It might be surprising to know that religion is not the only thing that people show devotion to. Passionate amusement in hobbies or other interests can quickly turn into an unhealthy form of worship. Here are 12 things that people praise apart from religion.
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Sports
Have you ever noticed how hostile sports fans are, especially when the playing teams are long-time rivals? Or how there would be a sports riot after an event? That’s how intense and excessive fan identification with a team can be. They believe in their team’s superiority the same way different religions think it’s only them that practice true worship.
Multi Level Marketing
A poster writes, “MLMs deal with disbelief. You couldn’t possibly have fallen for a scam. You can’t just give up on a bright future. You can’t fail when it’s so easy to succeed.” This sunk-cost fallacy makes it difficult for thousands of people to quit predatory MLMs.
Political Affiliations
These also indoctrinate many. “Politics is sports fandom for people who think they’re too smart to follow sports,” argues a poster.
Crossfit
Crossfit aims at making people healthier through high-intensity physical workouts. But some routines are dangerous. For instance, “moving too much weight too quickly with bad form, focusing on power and explosiveness over technique is a good way to injure yourself if you are a novice.”
Kpop
K-pop fans also treat the genre like a religion. Most of them don’t accept criticism of their favorite idols.
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA was initially intended to help people break their addiction and has helped many. But it has slowly evolved, feeling more like a religion or cult. “People inside and outside of AA believe AA works. When evidence to the contrary is brought forth, it is dismissed as ‘that person wasn’t dedicated enough,'” a user points out.
A recovering alcoholic who left the AA group shares, “My life is quieter, simpler, and I’m more confident. The longer I’ve stayed away, the happier I’ve been.”
Apple
“Why does anyone care what color your chat bubble is?” wonders a poster. Or why should one feel the need to convince others that Apple products are superior? It gives off a religion-like vibe.
Burning Man
Users also feel the Burning Man concert is hypocritical, like most religions, because it claims acceptance and inclusion but sets rules on how one should look or behave to fit in. Moreover, “it’s a pilgrimage to a desert where you burn an effigy as part of a whole ceremony, and there are tenets and a dogma.”
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts also hype the digital or virtual currency like it’s some sort of haven. They’ll use statements like “crypto redefines investment” or “my crypto investments will be going to the moon” to persuade others to invest.
Astrology
Some people truly believe in astrology, making it their religion. A user says, “My mum was super into astrology. She even had one book that took your birthday and mixed it with Chinese and Vedic astrology.”
Law of Attraction
“A lot of this is based on an actual religion. It’s called New Age spirituality, a conglomeration of many different spiritualties,” writes a poster. Those deep into laws of attraction use vocabularies like “manifesting, limiting beliefs, alignment, intensions, vibration, and resistance.”
Yoga
Yoga is part of Hinduism, but that doesn’t deem it religious. However, it has now been commercialized to a point where a “yoga class feels like church sometimes.”
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Source: Reddit
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