(May 20, 2015 at 4:20 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: I really really dislike the argument that 'some people' just need religion, as if one could possible test that hypothesis. No, I don't think that there are 'some people' that just couldn't function in this world without their faith except in the sense that their faith is the thing that makes them think that in the first place.
But then how do you explain people like me? I don't have a faith that's making me think I need it. I have a great range of coping mechanisms, including medication, having a job I like, a very regular sleep schedule, philosophy, nutrition, mindfulness meditation, hobbies and socialising with people I love and who love me. With all this I'm much improved but I'm still not the happy, carefree person I have been at times in the past, even though my life circumstances are definitely the best they've ever been. There are still certain things I want to do very much, but can''t and might never be able to again, like activism, volunteering for the homeless, watching the news or reading a newspaper, or even following freely the kind of Twitter accounts I'd like to follow. Avoidance of potential OCD triggers still lowers my quality of life and capacity to contribute to society, and because of the obsessions I still sometimes think about suicide. If even I think I'd feel better with certain types of religion, what about the many people with none of the advantages and resources that I have at my disposal?
"Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is like when you trust yourself to the water. You don't grab hold of the water when you swim, because if you do you will become stiff and tight in the water, and sink. You have to relax, and the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging, and holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be."
Alan Watts
Alan Watts
