The need to believe?

[*Deidre*]

Would it matter if we had developed an instinct for "seeking god"?  No, and that -is- whateverists point.  Something more is required for advocacy - what you're offering, completely aside of it's shoddy relationship to truth...is just lazy.

I;m more than willing to grant that we developed such an instinct...but probably not for seeking "god" - more like for seeking out dinner and threats of becoming dinner.  For "seeking out" intentionality..not the least of which, a human being hiding in the brush.  More projection..but hey.....we're evolved creatures..so you expect the features to have kinks.

I was replying to Deidre's dilemma about reasoning that there is no God, but feeling the need for spirituality.  I responded that I believed that a need for spiritually is instinctive.  So it does matter that we have an instinct for seeking God, which could be a factor in her situation.

Hi Lek, it's funny you bring this up. I had read a few years ago, an article about how archaeologists had determined that ''religion'' or what could be considered early forms of it, dated back to pre-historic times, like with how people looked at altering their states of consciousness. So, maybe it's instinctual to explore or be curious, but I don't think it's instinctive to believe. As humans, we are curious though by nature, but probaly what is instinctive is the desire for security. To feel safe. Creating a powerful god in our minds to handle all of our troubles, even if that is a fantasy, can bring about those feelings of comfort. It's instinctive to want to feel safe, I think.

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This week just got better and better. I woke up this morning, thinking about prayer. That's a very habitual thing that I've done in my life upon waking or going to bed, and when I identified as an atheist a few years back, I had already fallen away from prayer. It was all like a gradual unraveling back then. But I feel like I've been here before, and yet this also feels different because I don't want to believe anymore. Whereas before, I logically rejected faith but still felt uneasy about identifying as an atheist, tbh. 

I think that is the game changer now for me, that I just don't want to believe. I'm not afraid to NOT believe, anymore. So, before work, instead of prayer, I reflected on the day, and promised myself that I would do my best to overcome what might come my way. (I like meditation in this regard, too) 

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I feel really good about how I'm seeing myself.

Deidre, may much fortune, truth and beauty come to you

And to you, as well.