tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045470200571732417.post1812668423442446275..comments2023-09-30T06:42:31.235-07:00Comments on Advocatus Atheist: Clinging to a ThreadTristan Vickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05348780254008374268noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045470200571732417.post-22593151029543648172010-07-16T05:53:23.499-07:002010-07-16T05:53:23.499-07:00Another Thought:
Ya know, as we all have to deal ...Another Thought:<br /><br />Ya know, as we all have to deal with the reality of finding ourselves as self aware and self conscious beings trying to make some sense of it all on this mysterious sea of life, perhaps everyone isn't equally well-equipped to stay afloat without some sort of life preserver. While you may be able to swim like a dolphin, while I float along like a jellyfish, each of managing without the need of religious faith, perhaps many people need some sort of religious faith to keep their heads above water. I wouldn't want to harpoon anyone's bouyancy device just to see if they could manage without it. That wouldn't be nice, would it?<br /><br />StevolioSteve Schulerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17507446648186799208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045470200571732417.post-71808101847154598272010-07-16T05:26:02.506-07:002010-07-16T05:26:02.506-07:00Obviously the whole matter of religon and it's...Obviously the whole matter of religon and it's multi-varied manifestations throughout the history, and pre-history, of mankind is infinitely deep and complex.<br /><br />I wonder, by virtue of both our physiological or genetic predispositions and the effects of our individual educations and life experiences, to what degree people are really able to choose between being religiously faithful or not. I think that if it were possible for me to be a "person of faith" that I probably would be. It just doesn't seem possible though. I think that if it were simply a matter of possesing sufficient cognitive faculties and intellectual honesty that there would be many more non-believers than there are. I dunno?<br /><br />Vast domain that, the Philosophy and Psychology of Religion, know what I mean?<br /><br />SteveOSteve Schulerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17507446648186799208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045470200571732417.post-14700010799151229412010-07-15T11:14:05.262-07:002010-07-15T11:14:05.262-07:00Another thing I find amusing is the argument of Pa...Another thing I find amusing is the argument of Pascal's wager and or some rendition of it. I get it all the time. They'll ask, "What if you're wrong? Wouldn't it be better just to accept and worship Jesus on the incase of you being wrong and me being right?" And when I get an emphatic, "No, it wouldn't." They just don't understand that it would be artificial love. In God's eyes I would be a charlatan. <br /><br />They simply don't understand how I can go on in life ok with not knowing how things will end up in the end.Devin Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813524079960692662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045470200571732417.post-39359292453004896062010-07-15T01:22:57.329-07:002010-07-15T01:22:57.329-07:00I think it's partly the fear of a reality with...I think it's partly the fear of a reality without the comfort blanket, the psychological buttressing of a sky-daddy, but also I believe that one of the reasons they refuse to engage the material is loyalty to the faith-group.<br /><br />Many I know, my family included, all have a close knit familial church group. Because they all affirm what everyone else believe, groupthink takes over, and the affinity they feel gives them a false sense of kinship.<br /><br />When we choose to be the lone wolf, we are the odd man out, and they treat us like the ugly duckling. In my opinion they are choosing the church as their family, God as their parental figure, and their fellow Christians as their brothers and sisters.<br /><br />What they neglect to see is that they can have this sense of community without religion and still meet all their psychological needs.<br /><br />A third aspect is that they're too lazy to read a book. Or if they have time, they'd rather not read religious history. Granted it's a little dry, not everyone is a history buff like me, but it is disconcerting that they wouldn't at least check into when a close relative or family member does a 180--I mean, not even to see what's going on.<br /><br />That's why I'm working on my book--to explain to these people what atheism really means, correct misconceptions about atheism, and to explain why faith fails.<br /><br />It may not become a best seller, but it will explain to my family in concise terms, allowing them to see the arguments which convinced me, without them having to become history professors and what not.Tristan Vickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05348780254008374268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045470200571732417.post-7908585510763675592010-07-13T17:47:13.000-07:002010-07-13T17:47:13.000-07:00Vick-
I have the same problem with my family and ...Vick-<br /><br />I have the same problem with my family and friends as you. They simply don't want to hear anything that counters their beliefs. To me this is because of the same reason why it was so hard for us to give up something that we held so near and dear to our heart. It absolutely frightens them to give up because this belief makes them feel like without God in their lives they are perpetually alone in this ever expanding universe. That their life with out God is essentially meaningless. <br /><br />Now, you and I both know this to be untrue. Life can be just as beautiful and vivacious as a life with God. For us, it puts more meaning into the life we do live here on earth. For christians this life is nothing compared to the one they will experience above in heaven. <br /><br />A close friend of mine who is a Christian, just recently lost his dad. It was a terrible thing. He was to young to die. But you know how he copes with his loss? By saying that in the end it doesn't matter. That life is just a bad dream he gets to wake up from. I have no doubt he loved his dad and cherished every moment he had with him during his short life on earth but you see, its the end game that holds precedence in their life. <br /><br />They essentially are scared of being alone in a big universe. Thats my take anyways. What say you?Devin Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17813524079960692662noreply@blogger.com