Which of your beliefs are correct?

[an anarchist]

Thought experiment.

Post the (religious) beliefs that you hold that you are certain are factually correct. I know I said religious, but atheists are welcome to answer too, I encourage it! Like, is an atheist certain there is no god?

I'll start.

If I had to choose a belief that I hold that I am certain of, it is this: suffering is not inevitable. It is my most deeply believed religious belief. But I'm not even certain about this (the reason being is that you guys tell me suffering is inevitable) I believe it, but am I certain? Or is their faith involved? If I develop this philosophy, it doesn't matter if it is wrong I think, because of what it inspires: collective morality. I think the belief implies a higher power.

Let's talk about Christians for a minute. I grew up protestant, mostly in a fundamental baptist church. In those circles, there is a certain pride in having no doubt about the factuality of the Bible and Jesus's godhood. If you lack "faith" i.e. have any reasonable doubts, that is a concern. So, I think many Christians are certain that their beliefs are factually correct. They don't entertain the fact that there are other possibilities.

I joined this site as a Bible literalist with the mindset that I was factually correct. But then, I allowed myself to entertain the idea that I could be wrong. Now I am an apostate.

I aspire to be a polytheist/pagan. I am not certain of the gods reality. I have faith and I do genuinely believe them I think, but it is not a fact of life yet for me. Perhaps it never will be. The factuality of my gods may be irrelevant to my ambitions in the end.

Tangent - I aspire to practice dharmic religion as well as a discipline really

Looking forward to hearing your responses!

 

[Trailblazer]

Post the (religious) beliefs that you hold that you are certain are factually correct. I know I said religious, but atheists are welcome to answer too, I encourage it! Like, is an atheist certain there is no god?

A religious belief that I am certain of is that God exists.

If I had to choose a belief that I hold that I am certain of, it is this: suffering is not inevitable. It is my most deeply believed religious belief. But I'm not even certain about this (the reason being is that you guys tell me suffering is inevitable) I believe it, but am I certain? Or is their faith involved? If I develop this philosophy, it doesn't matter if it is wrong I think, because of what it inspires: collective morality. I think the belief implies a higher power.

I believe that suffering is inevitable. Everyone suffers some because this material world is a storehouse of suffering, but how much people suffer varies among people and it is determined by many factors. Some people claim that suffering is completely avoidable but they should only speak for themselves. If they say that everyone can avoid suffering that is as much as saying that people who suffer don't have to suffer if only they do what I do, and that is the same as blaming them for their suffering. I consider that to be arrogant.

Even the Prophets of God suffered! If all suffering is avoidable then why did the Prophets of God suffer?

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Thought experiment.

Post the (religious) beliefs that you hold that you are certain are factually correct. I know I said religious, but atheists are welcome to answer too, I encourage it! Like, is an atheist certain there is no god?

I'll start.

If I had to choose a belief that I hold that I am certain of, it is this: suffering is not inevitable. It is my most deeply believed religious belief. But I'm not even certain about this (the reason being is that you guys tell me suffering is inevitable) I believe it, but am I certain? Or is their faith involved? If I develop this philosophy, it doesn't matter if it is wrong I think, because of what it inspires: collective morality. I think the belief implies a higher power.

Let's talk about Christians for a minute. I grew up protestant, mostly in a fundamental baptist church. In those circles, there is a certain pride in having no doubt about the factuality of the Bible and Jesus's godhood. If you lack "faith" i.e. have any reasonable doubts, that is a concern. So, I think many Christians are certain that their beliefs are factually correct. They don't entertain the fact that there are other possibilities.

I joined this site as a Bible literalist with the mindset that I was factually correct. But then, I allowed myself to entertain the idea that I could be wrong. Now I am an apostate.

I aspire to be a polytheist/pagan. I am not certain of the gods reality. I have faith and I do genuinely believe them I think, but it is not a fact of life yet for me. Perhaps it never will be. The factuality of my gods may be irrelevant to my ambitions in the end.

Tangent - I aspire to practice dharmic religion as well as a discipline really

Looking forward to hearing your responses!

