It's easy to be Religious if you live in the West (mostly).

[Mycroft]

It's easy to be religious if you live in the West. For the most part, anyway. There are no real challenges to your faith. At all. It's easy.

Not getting that promotion is not a challenge of faith. Nor is a love one dying, that's just your choice to grieve their loss rather than cherish the times you had with them. That's not a challenge to faith. Atheists droning on about evolution is not a challenge to your faith either. Nor are fossils. These are, at best, minor inconveniences.

As a Westerner, you're rich. Very rich. If you live in a house, sleep in a bed, keep your food in a fridge and your clothes in a wardrobe, then you're richer than 75% of the worlds population.

If you have access to sanitation, then you're part of the richest 35% of the worlds population.

If you're reading this (on the internet), you're part of the richest 30%.

If you have a college degree, you're richer than 95% of the world's population.

If you have a secondary level education, you're richer than 92% of the world's population.

If you have a basic water source you're part of the richest 85% of the world's population.

6% of all human beings own 59% of the world's wealth.

I could go on.


If you live in a house, sleep in a bed, have a car in the drive, TV in the living room, computer in the study, electricity, Internet, water, wife, kids, dog, phone, job, then it's easy to say 'god is good.'

Remember that.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

And yet, the most religious people are the least well off.

 

[Mycroft]

And yet, the most religious people are the least well off.

That's because their religion(s) have created hatred, leading to war and injustice and oppression, which always leads to poverty, hunger and so on. That's not their fault, granted, but there it is.

 

[Cardboard]

It's easy to be religious if you live in the West. For the most part, anyway. There are no real challenges to your faith. At all. It's easy.

Not getting that promotion is not a challenge of faith. Nor is a love one dying, that's just your choice to grieve their loss rather than cherish the times you had with them. That's not a challenge to faith. Atheists droning on about evolution is not a challenge to your faith either. Nor are fossils. These are, at best, minor inconveniences.

As a Westerner, you're rich. Very rich. If you live in a house, sleep in a bed, keep your food in a fridge and your clothes in a wardrobe, then you're richer than 75% of the worlds population.

If you have access to sanitation, then you're part of the richest 35% of the worlds population.

If you're reading this (on the internet), you're part of the richest 30%.

If you have a college degree, you're richer than 95% of the world's population.

If you have a secondary level education, you're richer than 92% of the world's population.

If you have a basic water source you're part of the richest 85% of the world's population.

6% of all human beings own 59% of the world's wealth.

I could go on.


If you live in a house, sleep in a bed, have a car in the drive, TV in the living room, computer in the study, electricity, Internet, water, wife, kids, dog, phone, job, then it's easy to say 'Good is good.'

Remember that.

Awesome post..In early childhood I grew up pretty server poverty, but childhood memories are nostalgic, i remember being hungy, cold, but i had my family..It is good to remember those things for perspective, we do oh so forget.

 

[Glaurung]

It's easy to be religious if you live in the West. For the most part, anyway. There are no real challenges to your faith. At all. It's easy.

If your faith is but an easy comfort or cultural pretence, then it's not much of a faith at all.

But you know, atheism must be a hard conviction in the west, with all the religious people oppressing you with their roadside crosses.

That's because their religion(s) have created hatred, leading to war and injustice and oppression, which always leads to poverty, hunger and so on. That's not their fault, granted, but there it is.

Are you intentionally being simplistic, or do you actually believe in your own propaganda?

 

[1137]

Rather good points to be made.

 

[Cardboard]

If your faith is but an easy comfort or cultural pretence, then it's not much of a faith at all.
But you know, atheism must be a hard conviction in the west with all the religious people oppressing you with those roadside crosses

Well, he does have a point, as far as how we take for granted what we have.

I do agree that if those comforts are not present then people perspective would be different.

But I think that lack of these comforts would actually drive people to a deeper faith, not away from it.

 

[Sees]

When your environment, circumstances, life in general is crap....it's hard to believe in, trust, or have faith in much at all and even a secular philosophy on life would reflect the frustrations and suffering.

 

[Mycroft]

If your faith is but an easy comfort or cultural pretence, then it's not much of a faith at all.

But it's easy for you to say that. When has your faith ever been challenged to the degree of, say, the palestinians? Or those people in the middle east being systematically hunted and exterminated by religious militants? Have you ever been on the run in fear for your life because you refused to denounce a certain god? No. So dismount the high horse.

But you know, atheism must be a hard conviction in the west, with all the religious people oppressing you with their roadside crosses.

I'm well aware that I'm part of the richest 6% of the world's population, even above that nominal 25%. I don't find it oppressive that religious people are banging on the doors of science classrooms trying to get creationism in science textbooks, I find it at best amusing and at worst, a little sad.

Are you intentionally being simplistic, or do you actually believe in your own propaganda?

So you think if there was no 'promised land' for the Jews they'd still be making all this fuss over palestine?

 

[Sees]

That's because their religion(s) have created hatred, leading to war and injustice and oppression, which always leads to poverty, hunger and so on. That's not their fault, granted, but there it is.

Sloppy war-profiteering....

Funny thing with history is the places with the luxuries and riches boomed during high tide of religiousness...and when it was sustained and things became even easier - irreligiousness rises. I think it's because of other factors personally.

