XPost: alt.agnosticism, talk.atheism, alt.atheism
XPost: alt.philosophy
From: prohumanist@gr8mail.com

a_f_r_i_e_n_d@hotmail.com wrote ...
>
>Interesting.
>
>I think you overlook the process of learning or acquiring information
>that then becomes a "belief". Belief, from my perspective, is not
>limited to notions of gods and such, but on any information that we
>come in contact with, accept/introject/reject without any cognitive
>process that tests the veracity of the information.
>'
>Indoctrination of children is a tried and true method. Not only of
>religion, but of many social beliefs that a culture will perpetuate.
>
>If an Ancient was told about Zeus, why believe it? What was the source
>of the information? Why believe that source? Why accept something as
>true first and then send a lifetime question does Zeus actually exist
>and do as was claimed from one's childhood. More important, how did
>that child come to accept the information as true? Further, why reject
>a long held belief if the social circumstances support it. After all,
>until recent years, the penalty for being a non-believer were quite
>severe. I would have been tortured in the Inquisitions for my opinions
>alone. Given we are a social species who often fear rejection and
>abandonment, it is understandable why people would be reluctant to
>choose evidence and rational proofs to faith and belief.
>

Your response, well-presented. Not sure
-if- you believe in believing, but you cer-
tainly appear to understand the process.

In addition, religion promises that if you
believe in the 'right' religion in the 'right'
way, you get the goodies, forever. Kind
of like promising an eternal orgasm,
though I rarely here the religious admit
that an eternal drug-like unending plea-
sure high is exactly what the promise
of heaven appears to be.

The religious typically present their prom-
ises in non-specific religious verbage far
removed from drug or sexual highs, but
nevertheless implying that a God-approved
pleasure scene is part of the heaven pic-
ture.

Implying?

Heck, muslims promise it, what with their
gaggle of virgins alongside a river of
wine promised for Allah's jihadist who
die in the name of Islam.

Countering that, the religious contend that
is definitely *not* supposed to be part of
what the initial poster in this thread charac-
terized as a hard life of struggle on earth,
supposedly required by God for humans
to prove our worth.

Also, religion promises that disbelief
guarantees either oblivion, short-term
torment followed by oblivion, or eternal
torment, take your pick.

Not really clear on the nature of some
of the religious threats, with things like
eternal cold or eternal heat or eternal
burial (while alive and being tortured)
tossed about by various religions, but
needless to say, their threats for dis-
belief are enough to make many, espe-
cially children, be all-but frightened-to-
death of them.

However, on a hopeful note, the reli-
gious threat engines are enough to
make many adults reject religion.

Perhaps that's why religions, in general,
tend to steer clear of using the threat
side of their faith, most often, as that's
not only objectionable to most humans
these days, it's also a reminder of how
that side of religious faith led to horri-
fic acts of anti-humanism by religions
in times past.

Unfortunately, of note, religious anti-
humanism is a problem that continues
to rear its head all too often in times
present.

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