Why I Despise Religion

[Quetzal]

One possible and IMO quite sufficient purpose would be to avoid the damage that people cause while they pursue and attempt to sustain such a belief.

In my personal experience, that is a major, very real concern.

Of course, but this is not applicable to all religions. Further, it is not limited to religions.

 

[Rival]

Generally, the religions that hold out the carrot of something like Heaven also hold out the stick of something like Hell and create a fair bit of anxiety because of it.

Judaism and Zoroastrianism have no permanent burning Hellfire! (within mainstream beliefs).

 

[Quetzal]

So the same context that had my ex-wife sobbing on a regular basis at the thought that I was going to end up in Hell? That context?

Anecdotal experience does not dictate the Christian experience to the masses.

If you think that the net effect of Christianity tips more to the "comfort" side than it does to "discomfort", I'd be interested to hear you make your case. It doesn't align with my experience.

That's fine, my experiences are different and also don't speak to the masses. We just have different perspectives.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Fear of not existing is clearly a major component of humans' general drive for religious and god belief. However, I don't expect most people would somehow live vastly more full or realized lives without it. Humans, in general, are largely instinctual, and their awareness and needs don't extend much beyond being fed and comfortable. And, although most people have a strong desire not to die, they also don't have a strong desire to do much beyond exist.

Depends on the person. Many people have a desire to do much more than exist.

 

[oldbadger]

The sole reason that I despise religion is that it creates the greatest and most destructive delusion known to humankind, namely, the delusion that we will be around forever. Hence, most people never get a chance to live as if they will actually cease to exist one day; instead; religion has turned people into cowards, afraid to take chances; procrastinating on living the lives that they actually want to live. "I'll do that when I get to heaven" is a phrase commonly uttered by religious folk who have deluded themselves into believing that they will somehow be alive after they are dead. Interestingly, nearly everyone believes that when animals die; they die, and do not possess magical souls. Why, then, do these same individuals believe that human animals will somehow persist after death? Humans are no different from any other species of animal; they are just more evolved (in some aspects). Otherwise, humans share all bodily functions with other mammals, and there is no reason to think that humans possess some magical trait of immortality that other mammals do not. Folks, I am writing this thread as a service to you. There are no pearly gates. You are not immortal. None of us are. In 100 years we will all be rotting in the ground. In 5 billion years the sun will reach its red giant stage and devour the earth, leaving no trace of any evidence that humankind ever existed. Eventually, eons after this, the universe will expand and decay utter nothingness. Is this depressing to you? It shouldn't be. Instead, it should be liberating. Get busy living the life you want to live while you still can.

Hi.....
Let me help.......
Your personal title is a contradiction in terms when compared with itself, and when compared against your opening post.
You cannot believe in Nihilism whislt still remaing an Agnostic AND a Theist, imo......
You cannot be a Theist if your OP is an accurate description of what you believe to be true.

Apart from that, hell, go out there and blaze a trail of joy for yourself, or whatever you want. But it's a good idea to abide by the laws of the land that you live in, or you'll need to find your joys within a much smaller world.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Hi.....
Let me help.......
Your personal title is a contradiction in terms when compared with itself, and when compared against your opening post.
You cannot believe in Nihilism whislt still remaing an Agnostic AND a Theist, imo......
You cannot be a Theist if your OP is an accurate description of what you believe to be true.
.

Why not? Words are subjective.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Judaism and Zoroastrianism have no permanent burning Hellfire! (within mainstream beliefs).

My point was about religions having aspects that create discomfort for their adherents, not necessarily about the timeframe or method of any torture in the afterlife. There are ways to create anxiety other than being burned forever.

 

[oldbadger]

I attended a Christian funeral last week. All of the minister's remarks could be summed up as "take heart in the fact she's not really dead." This kind of attitude seems to be pretty prevalent in the mainstream religions I see around me.

OMG! Did the minister carry out the post mortem as well as take the service or something?
That has shocking under and over-tones!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Anecdotal experience does not dictate the Christian experience to the masses.

How about you tell us what sort of Christian experience is reflective of "the masses" and then we can look at it in more detail.

 

[Quetzal]

A major problem with this thread is that there are some who are making large, sweeping statements in an attempt to condemn religion as a whole. This is unfortunate and lazy. Instead, I would much prefer it to be more focused on specific traditions within a specific sect of religious practice. Attempting to throw billions of believers into the same pot due to some misguided sense of moral/intellectual superiority is a fruitless discussion.

 

[LuisDantas]

Of course, but this is not applicable to all religions. Further, it is not limited to religions.

But so-called religious groups expect and even demand special exemptions and protection from criticism all the same.

 

[Quetzal]

How about you tell us what sort of Christian experience is reflective of "the masses" and then we can look at it in more detail.

Mine don't, I already stated such. But I will suffice to say that I have never seen anyone break down into tears over the hypothetical idea of landing in Hell.

 

[Quetzal]

But so-called religious groups expect and even demand special exemptions and protection from criticism all the same.

You must be more specific when you make this kind of statement. No all religious groups expect such things.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Mine don't, I already stated such. But I will suffice to say that I have never seen anyone break down into tears over the hypothetical idea of landing in Hell.

Then you've never seen anyone take the doctrine of hell seriously enough to do such a thing. I'm sure there are many who have done such.

 

[oldbadger]

Why not? Words are subjective.

So words don't actually have to convey the same meaning as shown in dictionarires?
Could I be a Druidic Hindu, then?
Deistic Christian sounds more...... interesting.?

Instead of describing myself as an tatty ancient cyclist, would it be OK if I called myself a young strapping airline pilot? The Missus would fall over laughing, so there's that.....

I like this....... I think I'll go and introduce myself anew to @Jayhawker Soule . It might, just might, amuse him..... a bit.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

A major problem with this thread is that there are some who are making large, sweeping statements in an attempt to condemn religion as a whole. This is unfortunate and lazy. Instead, I would much prefer it to be more focused on specific traditions within a specific sect of religious practice. Attempting to throw billions of believers into the same pot due to some misguided sense of moral/intellectual superiority is a fruitless discussion.

OK, let's start with Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus (at least a few billion people).

 

[Quetzal]

OK, let's start with Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus (at least a few billion people).

You cannot, in all seriousness, think to throw all of these religions together to make a blanket statement. Sorry, I won't bite at such a terribly formed argument.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

You cannot, in all seriousness, think to throw all of these religions together to make a blanket statement. Sorry, I won't bite at such a terribly formed argument.

Yes I can because they all believe in some form of afterlife, either heaven/hell, reincarnation, or something in between.

 

[LuisDantas]

You must be more specific when you make this kind of statement. No all religious groups expect such things.

Must I? I would think otherwise, exactly because I don't see a good reason to presume exemption from criticism in the first place.

It is certainly true that the flaw is hardly universal. But that is all the more reason to expose and challenge it where it exists.

Now, were you to say that I should strive to raise my awareness of when it manifests and when it does not... that much I will gladly concede.

 

[George-ananda]

Sure you do.


It isn't so much "mongering for pleasures of the physical world" as it is "fighting for justice here and now because you don't expect the oppressed to be compensated after they're dead."

Edit: ... which points to one way that religion often makes us worse off: it can encourage people to tolerate injustice.

There is nothing in religious thought that is opposed to fighting injustices. And for those in personally hopeless worldly situations that they can't change, religion offers true perspective and succor for them.