(December 10, 2015 at 5:49 pm)excitedpenguin Wrote: How do you cope with the fact that most people believe in magic, fairy tales, mystical creatures(e.g.God) and so on?
Very easily if they're quite moderate. But the more religious they are the harder it is for me to get closer to them and relate to them.
Quote:How do you explain it?
I think people are theists for the same reason people believe in other things irrational like astrology: Emotional reasons.
Quote:How do you think this belief in the supernatural affects the world, other than the obvious violence and divisiveness, aversion to science and rationality that it so often spawns? Do you think belief in a deity or in other such fantasies defines a person's mindset beyond these superficial qualities it inspires in some people of faith?
I think that it definitely affects a big part of who some theists are. If they are quite deepseated and impassionated in their faith then it indeed affects pretty much every aspect of their lives and how they think - or fail to think - about the world.
If they are much more moderate I think that it affects them considerably less.
Quote:Do you think there will ever come a time when it's not considered normal, or sane for that matter, for a person to hold such beliefs and how and when would you say that could happen, if you do?
That time may come but it is not a mental illness however delusional the beliefs themselves are. I think harmful extreme beliefs I am glad to see wiped out but anyone who wants a harmless personal belief I would not impose anything on. But I would expect the same from them.
Of course, ideally I think an absolutely atheistic world would be best. But I don't begrudge anyone of any harmless personal beliefs that they keep to themselves.
I am anti-theism but I am not anti-theist.
