Origin of the question:
A few months ago a normal looking guy approached me on a busy subway platform. I thought he might want directions so I removed my headphones to hear to him.
Guy: Can you pray for me? Can you pray for me to get a job and get a driver's license and find a girlfriend?
shadow: It wouldn't do you any good.
Guy: Can you pray for me?
shadow: If you want those things, you have to work towards them. Praying wouldn't make any difference: there's no god watching over you, and if there were, he wouldn't really care what I wanted. The only actual way to actively attain your goals is to work for them.
Guy: Jesus loves me. Can you pray for me to get a job and a driver's license and a girlfriend?
I realize that this guy may be mentally ill. There wouldn't be much point in arguing with him.
shadow: No...
The guy eventually wandered off and bothered other people with the same question. The funny thing was, EVERY other person nodded and smiled to him. Some people said stuff like 'of course' in a fake cheery voice. Once we boarded the train, he pointed towards me and told a group of random people that I had refused to pray for him. Suddenly half the train car was glaring at me.
I know that statistically the majority of people in my area are nonreligious. So, I considered, why is everyone egging him on and supporting his delusions? I'd never considered the question before, but intuitively it would feel almost... evil to lie to someone like that just to avoid confrontation. I felt it would have been misleading and wrong to give a vulnerable person the impression that their situation was going to improve on its own through some nonexistent force.
The issue:
There are some people, and we all know them, who there is no point arguing with. Whether they are mentally incapable of understanding reason or not in a position to reconsider their beliefs, some deluded people seem to be unable of understanding rational argument. My question concerns whether we should ever give up on someone as 'too far gone' for rational thought, and whether it is ever moral to foster their delusion. Should we just let people live in a fantasy land, even when it impairs their ability to make decisions and improve their own condition? Taking this farther, is it wrong oppose the delusion in those who we deem to have no prospects? I'd be very curious to hear the viewpoint of other atheists on this topic.
A few months ago a normal looking guy approached me on a busy subway platform. I thought he might want directions so I removed my headphones to hear to him.
Guy: Can you pray for me? Can you pray for me to get a job and get a driver's license and find a girlfriend?
shadow: It wouldn't do you any good.
Guy: Can you pray for me?
shadow: If you want those things, you have to work towards them. Praying wouldn't make any difference: there's no god watching over you, and if there were, he wouldn't really care what I wanted. The only actual way to actively attain your goals is to work for them.
Guy: Jesus loves me. Can you pray for me to get a job and a driver's license and a girlfriend?
I realize that this guy may be mentally ill. There wouldn't be much point in arguing with him.
shadow: No...
The guy eventually wandered off and bothered other people with the same question. The funny thing was, EVERY other person nodded and smiled to him. Some people said stuff like 'of course' in a fake cheery voice. Once we boarded the train, he pointed towards me and told a group of random people that I had refused to pray for him. Suddenly half the train car was glaring at me.
I know that statistically the majority of people in my area are nonreligious. So, I considered, why is everyone egging him on and supporting his delusions? I'd never considered the question before, but intuitively it would feel almost... evil to lie to someone like that just to avoid confrontation. I felt it would have been misleading and wrong to give a vulnerable person the impression that their situation was going to improve on its own through some nonexistent force.
The issue:
There are some people, and we all know them, who there is no point arguing with. Whether they are mentally incapable of understanding reason or not in a position to reconsider their beliefs, some deluded people seem to be unable of understanding rational argument. My question concerns whether we should ever give up on someone as 'too far gone' for rational thought, and whether it is ever moral to foster their delusion. Should we just let people live in a fantasy land, even when it impairs their ability to make decisions and improve their own condition? Taking this farther, is it wrong oppose the delusion in those who we deem to have no prospects? I'd be very curious to hear the viewpoint of other atheists on this topic.
