a theist. a/theist.
Belief buffers the harshness of life. The more you believe, the better off you are. And if you believe in something, keep believing. Those of us who don’t believe will tell you that you live in a better world, albeit a false one. Because difficult truths make the stakes high. When there is a lot to lose, you need many beliefs to hold on. Every minute of your life revolves around plastering pieces of your psyche onto one billboard called “Belief”. That billboard directs you where to go when you are lost on a dirt road. But existence is a dirt road. Those of us who can stomach that look ahead instead of above, with mud on our feet and futility in our hands. Belief buffers the harshness of life.
Most atheists do not tell believers they live in a better world. And is it so diffucult to believe? Belief that shuns fundamentalisms can can give most of the benefits of belief but not be a sort of straight jacket..
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Do you suggest that religion/belief has benefits? I’d like to hear more of your thoughts, your comment is quite insightful!
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With religion individuals can be a part of an encompassing totality. With unbelief indivduals only look at the dirt road ahead or at least that is how unbelief is sold. Unbelief is sold as allowing indivduals to work out their own personal solutions. However unbelief is frequently militant. Unbelief can be as totalitarian as regious fundamentalism. Militant atheism killed many, many more individuals in the last century than did religious fundamentalism though both are to be rejected
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I completely agree with you. I think religion can provide a nice structure for people to live within. But do you think it also acts as a shield, for example, if I *believe* these wonderful things, then I am exempt from having to reflect on how my behaviour actually shows what I believe?
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