Is Religion a Virus

[bertatbertshouse]

I assume we've all heard of Memes. things that catch on in the mind either by being enforced or through simple want, but most come about via inculcation as far as I understand it. They spread quickly and efficiently, in other words just like a virus, a virus of the mind.
Religion is one such Meme, a contagious idea, a Memetic parasite, a virus of the mind.
The religious mind virus just like a normal virus require an existing execution process, which will allow it the opportunity to infect and spread. Think of how a real-world virus infects the body - it is fairly passive until it reaches its target and begins reproduction. Just like the indoctrination process does.
However to the detriment of the recipient, when this pernicious mind-virus lodges itself into someone's brain, it can make: the nicest person, reject there own children, a priest abuse children, and good people start spouting hate, and that genocide, torture, and totalitarian tyranny do not merely become OK, they become the epitome of the Good.
Much in the same way a flu virus would cause your body to work against itself, the religious virus does it to the mind.

I've been reading several books over the last few months all on the subject of Memes:
Virus of the Mind - Richard Brodie
http://www.amazon.com/Virus-Mind-New.../dp/0963600117
http://www.memecentral.com/votm.htm
The God Virus - Darrel Ray
http://www.amazon.com/God-Virus-reli.../dp/0970950519
http://www.vaguespace.net/blog/2010/03/ ... virus.html
http://www.thegodvirus.net/
Viruses of the Mind - Richard Dawkins
http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Da ... -mind.html

My question "Do you guys thing religion is a mind virus" And if so why, and if not, why not?
In my opinion everything seems to point to religion being or likened to a virus.
I would appreciate your opinions

[Tank]

Can a virus reproduce without a host organism. No.
Can a religion reproduce without a host organism. No
Can a virus pass from one host to another via an appropriate media. Yes.
Can a religion pass from one host to another via an appropriate media. Yes.
Can a virus exist outside its host and remain viable. Yes.
Can a religion exist outside its host and remain viable. Debatable, but I'd say Yes.
A virus is simple.
A religion is complex.
Will a virus in one host be identical to that in another host. Yes
Will a religion in one host be identical to that in another host. No.
Is a virus self aware. No
Is a religion self aware. Yes when active in a host.
Can a virus actively change itself to accommodate a new environment. No.
Can a religion actively change itself to accommodate a new environment. Yes.

A religion appears to share some characteristics with a virus but to characterise it as such would, I feel, be an oversimplification, a bit of a popularised sound bite that is derogatory by association with illness.

[bertatbertshouse]

Can a virus reproduce without a host organism. No.
Can a religion reproduce without a host organism. No
Can a virus pass from one host to another via an appropriate media. Yes.
Can a religion pass from one host to another via an appropriate media. Yes.
Can a virus exist outside its host and remain viable. Yes.
Can a religion exist outside its host and remain viable. Debatable, but I'd say Yes.
A virus is simple.
A religion is complex.
Will a virus in one host be identical to that in another host. Yes
Will a religion in one host be identical to that in another host. No.
Is a virus self aware. No
Is a religion self aware. Yes when active in a host.
Can a virus actively change itself to accommodate a new environment. No.
Can a religion actively change itself to accommodate a new environment. Yes.

A religion appears to share some characteristics with a virus but to characterise it as such would, I feel, be an oversimplification, a bit of a popularised sound bite that is derogatory by association with illness.

"Can a virus actively change itself to accommodate a new environment. No." that would actually be a yes, because viruses are much like bacteria, they adapt to there environment and evolve new traits very quickly, case in point the nylon eating bacteria. bird flu and swine flu are variations of earlier strains, and because of this being a yes, this next one must actually be a no. "Will a virus in one host be identical to that in another host. Yes" as there may be minor variations of the said virus.

And this one is debatable "A religion is complex" Also a virus isseems simple compared to us, but it is far from simple in actuality.
"Is a religion self aware. Yes when active in a host." Religion is a concept not an entity so that would be a no also.
Thus it seems religion shares a lot more characteristics with a virus. Now we've corrected those minor points.

[Tank]

"Can a virus actively change itself to accommodate a new environment. No." that would actually be a yes, because viruses are much like bacteria, they adapt to there environment and evolve new traits very quickly, case in point the nylon eating bacteria. bird flu and swine flu are variations of earlier strains, and because of this being a yes, this next one must actually be a no. "Will a virus in one host be identical to that in another host. Yes" as there may be minor variations of the said virus.

I beg to differ. The key word in my comment is 'actively', no organism can make an active (considered and planed) change to it's own genome. There is no demonstrable mechanism. All changes to a genome are caused by mutation which is not a considered process on the part of the organism. Nylonese did not choose to change it's own genome to be able to exploit a novel food source.

Natural selection has no purpose, it is a process not an entity and it is a process without foresight or intent. In practice it is  generally a negative feedback loop that weeds out mutations that have an adverse effect on reproductive fitness. It can appear to be a positive selector as the better suited organisms are the ones that go on to dominate the population.

I agree that viruses may differ in minutia, but they remain the same strain, that cause the same disease, they are in 'effect' identical, but it was a poor choice of words on my part. Bird flu viruses in one bird is essentially the same as Bird flu viruses in a different bird. However I would contend that how each individual incorporates religious doctrine into their own world view is unique. It may be interesting to get 1,000 people who do no more than identify themselves as Christian and get them to write down a 1,000 word description of Christianity. I would expect there to be far more variation in the descriptions than if you took a Bird flu virus from 1,000 infected birds and decoded their particular genome.

And this one is debatable "A religion is complex" Also a virus isseems simple compared to us, but it is far from simple in actuality.
"Is a religion self aware. Yes when active in a host." Religion is a concept not an entity so that would be a no also.
Thus it seems religion shares a lot more characteristics with a virus. Now we've corrected those minor points.

Oh and you have answered your own question 'Is Religion a Virus' above, 'Religion is a concept not an entity' so it can't be a virus can it?

I'll just leave one comment underlined, at some point you may come to understand why I won't be bothering to answer anymore of your posts.