The Easy Life

[Mock Turtle]

As someone who can entertain the thought that there might be some creator or creative force - not sure how one could define this properly - such that I am agnostic concerning this, but who also just cannot conceive of religions not being just the products of human minds (with the likelihood of errors), I find myself in a relatively easy space mentally. That is, I don't particularly have to defend anything, apart from my non-religious views, and of course that means the larger numbers of humanity, but I'm not really that bothered there, since what others believe is their concern not mine. Any with any particular religious belief however, unless they just ignore any criticisms, will often have to defend their beliefs and/or deal with any conflicts arising from all the various inconsistences that almost inevitably arise in most religions. Apart from the differences between all the various faiths too.

So, do I have the Easy Life, or do those having a religious conviction do so?

 

[Jumi]

It's always easy when you're not too committed to something that would require extra effort. I think the religious convictions you refer to are those who have unresolved internal conflicts with their beliefs or conflicts with how other people should dress, eat, live and die. With relaxed religious beliefs, it's about the same...

 

[Mock Turtle]

It's always easy when you're not too committed to something that would require extra effort. I think the religious convictions you refer to are those who have unresolved internal conflicts with their beliefs or conflicts with how other people should dress, eat, live and die. With relaxed religious beliefs, it's about the same...

A bit difficult to define commitment often, when one tends to burrow more into one's own religion - studying the scriptures and such - when it might be seen just as much as self-indoctrination. Many others, like here perhaps, will be seeking to be challenged so as to ensure their beliefs still remain intact regardless of any attacks. But, as you say, many will be sufficiently relaxed so as not to be so conflicted. It's just something that has never bothered me that much - I'm unlikely to ever change my mind over such things - and I view any studies of religious beliefs to be a diversion from other areas. For me, that's the easy life.

 

[Stanyon]

Life is easy, some people just want to make it complicated for themselves and others.

 

[sun rise]

I'm not sure an easy life is the goal, at least for me. But maybe I'm weird in enjoying challenges.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I'm not sure an easy life is the goal, at least for me. But maybe I'm weird in enjoying challenges.

There are enough of those without religion to complicate matters.

 

[Jumi]

A bit difficult to define commitment often, when one tends to burrow more into one's own religion - studying the scriptures and such - when it might be seen just as much as self-indoctrination. Many others, like here perhaps, will be seeking to be challenged so as to ensure their beliefs still remain intact regardless of any attacks. But, as you say, many will be sufficiently relaxed so as not to be so conflicted. It's just something that has never bothered me that much - I'm unlikely to ever change my mind over such things - and I view any studies of religious beliefs to be a diversion from other areas. For me, that's the easy life.

By commitment I was thinking of folks having emotional worries about their beliefs. If you(meaning generic you, not yourself) attacked my beliefs I'd be rather interested if there's something I can improve on.

You can read scriptures like any other text, sometimes there's good ideas, sometimes bad... sometimes you might later on realize there was something interesting there or not.

 

[Mock Turtle]

By commitment I was thinking of folks having emotional worries about their beliefs. If you(meaning generic you, not yourself) attacked my beliefs I'd be rather interested if there's something I can improve on.

You can read scriptures like any other text, sometimes there's good ideas, sometimes bad... sometimes you might later on realize there was something interesting there or not.

I had a look into all the various religions long ago, can't remember the exact book that had the fundamentals, and I have all the texts for the major religions, apart from Judaism (the Torah?). It's just a lot of work for no reward really to go deeply into any when the major beliefs make no sense - and they don't to me - hence no real inclination to study them. I have little faith in the written word from long ago, like almost anything from the past. And why would I select one over another to study?

 

[Akivah]

I find myself in a relatively easy space mentally. That is, I don't particularly have to defend anything, apart from my non-religious views, and of course that means the larger numbers of humanity, but I'm not really that bothered there, since what others believe is their concern not mine. Any with any particular religious belief however, unless they just ignore any criticisms, will often have to defend their beliefs and/or deal with any conflicts arising from all the various inconsistences that almost inevitably arise in most religions. Apart from the differences between all the various faiths too.

So, do I have the Easy Life, or do those having a religious conviction do so?

This is the Human experience. All of us could be bothered by any another person with different beliefs and opinions. Unless I'm in the mood for a debate, I have no need to defend my beliefs on a regular basis.

 

[Akivah]

I had a look into all the various religions long ago, can't remember the exact book that had the fundamentals, and I have all the texts for the major religions, apart from Judaism (the Torah?). It's just a lot of work for no reward really to go deeply into any when the major beliefs make no sense - and they don't to me - hence no real inclination to study them. I have little faith in the written word from long ago, like almost anything from the past. And why would I select one over another to study?

I agree that studying different beliefs to a point where they make sense is a lot of work. For people satisfied with their beliefs, such a search makes no sense. People generally wouldn't study another, when their own belief system works for them and makes sense to them.

 

[Jumi]

I had a look into all the various religions long ago, can't remember the exact book that had the fundamentals, and I have all the texts for the major religions, apart from Judaism (the Torah?). It's just a lot of work for no reward really to go deeply into any when the major beliefs make no sense - and they don't to me - hence no real inclination to study them. I have little faith in the written word from long ago, like almost anything from the past. And why would I select one over another to study?

I'm not much of a true believer myself so I wouldn't recommend one for you to study. I'm not hiding a Bible behind my back.

In my point of view it doesn't help much to study religious texts if you don't have a mystical experience. And after you've had one, you pretty much don't need them, it only helps talking to other people who've had them. Well maybe there's one other good use, there are some decent ethical guidelines that help when talking with believers when you know their text, so you don't need to keep guessing on some meanings.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I'm not much of a true believer myself so I wouldn't recommend one for you to study. I'm not hiding a Bible behind my back.

In my point of view it doesn't help much to study religious texts if you don't have a mystical experience. And after you've had one, you pretty much don't need them, it only helps talking to other people who've had them. Well maybe there's one other good use, there are some decent ethical guidelines that help when talking with believers when you know their text, so you don't need to keep guessing on some meanings.

I suspect my one and only mystical experience will be my very last experience.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I suppose I should have countered my proposition by the fact that most of us without any religious belief usually will have to work out our own morality or get it from elsewhere, possibly from a religion even, but I'm sure most of us can recognise moral behaviour when we see it. Those with a religious belief might have it easier in this respect but not necessarily, since often one's conscience or other beliefs might conflict with any religious ones.