Well as an atheist, I actively try to not hold beliefs "religiously" (which is to say: on faith).
Instead, I actively try to base my beliefs on evidence instead.

And obviously I think all of my beliefs are correct, or I wouldn't hold them.
At the same time, I'm certain that at least some of those beliefs will turn out incorrect.
And I don't know which ones. Because if I knew that, they wouldn't be part of my beliefs.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Leviticus 19:33-34

 

[Mock Turtle]

I think it is pretty obvious that all religious beliefs simply cannot be correct - since so many tend to contradict other beliefs. Unless reality is even worse than we might imagine.

So I would bet that the larger numbers of people are wrong in their beliefs, even if a God does exist.

 

[F1fan]

Thought experiment.

Post the (religious) beliefs that you hold that you are certain are factually correct.

If theists were intellectually honest and savvy thinkers none of them would be certain about their beliefs. Many are, and many have beliefs that are implausible and even dangerous. Belief itself is uncertain by definition. We humans make judgments and believe because we AREN'T certain, and since we are making judgments we should treat belief as temporary and subject to change. No beliefs should be permanent. We can be certain about facts, and many forms of knowledge. But even in science there is acknowledgement that results are subject to change and adjustment. Note that this doesn;t mean that science can be dead wrong, only that details may change as more data is collected.

Any theist that claims their beliefs are absolute and certain have a serious problem. We saw what the 9-11 hijackers did with their absolute knowledge of God, and it happens in more subtle ways, like limiting reproductive healthcare access in the USA by far right Christians. The lack of humility is a huge problem in the brahamic religions.

I know I said religious, but atheists are welcome to answer too, I encourage it! Like, is an atheist certain there is no god?

This depends on the god concept offered to thinkers. There are many god concepts that are implausible and impossible, so by definition and description the god concept is by default untrue. But atheists are savvy thinkers and know not to assert that gods don't exist as a certainty. None of us can be certain the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist, either. Or elves.

My own approach to how I think and believe was influenced by Jabob Bronowski's video essay, episode 11 of The Ascent of Man, 1973. Here is a clip from the end of that episode where he sums up the dangers of dogma and absolute knowledge. I recommend the whole series, but especially this episode. There have been college lessons based on this essay, and how it impacts how students think.

 

[Trailblazer]

So I would bet that the larger numbers of people are wrong in their beliefs, even if a God does exist.

I would bet the same thing, but of course I don't think I am wrong in my beliefs.

 

[pearl]

I joined this site as a Bible literalist with the mindset that I was factually correct. But then, I allowed myself to entertain the idea that I could be wrong. Now I am an apostate.

From my perspective factually correct does not apply to the incomprehensible Mystery we have named 'God'. There is always doubt even if we try to suppress it. If an understanding of God is 'factual', then it is not God you refer to.

 

[an anarchist]

Even the Prophets of God suffered! If all suffering is avoidable then why did the Prophets of God suffer?

Any supposed prophet lived in the past.

We have the ability to create our future, one without suffering.

 

[Trailblazer]

We have the ability to create our future, one without suffering.

Can you explain how it will be possible to create a future without suffering?

 

[an anarchist]

Can you explain how it will be possible to create a future without suffering?

Collective morality.

My religious belief is that through collective morality, mankind can physically emanate heaven as a physical conscious reality for all on earth. I call this the "collective enlightenment".

As to how we get there... I personally believe in anarchism, which is a fringe belief to all of you normie statists. But I think it's impossible for us to see and comprehend the specific mechanics of how the collective enlightenment would work. We are too immoral which makes us blind to it. We have to pave the way for future generations to spiritually grow so they can figure it out.

 

[Trailblazer]

Collective morality.

My religious belief is that through collective morality, mankind can physically emanate heaven as a physical conscious reality for all on earth. I call this the "collective enlightenment".

That's interesting. Baha'is also believe that in the future there will be a collective morality, when there is a new Race of Men.