 

[chinu]

If you live in a house, sleep in a bed, have a car in the drive, TV in the living room, computer in the study, electricity, Internet, water, wife, kids, dog, phone, job, then it's easy to say 'god is good.' Remember that.

say.. God is Good
say.. God is Bad
or say.. God is average

But!
We have to say.. GOD is GOD. We don't have any other name for this "Thing".

Whether you have a car in the drive, TV in the living room, computer in the study, electricity, Internet, water, wife, kids, dog, phone, job etc. If you are hearty-satisfied with what you have than you are a KING because BEGGAR is said to be the one who always seems to be begging for something.

Hearty-satisfied = KING
Hearty-unsatisfied = BEGGAR (It does't matter what he have or not)

Right Now, be a KING or be a BEGGAR its all depends on the level of your contentment

 

[Thana]

It's easy to be religious if you live in the West. For the most part, anyway. There are no real challenges to your faith. At all. It's easy.

If you live in a house, sleep in a bed, have a car in the drive, TV in the living room, computer in the study, electricity, Internet, water, wife, kids, dog, phone, job, then it's easy to say 'god is good.'

Remember that.

God is good, Just because people suffer, How does that diminish his benevolence?

It's also easy to be irreligious in the west. Heaven forbid you be an Atheist somewhere like Pakistan or Yemen. So? What is your point? We cannot control where we are born.

 

[Mycroft]

God is good, Just because people suffer, How does that diminish his benevolence?

Assuming he actually existed at all: I'm not. I'm saying it's easier to believe he is benevolent when no real bad stuff has ever happened to you.

It's also easy to be irreligious in the west. Heaven forbid you be an Atheist somewhere like Pakistan or Yemen. So? What is your point? We cannot control where we are born.

Sure. But by the same token it's also much easier to question whether god existed at all when folks are firing their guns at you and yours. Trying to counter with 'Oh but it's easy to be atheist blah blah' is a little reckless, as far as counter-arguments go.

 

[chinu]

Assuming he actually existed at all: I'm not. I'm saying it's easier to believe he is benevolent when no real bad stuff has ever happened to you.

Yes, that is the nature of human mind

 

[Estro Felino]

Well, God is good but people are evil.

First of all, people are money-hungry and lots of people have much more than they spend in a month. This is unjust. It is called bad distribution of wealth

Money is not unlimited: the more money you have, the less money will circulate in a economic system

Secondly, the great issue is overpopulation. Given that people are not responsible and make children as bunnies do, it is obvious that problems will increase
If the world population were small, we could help everyone


by small I mean less than 1 billion

 

[Koldo]

When your environment, circumstances, life in general is crap....it's hard to believe in, trust, or have faith in much at all and even a secular philosophy on life would reflect the frustrations and suffering.

Actually, religions tend to thrive when life in general is crap.

 

[Glaurung]

But it's easy for you to say that. When has your faith ever been challenged to the degree of, say, the palestinians? Or those people in the middle east being systematically hunted and exterminated by religious militants? Have you ever been on the run in fear for your life because you refused to denounce a certain god? No. So dismount the high horse.

Because I'm fortunate enough to live in the circumstances that I do means that in no instance my life or faith can be challenging? Using your reasoning, anyone with depression in an industrialised country is just a pathetic whiner, because hey, they could be a Coptic Christian in the middle east!

So perhaps you should take your own advice.

I'm well aware that I'm part of the richest 6% of the world's population, even above that nominal 25%. I don't find it oppressive that religious people are banging on the doors of science classrooms trying to get creationism in science textbooks, I find it at best amusing and at worst, a little sad.

And you think that theism somehow impedes that exact same recognition? And you don't think I can't find the exact same amusement in those who throw a hissy fit to the courts the moment they are exposed to something Christian in public? How many petty causes have the American Atheists pursued? You'd think with all that passion they could actually do something productive.

So you think if there was no 'promised land' for the Jews they'd still be making all this fuss over palestine?

Spare me the whole religion causes all war spiel. And it's not as if the Palestinians haven't been offered an independent state how many times now? Israel exists, whether you and they like it or not. The war is absurd but it's not Judaism that's responsible.

 

[Thana]

Assuming he actually existed at all: I'm not. I'm saying it's easier to believe he is benevolent when no real bad stuff has ever happened to you.

No real bad stuff has ever happened to me, Or people like me living in the west?
Bit of a reckless statement to make. Are you sure you really think that? We may not have to deal with war and bombs, But there are just as equal horrors and evils in the west.

 

[chinu]

Well, God is good but people are evil.

First of all, people are money-hungry and lots of people have much more than they spend in a month. This is unjust. It is called bad distribution of wealth

Money is not unlimited: the more money you have, the less money will circulate in a economic system

Secondly, the great issue is overpopulation. Given that people are not responsible and make children as bunnies do, it is obvious that problems will increase
If the world population were small, we could help everyone


by small I mean less than 1 billion

And the world with the less population.. That time is very far since from now.

 

[Mycroft]

No real bad stuff has ever happened to me, Or people like me living in the west?
Bit of a reckless statement to make. Are you sure you really think that? We may not have to deal with war and bombs, But there are just as equal horrors and evils in the west.

Give us an example of your bad stuff then?