nobody ever mentioned again it for fear of being called out as "less progressive!"
Load More Replies... Godzilla stans. Some people stan certain incarnations, like the Heisei one. A lot of them think he can defeat extremely powerful characters like Goku. Although it's true that he can defeat most other fictional monsters, he's not the strongest character ever (except for Divine Godzilla, who could come back to life and plow through hell with sheer willpower).
Hearing voices and having imaginary friends in a single person is a psychosis, but when thousands do it it's called a religion.
First off Scientology maybe a a cult... but the for the followers it is a religion. But the rest are just obsession, not like a religion. Smh
Different things work for different people. Thing is...do you have the stanima to find works for you? Tiresome TBS lol
Most of these are rubbish, the real question is why isn't environmentalism on this list? The idea that humans are a cancer on the earth? Yeah that can't be good for us. Where's Critical Race theory? The idea that the US, the most free country on earth is racist and that we need to equalize wealth based on race, which sounds identical to what happened in the Soviet Union.
"Science" - actual science is a method of questioning and adjusting your understanding to reflect reality. Currently "science" is a slavish worship of some "scientific consensus" that conveniently can include only the scientists that obey and repeat the beliefs of the powerful. In the name of science actual scientists are excommunicated and questions are forbidden.
"Climate change" - what was once "global cooling" then "global warming". Now it's a term that can't be proven wrong as the first two were since the climate exists and will always be changing. You can agree that the climate exists, is changing, and even that man may be contributing in part to that change. However, of you disagree with the climate priests that their ridiculous law will have any effect you are a "climate denier" and need to be excommunicated. Sheesh, you can't even question the honestly of the climate priests who own homes by the rising sea and commute in their personal jets.
Number 1 should be---VEGANS.....They've gone waaaay beyond nutrition and formed a CULT!!
Most of these are just rubbish, the real question is why isn't environmentalism on this list? What about this idiotic trans epidemic of people who think they can change humans biological functions, who play at being God?
what on this list is against America? Most of these are about fandoms and stuff.
Load More Replies... Right? I've seen people literally call him The Messiah. Literal worship of a false godking.
Load More Replies... Trump should Definitely be on this list! Why his Idiot Supporters Deify him, defeats me! He's a Cretin
Even if I supported his politics and thought he was worthy to lead the country, I think it's downright dangerous to worship a politician. They're fallible human beings.
Load More Replies... Well in my country at the moment it's 'royalty'.... so many people living in poverty that'll still go out and line the streets waiting for a coffin to pass by. I get that bit, what I don't get is all the doffing of caps and about how wonderful our queen was..... when she lived all her life absolutely cushioned from all the shite the rest of us normally have to deal with. I view her passing away with thoughts to her immediate family......... but i'm not going to go out of my way to idolise her or even give her death any more personal attention than she gave my daughter's........ which was none. I vowed when I volunteered for armed service that i'd serve her and her heirs.... but that vow ran out the moment I retired from service,. and it was tainted very much from several encounters with 'royalty' from her family whilst serving where theyen were just f*****g entitled pricks. Andrew used to 'work' just down the corridor from me the old war office...
when he wasn't out playing golf and passing it off as 'duty'....... I used to think of him as just a lazy f**k until it all came out about his association with sex offenders.. now it's not 'just' that I think bout him.
Load More Replies... i loved seeing the generational difference in the comments as well as the stereotypical millennial things: harry potter and ‘i can’t live without my coffee’ lmao
The coffee thing is way older than millennials. My grandmother had all these old posters, tees, pretty much any merchandise with coffee addict on them
Load More Replies... I feel like these can be broken into three categories: things that are genuinely formulated in a manner that mimics religious thinking, cultural/societal pressures that aren't necessarily religious in terms of the way they work but trigger similar levels of devotion/jackassery/personal parasocial /stuff/, and the inevitable results of leaving people alone with either an intentionally contrived point of contention or a single topic to talk about.
This often is rooted in religion, tho, ie Buddhism, Hinduism, etc
Load More Replies... Skin-care routines. I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that plastering your face with make-up and the need for a deep cleanse everyday because otherwise you develop severe skin irritations aren't directly correlated. I'm all for taking care of yourself and people being free to do with make-up whatever they want even though I don't wear any myself - but the sheer amount of skin products available these days is insane. I see youtubers dragging BOXES of bottles around just to get that perfect, Barbie-like skin.
This is so very accurate. The entire list is, yes yes, yep, huh uh. I'm either getting old and grouchy or people are becoming more awful. I think, the latter. Not all! But lots.
Yeah, fitness is important but there are people who take it WAY too far. In a few years, people will remove all hair, fingernails, toenails, teeth, tounges, and all non-vital organs.
Load More Replies... When I started working for a nonprofit years ago, I was shocked to discover the intensity of Starbucks fandom. People were downright perplexed that I didn't drink Starbucks until one day somebody finally asked me why. I said I don't dislike the coffee, but prefer to support local businesses instead. After that, nobody ever mentioned again it for fear of being called out as "less progressive!"
Load More Replies... Godzilla stans. Some people stan certain incarnations, like the Heisei one. A lot of them think he can defeat extremely powerful characters like Goku. Although it's true that he can defeat most other fictional monsters, he's not the strongest character ever (except for Divine Godzilla, who could come back to life and plow through hell with sheer willpower).
Hearing voices and having imaginary friends in a single person is a psychosis, but when thousands do it it's called a religion.
First off Scientology maybe a a cult... but the for the followers it is a religion. But the rest are just obsession, not like a religion. Smh
Different things work for different people. Thing is...do you have the stanima to find works for you? Tiresome TBS lol
Most of these are rubbish, the real question is why isn't environmentalism on this list? The idea that humans are a cancer on the earth? Yeah that can't be good for us. Where's Critical Race theory? The idea that the US, the most free country on earth is racist and that we need to equalize wealth based on race, which sounds identical to what happened in the Soviet Union.
"Science" - actual science is a method of questioning and adjusting your understanding to reflect reality. Currently "science" is a slavish worship of some "scientific consensus" that conveniently can include only the scientists that obey and repeat the beliefs of the powerful. In the name of science actual scientists are excommunicated and questions are forbidden.
"Climate change" - what was once "global cooling" then "global warming". Now it's a term that can't be proven wrong as the first two were since the climate exists and will always be changing. You can agree that the climate exists, is changing, and even that man may be contributing in part to that change. However, of you disagree with the climate priests that their ridiculous law will have any effect you are a "climate denier" and need to be excommunicated. Sheesh, you can't even question the honestly of the climate priests who own homes by the rising sea and commute in their personal jets.
Number 1 should be---VEGANS.....They've gone waaaay beyond nutrition and formed a CULT!!
Most of these are just rubbish, the real question is why isn't environmentalism on this list? What about this idiotic trans epidemic of people who think they can change humans biological functions, who play at being God?
what on this list is against America? Most of these are about fandoms and stuff.
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