RE: How do I get over that "feeling" that god exists?
April 15, 2015 at 10:57 am
(This post was last modified: April 15, 2015 at 10:58 am by henryp.)
It's human nature. To shake the afterlife threat, you have to accept the alternative that what you do has no ultimate meaning, and that when you die, you stop existing.
Both of those seem to be contrary to what we are inclined to think both from our nature and nurture, so we are predisposed to cling a bit to things like Gods.
I find the way to do it, is to go over the reasons why you are no longer religious. Make that ironclad list of problems that make God an impossibility. Then realize that your impulse to believe or be afraid is just biological/upbringing and not based in reality. And if it persists, take some comfort in your list, in that you could show it to a God if there were one, and say "Look, you put me in a situation where it didn't add up. Look at my list. I couldn't come to a different conclusion if I wanted to." and a benevolent God would have to be like "Yup, my bad. No eternal damnation for a screwup on my end. Enjoy your everlasting happiness!"
In the end, it's the same as being scared of Thunder. I assume we have an evolutionary fear of loud noises for practical purposes. But we can overcome that. Or at least realize that it's silly, and know that the fear we feel is just a reflex not a rational thought.
Both of those seem to be contrary to what we are inclined to think both from our nature and nurture, so we are predisposed to cling a bit to things like Gods.
I find the way to do it, is to go over the reasons why you are no longer religious. Make that ironclad list of problems that make God an impossibility. Then realize that your impulse to believe or be afraid is just biological/upbringing and not based in reality. And if it persists, take some comfort in your list, in that you could show it to a God if there were one, and say "Look, you put me in a situation where it didn't add up. Look at my list. I couldn't come to a different conclusion if I wanted to." and a benevolent God would have to be like "Yup, my bad. No eternal damnation for a screwup on my end. Enjoy your everlasting happiness!"
In the end, it's the same as being scared of Thunder. I assume we have an evolutionary fear of loud noises for practical purposes. But we can overcome that. Or at least realize that it's silly, and know that the fear we feel is just a reflex not a rational thought.