“At the heart of this system was what Bahá’u’lláh termed a “new Covenant” between God and humankind. The distinguishing feature of humanity’s coming of age is that, for the first time in its history, the entire human race is consciously involved, however dimly, in the awareness of its own oneness and of the earth as a single homeland. This awakening opens the way to a new relationship between God and humankind. As the peoples of the world embrace the spiritual authority inherent in the guidance of the Revelation of God for this age, Bahá’u’lláh said, they will find in themselves a moral empowerment which human effort alone has proven incapable of generating. “A new race of men” will emerge as the result of this relationship, and the work of building a global civilization will begin.” (Bahá’í International Community, 1992 May 29, Statement on Bahá’u’lláh, p. 26)

“In this age humanity has strayed far from the path of truth, and the call of Bahá’u’lláh to recognize Him as the viceregent of God on earth has fallen on deaf ears. But a careful study of His writings leads us to believe that His Revelation, being the culmination of past Revelations and one which has ushered in the Day of God Himself, will exert such a potent influence upon mankind as a whole that eventually all the peoples of the world will recognize His station of their own free will and embrace His cause of their own volition. And this in turn will bring about, in the distant future, the appearance of a new race of men whose noble character and spiritual virtues we, in this age, are unable to visualize.” (AdibTaherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 3, p. 3)

“With the establishment of the Most Great Peace and the spiritualization of the peoples of the world, man will become a noble being adorned with divine virtues and perfections. This is one of the fruits of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, promised by Him. The nobility of man and his spiritual development will lead him in the future to such a position that no individual could enjoy eating his food or resting at home while knowing that there was one person somewhere in the world without food or shelter. It is Bahá’u’lláh’s mission to create such a new race of men.” (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 3, p. 126)

New Race of Men

 

[syo]

All.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

None, since I am a strong general skeptic.

 

[an anarchist]

All

None

The duality of man

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

The duality of man

Yeah, but I am the Right One.

 

[Starlight]

I believe strongly that God, karma and reincarnation exist. I believe strongly that God is universal, God has no religion.

 

[Yerda]

Thought experiment.

Post the (religious) beliefs that you hold that you are certain are factually correct. I know I said religious, but atheists are welcome to answer too, I encourage it! Like, is an atheist certain there is no god?

I'll start.

If I had to choose a belief that I hold that I am certain of, it is this: suffering is not inevitable. It is my most deeply believed religious belief. But I'm not even certain about this (the reason being is that you guys tell me suffering is inevitable) I believe it, but am I certain? Or is their faith involved? If I develop this philosophy, it doesn't matter if it is wrong I think, because of what it inspires: collective morality. I think the belief implies a higher power.

Let's talk about Christians for a minute. I grew up protestant, mostly in a fundamental baptist church. In those circles, there is a certain pride in having no doubt about the factuality of the Bible and Jesus's godhood. If you lack "faith" i.e. have any reasonable doubts, that is a concern. So, I think many Christians are certain that their beliefs are factually correct. They don't entertain the fact that there are other possibilities.

I joined this site as a Bible literalist with the mindset that I was factually correct. But then, I allowed myself to entertain the idea that I could be wrong. Now I am an apostate.

I aspire to be a polytheist/pagan. I am not certain of the gods reality. I have faith and I do genuinely believe them I think, but it is not a fact of life yet for me. Perhaps it never will be. The factuality of my gods may be irrelevant to my ambitions in the end.

Tangent - I aspire to practice dharmic religion as well as a discipline really

Looking forward to hearing your responses!

You might find the philosopher David Pearce's work interesting. The Hedonistic Imperative - Abstract

 

[bobhikes]

The only belief that I know is correct after 8 years of reflection and fact searching is that all of them are beliefs and I need to be open minded. I can't hold them as fact.

 

[Viker]

Concerning beliefs, I don't do absolute/truth/fact claims and hold no absolute certainty. There could be other ways to explain my beliefs other than the way I will. I try to stay grounded in rationality keeping an open mind.

My religion is based in desire, will and curiosity. Maybe some things work as permanent fixtures, like the pantheon I ascribe to and some of the rites. That and it's identity are my only facts.