(January 18, 2021 at 11:57 pm)HappySkeptic Wrote: I am a member of a UU church. No doctrines preached and no specific rules. Just some respect for universal rights and values. It's not for most, though. We don't actually give any answers.
I think it is psychology that people value things that cost more. If a religion has no cost, how can it be valuable? If anyone gets in to heaven, then why bother being good? That is what the traditional religions provide -- a set of costs that promise an ultimate reward.
I think the spiritual path is far better. When you find what you value, you will try to honor that in your actions, to be true to yourself. Self-integrity is part of self-love and self-esteem. And yeah, I fail at that sometimes, but slaughtering 2 doves or accepting wine from a priest won't wash away mistakes by blood-magic. I just try to learn from them. Or, I just go have a beer
While I am posting and reading here, I'm also watching atheist content from the skeptics community on youtube. I think I am barely at the tip of the iceberg because each day, I amend my old understanding with new concepts presented to me. Like, for instance, I've only recently come to understand the difference between theist and religious and that some atheists can be religious. It's opened up a new world of nuance and possibility in how I want to examine the world and how I want to better know myself.
You bring up an excellent point. When I was Mormon, I automatically rejected the idea of going to any other church because it felt like none of them worked hard enough. To me, faith had become wrapped up in the shame and guilt cycles, the busywork, the constant self-monitoring and self-repression, as well as the rituals, the scripture study, and giving all to servicing the Lord that was demanded by the cult. Anything that asked less of me didn't mae sense, didn't feel right. Worship was defined as sacrifice. So, I can understand and empathize with that point of view. That some would feel like the struggle of this life, just the natural turmoil of humanness, the chaos of unpredictable days, doesn't mean as much if you're not doing it for deity.
