fucktoyprincess
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Kirata
quote:
ORIGINAL: fucktoyprincess
I see absolutely nothing to gain from spending my valuable time trying to convince people that god doesn't exist when most people on the planet have a deep-rooted need for religion.
I think you're overstressing the "need" theme. But granting it, why you don't "need" religion too? What exactly is it (if you know) that distinguishes you from all the rest who "need" religion?
K.
Here is the thing. Peaceful co-existence does not require us to answer many of these types of questions. I feel, from my studies of theology, sociology and psychology that most people have a deep rooted need for religion. And I expressed this in my original post only to point out the fact that religion will always be with us.
So to me the debate should NOT be about whether or not god exists, or even whose god is right, but simply more an acceptance that many people need religion, and what they need in the way of religion is going to be associated, primarily, although not exclusively, with where they were born and raised, and the faiths of their parents/extended family. So I'm not interested in convincing anyone that god does not exist. I'm also not interested in convincing anyone that their god is wrong, and only the god of my ancestors is correct. Both of these endeavors seem futile to me.
Why do I not "need" religion. There have been many studies put forth on trying to decipher the intellect, psychology and emotion of non-believers, but I'm not sure any of them are dispositive. I can't explain why I don't need it (just as many believers cannot explain why they need their religion). I don't expect a believer to have to justify their need. And in the same way, I'm not interested in having to justify my lack of need.
All I do know is that most people I know are believers. And most people I know say I am one of the kindest and most moral people they know. In other words my very existence is proof to me that kindness and morality are not the exclusive dominion of the believers of a particular god, or even believer of god generally. I know one deeply, deeply religious Catholic woman from the Phillipines who has used the word "saint" to describe me. All I can say is my motivations to do good in this world, to help people who are in difficult situations, to support public policies that help the disadvantaged and to respect the diversity of beliefs that we have, do NOT come from a belief in god. I can't explain where they come from. But not being able to explain why I don't need religion should not make the way I behave in the world automatically wrong (if that were the case, then all acts of kindness should be forbidden!)
Again, I am interested in peaceful co-existence. I don't fear those who believe because I see it as a need that people have. So as long as believers can do two things: allow people who believe in other gods alone, and allow people who believe in no gods alone, everyone is good.
Also, in response to several posters who have said that they feel it is more important to judge by how people behave than what they specifically believe, I will only add this. Some religions actually have in their doctrine the primary importance of belief in their particular god. In other words, at least two of the major religions in the world today, have at their fundamental core, the tenet that good acts alone are not enough for salvation. And some religions can arguably even be described as, as long as you believe in the right god, all will be forgiven in the end.
To reiterate, I'm not here to convince anyone that god does not exist (even though that is what I believe). I only want people to not be scared of not only people like me (non-believers), but people who believe in other god(s). Once we are each not scared of each other, once we acknowledge that religion is a need, once we acknowledge that belief in specific god(s) is often tied to family, community and cultural traditions, and once we believe that kindness can come from sources other than god, then we can all exist quite happily side by side. Existing side by side simply requires people to not assume that their path is the only path to kindness and morality. And "salvation" is something for each of us to address on our own. I don't feel it is other people's place to worry about another's "salvation". At the end of the day, in every religion that I am aware of, belief is a personal choice and a personal experience.
And to me, this philosophical approach makes it quite clear the distinction between private and public policy.
< Message edited by fucktoyprincess -- 5/22/2012 8:25:34 AM >
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