(March 28, 2019 at 5:15 pm)Der/die AtheistIn Wrote: As said in the title, she told me that "the positive energy" given by religion is enough to justify belief. When I told her that my history teacher stated Jesus's existence has not been proven, she responded: "I don't understand his affirmation. Does he mean that the body of Jesus was never found? It's because Jesus ascended". She told me directly and with no hesitation that feelings are enough. Why does she even try to make other points?
I can't be sure what your mother meant.
I do think that we tend to narrow the meaning of the word "belief" these days.
We use it to mean only "assent to the truth of a proposition." Whereas I suspect most people in history saw it as more like moral commitment, or ritual enactment, or emotional attachment. "Is it historically true, in the way history or journalism is supposed to be true?" is not a primary question for such people, probably.
