Iron Bru › Forums › Non Football › Idiot of the Year › Reply To: Idiot of the Year
I don’t think the talk of loony views is understanding of the human condition really. Many people want to feel comfort and a purpose in life, and religion fills that for some. I don’t like it when bpg and others make out this is the only possible way for a fulfilling life, but it obviously does for some.
The need for comfort and desire to see loved ones again is very real and an understandable feeling. I don’t think it’s comparable to flat Earth for this reason, and while I may agree that I don’t find Christianity or other religion to be evidence based or necessarily rational, it is part of a common human desire for understanding and feeling of fulfilment. Even if we don’t agree with the beliefs we can understand the desire, surely, with empathy? Inability to comprehend the beliefs in the literal Biblical claims is understandable, as is seeing a move to describe Biblical teachings as metaphorical to be a bit wishy washy. However, surely the underlying motivations to do this aren’t.
It’s not just religion which is irrational. Humans as a whole are often irrational. I don’t think anyone here is without irrational beliefs, and I include myself in that. All ideology is an uneven fit for how humans behave. Communism and small state libertarianism are two examples I can think of which fit this perfectly. Their adherents seem adamant that they can solve the world’s problems, yet their cognitive dissonance prevents them from seeing how harmful this can be. Communism fails to understand that humans have individual needs and that not everything can be explained by the poor being done over by the bourgeoisie; greed can exist at all levels. Small state libertarianism assumes common sense and people’s own knowledge leads to a greater society. Yet it fails to understand that an individual’s decision impacts others (which is why a critique of libertarians often centres around selfishness; their fight for rights is often based on their own individual need, to the lack of care for others), that some people won’t take others into account for important decisions to the detriment of the whole and that some people won’t go with the evidence based position, which can have hugely negative impacts on society.
Given all this, I cannot be too harsh on theists for believing. Just so long as they don’t push their ideology on others and expect debate when they say stuff like God is the source of morality, I am fine.
An interesting video on this to finish off:
