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anthrosub -> RE: Why Atheism Scares People (5/22/2012 3:29:22 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: fucktoyprincess
I don't generally go advertising the fact that I am an atheist (except when on a relatively anonymous site like this). And the reason for that is that generally when I do tell people who believe in god that I am, I am met with some mix of horror, disgust, pity and fear. Even from people who know me well. It really upsets people who believe that I should choose to not believe in the idea of god.
I do believe that people (a vast majority of people) need religion. I think religion provides people with a way to make sense of the world, prevents them from having to deal with too much ambiguity, and placates fear about both existence and the after-life. And for many, if they need religion to deal with those issues, they simply can't fathom how I could exist without the same need. So their conclusion is that, well obviously something is deeply wrong with her.
I also think that religion provides a way for people to assuage any guilt or personal responsibility for the bad things that go on in the world. They can easily rely on any number of things, depending on their personal faith, to explain it. So bad things happen because there is a devil, because evil roams the earth, because god wants it this way, because god is punishing us, because we did something bad in a prior existence, etc., etc., etc.
As an atheist, I have to contend with the sad and depressing fact that, well, s**t just happens. And there is no divine explanation. And the only way to prevent bad things from either happening at all, or to minimize the pain from bad things, is to personally take responsibility to try to prevent bad things from happening or to minimize the pain from bad things - not just for oneself, or one's family, but for other people, too. How? Through one's politics, one's charitable giving (money and time), through one's ideas. The one thing I cannot do is simply say, "well this is god's way."
So atheism is scary to most people because it means they have to confront the fact that they are, in fact, responsible for the homeless guy sleeping on the sidewalk at night. And most people can't survive day to day if they feel they are personally responsible for all the pain and suffering in the world. So much easier to let god handle that so that day-to-day life can go on unfettered. And what does one have to do to let god worry about it. Pray. Is is any surprise that for most people that is a much easier emotional, psychological bargain than to actually have to say, "I am responsible, and I need to go and do something about this."
Also, many people assume that if I am atheist I must be completely amoral. Again, for many, it is the fear of god and god's wrath that keeps people in line. So for them to imagine someone behaving in a good, decent, kind way who is not religious seems truly beyond their imagination. They are hard pressed to imagine why someone would treat others kindly if there was no reason (one's own salvation) to do so. Some people are incapable of imagining that one should be kind not because of the promise of heaven, or nirvana, or an after-life, but simply because with the one life that I have on this planet, being kind is the right thing to do. Period. Oddly, I am also someone who does not fear death. I see it as the natural end to our life. I don't need a belief in god to die in "peace".
I have resigned myself to the fact that most believers, due to their need for religion, will never be able to view me objectively. So, I suspect, I will not be sharing my true religious views with too many people who know me (except for my large group of atheist friends). Trust me, I've seen how people react when they are told. People who are tolerant in many other ways seem incapable of tolerating one who believes in no god of any stripe. I will continue my peaceful, tolerant existence where I believe I am responsible for what happens to others. And I will continue to both do and advocate for policies that ensure a well cared for society. Because prayer and a reliance on god to solve the world's problems is not, actually, going to work.
Good post. I didn't read any of the others because I wanted my response to be about what you wrote and not mixed with what others here have said.
For myself, I don't think of myself as anything (religious, atheist, agnostic, etc.) in particular. I'm alive and this is the world (both inside and outside my skin) that is more or less in a state of continuously revealing itself. I once read the thoughts of another who basically said, "You are the world" and I'm pretty sure I know what he was saying.
I'm not sure about the responsibility part though. I mean certainly I am responsible for direct and indirect actions brought about as a consequence of my existence. But for the homeless guy sleeping on a sidewalk...well, he made his choice (or set of choices) just as I have that led us both to this point in time.
Religion is needed by people today because from generation to generation, the young are indoctrinated into it before they reach an age where they can think critically (if they ever get to fully develop that particular skill). The parents and society (made up primarily of older versions of what the child will grow to become) all believe they are doing the correct thing. And so it goes throughout history right up to today. Only those who were or are fortunate to have had the veil pulled away see the facade for what it is. Their lives are not easy...but where is it written that it should be?
At one poiint I imagined what would happen if right in the middle of all our worries and troubles...our global conflicts with each other over the resources in this world or our cultural differences...what if right in the middle of all that and without any advance warning, another celestial body slammed into the Earth and instantly disintegrated the entire planet in less than a second. I put myself outside that event and imagined what the universe would be like afterwards. You know what...it would be the same universe but without us (or the Earth). There is no meaning to existense in and of itself...only the meaning each of us projects on to existence. We are all playing peek-a-boo with ourselves.
Nobody to miss and nobody to do the missing...nothing...and yet the universe would still exist doing what its been doing for billions of years. People need religion because they have never really taken the time to wrap their head around what the world really is...which is to say they have no idea who or what they are. People want instant gratification so they take the short cut or have it drilled into them as a child (see above). I can say with pretty high confidence that anyone who would repudiate my words will more than likely be stating something they got from someone else either in words or text. Especially anyone who would raise some objection based on a religion.
The world sorely needs more original thinkers. People who think about thinking so to understand the nature of thought and all that it manifests. For example...ask yourself what is the difference between thinking and believing? Go into it for yourself and find your own answer. Don't grab a book or talk to someone else for an answer. What's your own answer?
I'm not saying you cannot consider what others have to say. But I am saying you should establish your own foundation of self and begin from there before reading or talking to others. You need to find your own center of being first. If you don't, you are just mimicing someone else's thoughts, plain and simple, just as the vast majority of people are doing today all over the world.
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