Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Seasidechap on January 15, 2012 at 8:45am

I've always held the view that the need for any religious belief is based around fear, in particular the fear of the unknown. By adopting a belief in a deity, the theist has a rational for all those things in life that he/she can't find a rational answer for.

That belief becomes integral to their personality.

When an atheist states that they reject this belief then, is a certain light, the theist is diminished. We are rejecting something that the theist has incorporated into their very existence and upon which they depend. So to them, I guess it does look like a justified accusation of arrogance on our part. We appear to be exaggerating an element of our personality or belief system that they have delegated to a third party.

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Permalink Reply by Ed on January 15, 2012 at 10:26pm

@ Seaside

I always felt the element of fear was a big reason for the dependence on religion. I am moving away from that idea now. I have been reading anthropologist Pascal Boyer's book "Religion Explained" and it  provides insight into the cognitive evolution of our brains and the use of religion from a social perspective. Very interesting material.

 

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Permalink Reply by Seasidechap on January 16, 2012 at 5:51am

As a (mature) psychology student, that's interesting. I'll look it up. Thanks

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Permalink Reply by bob spencer on January 15, 2012 at 9:32am

God made the universe in the dark. Then he put the lights on and saw that it was good. Now there's arrogance

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Permalink Reply by Ron V on January 15, 2012 at 11:12am

Yes - but I more often get "you think too much" from some members of my family.

I think any challenges to religious beliefs might be "arrogant" if they doubt or challenge infallible words of god.

Is the flying spaghetti monster as arrogant as atheism?

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Permalink Reply by Richard Raymond on January 15, 2012 at 11:32am

I use the FSM analogy as a way of showing theists that all religions/gods are the same; non-existent!  In other words if you want to make fun of my god it's okay for me to make fun of yours !  Hopefully, somewhere down the line religionists will realize THEY are all creations of our imagination.  

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Permalink Reply by Ron V on January 16, 2012 at 7:27pm

I love the FSM concept - and I have been blessed by his noodly appendages

I think we should have a National Flying Spaghetti Monster holiday- a day of eating pasta and drinking wine!   I believe ChriFSMas is/was on the FSM website- I like the name, and we could just change Christmas to ChriFSMas.

(I actually started replying "merry ChriFSMas to people when they said "merry christmas" to me- a few raised eyebrows, but no one questioned me- I think they thought I had a speech impediment).

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Permalink Reply by Barry Eckert on January 17, 2012 at 6:04am

and mewwy nu yare

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on January 15, 2012 at 2:29pm

Not just in matters of religion, but in many areas of life I've found that when you are good at argument and debate and beat others in an argument or debate, they have their ways of minimizing the damage. "I know I'm right; I'm just not as good at arguing as you are," for example. And then there are the people whose response to a sturdy defense of a point of view is to brand you as lacking an open mind, as if one is never justified in drawing a conclusion, and ignoring the fact that they are arguing based on firmly held beliefs.

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Permalink Reply by Barry Eckert on January 15, 2012 at 6:24pm

My response to your example would have to be something like "Well, I understand. It's hard to be good at arguing when your position is unsupportable and you have no facts."

And I get the 'closed-mind' thing all the time. If you would just read the Bible... I have, you dumbass, and know it better than you do.Your heart is hardened. And your head is hardened.

Ppfft.

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