FreeThinker
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Every aethist I know seems to have this overwhelming desire to go out and tell the world about the great lie that is faith. They laugh at the pope, they constantly reference inconsistencies in the bible, and are always keen to convert others.
What these people have forgotten is that without religion as a tool for humanity, none of us would be here today.
Rewind 200 years. You are a slave in America. You were born into bondage. Every day is spent working until your hands bleed for nothing more than food and water. You are less than a human being. When a man wants to, he can beat you. You are bred like an animal. Your children will be sold when they are old enough to work. You will never see your son after his 6th birthday.
So why live at all? Where is the hope?
Enter faith.
You are told, and you BELIEVE that if you lead an ethical life based on a set of rules you will go to a better place. A place where you can see your family again. A place of eternal bliss and happiness.
Suddenly things are not so bad. Life is hard with little reward, but in the end you BELIEVE that things will get better. You BELIEVE in a God that will reward you for all you have worked for in your life.
Throughout history faith has been used by humanity as a psychological defense mechanism against hopeless situations. Some animals when caged refuse to eat and die. They cannot see the hope of their situation. They have no religion to make them keep on living.
Humans have this unique tool for survival that no other animal has.
Some argue that faith simply leads to conflict, but I disagree. Religion is only the excuse different people use for killing each other. It is very easy to say that the crimes you commit against a person are in the name of God, taking responsibility off yourself (reference Bin Laden), but I would argue that these crimes would have happened anyway: religious excuses or not.
The crusades were not about religion, they were about a land dispute and cultural domination. Do not blame the Bible for wars, blame the people that use it as an excuse to kill.
As an aethist myself I do not believe in God. But I have profound respect for those who do, and I understand that religion is humanity's greatest weapon in the face of despair.
Respect religion.
What these people have forgotten is that without religion as a tool for humanity, none of us would be here today.
Rewind 200 years. You are a slave in America. You were born into bondage. Every day is spent working until your hands bleed for nothing more than food and water. You are less than a human being. When a man wants to, he can beat you. You are bred like an animal. Your children will be sold when they are old enough to work. You will never see your son after his 6th birthday.
So why live at all? Where is the hope?
Enter faith.
You are told, and you BELIEVE that if you lead an ethical life based on a set of rules you will go to a better place. A place where you can see your family again. A place of eternal bliss and happiness.
Suddenly things are not so bad. Life is hard with little reward, but in the end you BELIEVE that things will get better. You BELIEVE in a God that will reward you for all you have worked for in your life.
Throughout history faith has been used by humanity as a psychological defense mechanism against hopeless situations. Some animals when caged refuse to eat and die. They cannot see the hope of their situation. They have no religion to make them keep on living.
Humans have this unique tool for survival that no other animal has.
Some argue that faith simply leads to conflict, but I disagree. Religion is only the excuse different people use for killing each other. It is very easy to say that the crimes you commit against a person are in the name of God, taking responsibility off yourself (reference Bin Laden), but I would argue that these crimes would have happened anyway: religious excuses or not.
The crusades were not about religion, they were about a land dispute and cultural domination. Do not blame the Bible for wars, blame the people that use it as an excuse to kill.
As an aethist myself I do not believe in God. But I have profound respect for those who do, and I understand that religion is humanity's greatest weapon in the face of despair.
Respect religion.