Quote:
Originally posted by illdeviant
OK. here it is.
I'm an atheist. My view on religion, specifically Christianity, is that it's merely a moral book which a group of people took way too far. And the fact that many people are fickle and weak. They want to personify the unknown, and further beleive that they have somewhat of a grip of their own lives by believing that this personification is indeed God who represents all good, etc. All in all, i think religion is just a big mental crutch to get us through our lives only to ascend into the heavens as afterlife. To give us something to believe in. A goal to strive for.
I mean don't get me wrong. I'm not attempting to knock any religion. I mean my girlfriend is a Catholic and we get along perfectly fine. I make an attempt to understand religion, specifically Christianity. I have many religious friends and we have occasional discussions. I am totally open to the idea of religion, but I guess I won't budge till I'm convinced.
I guess I'm just looking for feedback on my opinion. Is it valid? I don't know. I just htink that I have too much pride and refuse to believe that we don't have control of our lives, and that we're the most powerful people in our own lives.
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Dear illdeviant,
The short answer is: yes, your opinion is as a valid as mine or any other. We simply do not, nor will not know until we're dead who's was
correct.
Any person of faith who is worth their salt must acknowledge sooner or later the possibility that they are wrong and that their elaborate system of beliefs may indeed be nothing more than a 'crutch' as you put it to get through this life.
So why do it? Why believe as opposed to not?
Well as usual, I can only answer for myself. After pondering the pros and cons of believe/nonbelief for a couple of years, I came to the conclusion that in general, people are happier believing in something beyond themselves. This dovetailed nicely with other things I observed: Prayer in all its forms actually seems to work, there are phenomena in this world that seem to defy a scientific explanation (ghosts, near-death experiences, esp and other paranormal powers, etc.), and that there is a very real personal peace that the "deeply religious" seem to obtain.
Ultimately it was these things (among a few others), that convinced me I was better off believing than not believing. Could I still be wrong? Absolutely. But I feel that I am a better man for my faith.
(An interesting take on this very topic is C.S. Lewis's
"Mere Christianity". Lewis was also an atheist but came to be a Christian by an interesting intellectual path. BTW, this is the same C.S. Lewis who wrote the "Narnia" books and was close personal friend of J.R.R Tolkien.)
edited to add:
I see I failed to address all of your question.
I don't think you are alone in wanting to "control" your life, nor do I think that it is all a bad thing, nor do I think that "control" is all God wants from you.
If you think about it, we only control things to a limited extent anyway. We can make some decisions (where to work, who to marry) while others we can't (losing hair, making someone love me). Oh there may be some wiggle room, but somethings are clearly in or out of our control.
If it helps, I see religion, TRUE religion, as giving control BACK to the individual by giving them an anchor in the maelstrom of life to which they can reach and recharge when things just seem out of control.
And ultimately, I believe God wants to empower us as well, the same way a parent may "control" a child but at the same time be teaching and raising them for something else.