Hey,
I got a lot of people quoting my post, and I appreciate that. I am happy to continue onwards.
The better ability to make decisions is about the mental framework of choice. If a healthy level of faith is adopted (?) that would offer an also healthy level of moral and consequential concepts to help make even slightly better judgments and decisions. I know that there is a bad side to this same mental trick, if you want feel free to go on and on about it. I will most likely agree with you, it is a very dangerous 'tool' in the mind. All of these examples would be of faith in it's best regard. That is what would be the only way to get "good" from faith, to do faith in a good way (as directly opposed to a bad way). Faith is a tool, and like most it has at least two edges...
Better coping seems easier to describe. That at least some of the things that concern and worry us are completely out of our control. Even more are very close to completely out of our control. Like asteroids and accidents. A healthy faith can help to differentiate what is and is not within your control. You can freely worry about the things that you can do something about, but would be gently reminded (by yourself, or god, i don't know, it's interpretive) not to worry about something inevitable or unknowable.
Thirdly, thereby leading to less stress. In simple terms... Less time and energy spent in a state of negative emotion and uncomfortable states-of-mind (most especially ones that are unnecessary). More time and energy spent in calm, comfortable, productive states-of-mind. This is only a best example kind of thing, let me say again. I know you will all say it is unrealistic, that I am calling it a 'blanket' or 'falsehood representing weakness'. I can only try to assure you that it is not arrived at from that angle. You don't practice faith or believe because it makes you have a possibly improved life quality, but you possibly have a better life because of faith (like a zen koan). And I still freely admit these same tools can be used to do very terrible tings, they can be as bad as they can be good. That is the nature of tools, I think.
And to be clear, I don't meant "better life" or any of that as 'better than atheists' at all. I would dislike it if you took it that way, as I don't mean to be arrogant. I mean a 'better life' than if that same exact life were without faith. And even then in a matter of degrees, and with many good and bad sides.
Hope that is in any way clear, at least for you to understand, even if you disagree.
Thank you,
-Pip
I got a lot of people quoting my post, and I appreciate that. I am happy to continue onwards.
Quote:All very well, but what precisely is the good you are talking about. Let's make it specific.Thank you Purple Rabbit, for your question. I think the 'good' I see from faith is a better ability to make decisions, better coping and less stress. Allow me to try to further on those vague points before arguing if you would though.
The better ability to make decisions is about the mental framework of choice. If a healthy level of faith is adopted (?) that would offer an also healthy level of moral and consequential concepts to help make even slightly better judgments and decisions. I know that there is a bad side to this same mental trick, if you want feel free to go on and on about it. I will most likely agree with you, it is a very dangerous 'tool' in the mind. All of these examples would be of faith in it's best regard. That is what would be the only way to get "good" from faith, to do faith in a good way (as directly opposed to a bad way). Faith is a tool, and like most it has at least two edges...
Better coping seems easier to describe. That at least some of the things that concern and worry us are completely out of our control. Even more are very close to completely out of our control. Like asteroids and accidents. A healthy faith can help to differentiate what is and is not within your control. You can freely worry about the things that you can do something about, but would be gently reminded (by yourself, or god, i don't know, it's interpretive) not to worry about something inevitable or unknowable.
Thirdly, thereby leading to less stress. In simple terms... Less time and energy spent in a state of negative emotion and uncomfortable states-of-mind (most especially ones that are unnecessary). More time and energy spent in calm, comfortable, productive states-of-mind. This is only a best example kind of thing, let me say again. I know you will all say it is unrealistic, that I am calling it a 'blanket' or 'falsehood representing weakness'. I can only try to assure you that it is not arrived at from that angle. You don't practice faith or believe because it makes you have a possibly improved life quality, but you possibly have a better life because of faith (like a zen koan). And I still freely admit these same tools can be used to do very terrible tings, they can be as bad as they can be good. That is the nature of tools, I think.
And to be clear, I don't meant "better life" or any of that as 'better than atheists' at all. I would dislike it if you took it that way, as I don't mean to be arrogant. I mean a 'better life' than if that same exact life were without faith. And even then in a matter of degrees, and with many good and bad sides.
Hope that is in any way clear, at least for you to understand, even if you disagree.
Thank you,
-Pip
