Other recent articles under: Atheism as of Jan 24, 2008
Topic: Atheism
Religion Offers the Facade of Purpose
Religion will persist because it implies that individual existence is necessary and planned. by R.K. Chase
(libertarian)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Before science, religion answered questions better than any other discipline. In fact, almost any question could be answered by, "Because God (the Great Spirit, Allah, etc.) caused it."
Why does the sea level change? Because God caused it.
Why are you the king? Because God caused it.
This persisted until Darwin discovered that there is a little more to life on earth than meets the eye. The scientific method allows us to find much better answers.
However on issues where science and reason remain silent, religion has a strangle-hold. I think this phenomenon is best illustrated by the question: Why am I here?
Science's answer is unsatisfactory compared to religion's because it implies that people have no inherent purpose. You are here because you are lucky. You think therefore you are. But with all the options for specialization, people have a difficult time determining what to do with their lives. They need reinforcement of their purpose.
There is a reason that Purpose Driven Life was the best selling book in the world: It offered something that science cannot, a reconfirmation of the belief that one's existence is necessary. The responsibility of choosing one's own purpose can be avoided if there is an inherent, divinely inspired purpose already set out for you. Furthermore, your eternal soul lowers your obligation to earthly endeavors because there is a guarantee of eternal paradise. Once the necessary criteria of heavenly admittance are met, everything else becomes secondary. Your plan is really God's plan.
God's plan also provides solace in the face of tragedy, which after they occur can be chalked up as part of the plan. However the millisecond before tragedy occur, it is an unknown part of plan. Which begs the question: If you are not privy to the plan, how can you follow it?
"Faith is believing in something you know ain't true."
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Oh Jesus Muhamed Yahwey Chrishna Budda you just opened the floodgates of the religious for Ron Paul advocacy. RUN!!!!!!
Oh yes, this is the fundamental reason that we can't get rid of religion. Look at how well the religion of Psuedo Science, Unsound Environmentalism, and of course the inconvienient religion of Al-Gore.
Inteligent Design, human hatred of Mexicans, and a general displeasure in actually having to defend religion destroying other religion via terrorism, genocide, or seperation.
You get comments like this:
"We don't want to stop the killings in Darfur, it is too expensive, plus I know nothing about the cuture. It would be just another Neocon idea gone wrong." Wahhh wahhh wahhhh
People like to think that the invisible man in the sky favors thier language, coulture, or nation.
In one way we are all idiots, some more than others. But hey we are all human.
That's the most inane quote I've seen today. If you know it "ain't true", you don't believe it. How can it be that a relative few atheists are correct while billions of religiously faithful humans are incapable of achieving the high plateau of enlightenment that you occupy.
Atheism is a religion in that it is a shared belief. It stands apart from most in that the atheist worships his own being. Since his own self-importance supersedes all else in his own mind, he cannot comprehend traditional religious values, fears what he doesn't understand, and resorts to fanaticism as a defensive measure. Not all atheists exhibit such aberrant behavior, I think they (the ones that don't) may be closet wiccans.
How can it be that a relative few Ron Paul supporters are correct while billions of Centrist, Liberal, Conservative, and Statist thinkers are incapable of achieving the high plateau of enlightenment that we occupy?
that quote was from mark twain, who i assure you is far from inane. i know ad populum arguments are popular to people without a formal education in logic, I can't expect anyone to know what they haven't learned. but the the fact of the matter is that even religious people are atheists of some god or another. once you understand why you reject one religion over another you will understand how an atheist takes it one god farther.
at one time billions of faithful religious people thought that women were inferior, but that doesn't make it right.
I think with a little formal education in history and philosophy you might start to understand where religion comes from and why so many people adhere to its teaching.
I don't care why so many people are religius. The freedom to exercise and express belief is all that matters. Melville asserted, while reflecting on Quequegs odd practices, that religion, if it be a dozen ants worshipping a toadstool, is of value. I don't place one belief system above any other, but prefer to agree with the whaling enthusiast.
People should be able to do as they please, and believe whatever they like as long as it doesn't violate another persons individual liberty. When infringements on individual liberty (ban religion, guns, farting in public, whatever) are advocated, I do and will disagree.
Faith may not be visible to you. But, neither is the atom. Yet both exist. Your reality is different than mine. Yet we both exist. You can't see thoughts, yet you have them (otherwise you wouldn't be able to think or reason). What separates the conscious from the unconscious?
Your interpretation and experience in life is different than mine. Yet, I respect your right to be different. You can choose to believe in nothing and that is fine with me. But, to make the following statement: "Faith is believing in something you know ain't true." is absurd.
No one believes in something they know is not true. I think what you really meant to write was something like the following:
"Others have faith and believe in things I know ain't true."
Even that comment would be pompous, since it would make you the only one that knows the truth.
I will be glad to discuss faith-atheism with you anytime (and I just might do so someday in my column). I am a scientist and a believer. And it is my right (and privilege) to have faith.
BTW, when Darwin proposed his theory, microbiology was not known or discovered. His "theory" has been shot through so much with microbiology arguments for intelligent design that it looks like swiss cheese that is "holier than thou..."
Evolution is not observable, yet you probably believe in it. Why? Because it is how you interpret the "evidence". Understanding life comes from different angles and perspectives.
Words are powerful. In the beginning was the Word.
Mark Twain was the one who said, "Faith is believing in something you know aint true."
Here's my version: Faith is believing that a flood covered the surface of the earth and only Noah and the animals on the ark survived, that Jonah lived inside a fish, that at one point in time everyone spoke the same language until god wanted them to stop building a tower, that god watches why you masturbate, that daniel lived in the lions den, that those three guys didn't burn in the fire, that over half the earths population will burn in hell for eternity, that adulterers and gays should be stoned, that jesus turned water to wine.
Secondly the "microbiology arguments" which i assume you are refering to irreducible complexity which basically says that parts of the cell are to complex to have evolved and therefore...big surprise here....god made it!! Not only has this been disproven in a court of law, the scientific community has rejected it as well. Basically this is the teleological argument for the existence of God that has been used for hundreds of years: If we don't know how its made then God must have made it. It has been an argument that science consistantly wins. When you claim to be a scientist then evoke ID it really hurts your credibility. Microbiology supports evolution.
It really all comes down to one of the last things you said, "In the beginning was the Word." I'm not sure how you decided that your religious text was an more valid than all the others. But that closed-mindedness is the root of your faith.
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