RE: What is the best counter argument against "What do you lose by believing?"
May 1, 2021 at 7:32 pm
First of all, beliefs are not a choice. We can't just choose to believe, we believe the things for which we are convinced to be true, or likely true.
So, the best I could do, is act as if I believe, I guess to cover my ass. But what god would not be able to detect my shallow attempts to pull one over on him/her/it/them?
Or maybe I could act as if I believe in order to "fake it until I make it". But how is this any different than self indoctrination?
But, belief in which god? If I believe in the wrong god, I am possibly pissing off the god that does exist. Therefore, I might lose out on some possible paradise in the after life. And since there is no good, evidential and logically valid and sound reasons to believe in any gods, I have absolutely no way to tell which gods I am going to piss off.
Do I 'chose' to believe in order to avoid the worst afterlife, or to gain the best one?
So, the best I could do, is act as if I believe, I guess to cover my ass. But what god would not be able to detect my shallow attempts to pull one over on him/her/it/them?
Or maybe I could act as if I believe in order to "fake it until I make it". But how is this any different than self indoctrination?
But, belief in which god? If I believe in the wrong god, I am possibly pissing off the god that does exist. Therefore, I might lose out on some possible paradise in the after life. And since there is no good, evidential and logically valid and sound reasons to believe in any gods, I have absolutely no way to tell which gods I am going to piss off.
Do I 'chose' to believe in order to avoid the worst afterlife, or to gain the best one?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
