RE: The need to believe?
July 13, 2017 at 12:47 pm
(This post was last modified: July 13, 2017 at 1:00 pm by Whateverist.)
(July 11, 2017 at 10:23 am)KevinM1 Wrote:(July 10, 2017 at 11:20 pm)*Deidre* Wrote: In reading that ^^ and in all of this discussion, and my own reflection...I've just had an epiphany. And it's basically how can something that I honestly don't believe in from a logical/factual standpoint, bring me comfort? How can something that my mind doesn't really accept anymore, bring me emotional comfort? So maybe, all this time, it's been me...comforting me. And calling it god. Why was it so hard for me to give myself credit? Idk.
I've never seen myself as that strong, honestly...but I must have been. Pardon me while I sit here in awe over this revelation lol, I didn't even feel this way when I identified as an atheist a few years ago, but this is something. I've been capable all along.
*decloak*
If I may be so bold, this epiphany is exactly what religion aims to nullify. After all, if people were capable of helping themselves/others through times of pain, then what need would there be for gods?
From the outside looking in, whenever I see people, especially Christians, say that they're nothing, or, even worse, terrible and it's only through their god's grace that they have any value whatsoever, I want to scream. Because it's an incredibly unhealthy mindset, one that's purposely engineered by the religion itself to maintain dependency.
Theists, especially Christians, like to frame god as a benevolent parent. Yet, when one says they don't need god, they freak the fuck out. That has always struck me as being incredibly odd, since one of the main goals of parenthood is to create children that will one day be confident and independent. So, even if there were a god, I'd think it'd be happy to see its creations stop metaphorically living in its basement of faith to move on to bigger and better things.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, other than to say: having confidence in yourself, and believing that you're capable of coping on your own, isn't a sin. It's not arrogance. It's just another stage in your own personal development.
*recloaking*
You know, I don't even have a problem with a certain kind of humility and gratitude, but it doesn't need to be so groveling. I mean, if you've ever had trouble coming up with something you know you know but your memory won't cooperate or if you've ever had writer's block, you know that not everything is under your own control at all times. When everything is going great it isn't a bad thing to be appreciative for how your organism firing on all its pistons. But there is no need to attribute that to the willful interference or benevolence of some external agency, let alone to listen to another man tell you how you need to act in order to curry that agency's favor.
(July 11, 2017 at 11:02 am)Khemikal Wrote:(July 11, 2017 at 10:23 am)KevinM1 Wrote: I'm not sure where I'm going with this, other than to say: having confidence in yourself, and believing that you're capable of coping on your own, isn't a sin. It's not arrogance. It's just another stage in your own personal development.
*recloaking*
As a point of esoterica...the story of jesus walking on water -attempts- to communicate this through a common and recognizable narrative tradition...but for whatever reason, fails to do so in the minds of the faithful. It becomes a paltry miracle, instead. Magic man has buoyant feet.
It's as if they can't even imagine that "I am the way" was meant to inspire them to attain the same transcendence, not to cower and shrink from all ambition.
(July 13, 2017 at 12:34 pm)Lek Wrote: I believe that it's instinctive for humans to believe in something spiritual or supernatural. That's why almost all people have and do believe in the supernatural. Going through life has made me aware that there is much we experience that can't be explained by a scientific fact. Some things that make us human are beyond our physical make-up.
If you thought rape was instinctual would you advocate for it?
