Quote:
Quote by: HelioPrime  If your going to say religion is the result of brainwashing thats untrue.
Faith requires instruction, since it isn't something instinctive.
You could also place the same label on strict secular atheist, since any view point needs to be taught.
Taking atheist as an example:
Guilt: theists are led to believe they are the cause of grief and through the path of secularism a better world is obtainable.
Isolation: What it must be like to be a practicing Muslim moving into a secular northern European country. Feelings of isolation when surrounded by people who have a vast difference in belief.
Peer Pressure: The gay christian surrounded by hostile peers, the Muslim again in Norway, etc... massive pressure in many urban and new age social circles to take religion only as a joke.
Emotional Attacks: How can God send Babies to hell!!!! And other such ideals. Attacking faith using extreme examples that don't use logic but only raw emotion to attempt and push a point.
Absolute Truths: The demand that certain absolute truths be accepted by all. It's hard to talk with others when they demand you stay on a certain page and accept even ideals you don't agree with. It's easy to breed atheists when you enforce the acceptance of only select, secular friendly concepts. It's the same as saying people are free to believe what they want in private but they all must accept God cannot logically exist.
Equality Appeal: The Big One: Appeals that religion could only be valid if it equally treated everyone the same. Everyone goes to heaven even unbelievers in which case everyone might as well be an atheist.
Numbers Rationalization: Breaking everything down in % or numbers, the supported belief the chance of God is so low its not worth believing in so any rational person should not believe.
Superiority: The seemingly innocent ideal that atheism is superior, that once a person because an atheist they are also a well adjusted rational human being a level above any person of faith. |
Hi Helio, I find it interesting you make these points as these are very things religion foster (and I think as I'm writing this, Tycoon may be addressing the very same thing.)
And when did faith need religion or instruction? Cant one just have faith and not belong to a certain 'club'?