I was recently looking through my blog comments because I just realized I didn't have my blog set to notify me when I get them. A while back, I got a comment that I'd like to answer now.
Jonathan said...
Interesting post - I wonder though, what has lead you to believe that God is not real? Or, keeps you from examining whether or not God is real?
The same thing that has led you to believe Zeus and pixies are not real has led me to believe God is not real. Do you have to examine the idea of whether or not fairies are real on a daily basis? Or how about whether or not Bacchus is real?
What makes you think I haven't examined all sorts of mythology, including Christian mythology? Why do so many assume that the only way a person wouldn't believe exactly as they do is if he or she is either stupid, defiant, or has never been exposed to their particular mythology?
Think about why you don't believe in Islam or Norse deities - you can tell, just from their construction, that they are myths, legends - the stuff of fantasies. Am I right? This analysis is backed up by evidence in the physical world and in the very laws of nature. Those religions are little more plausible than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Did you need to extensively examine Santa Claus to determine his unreality or did it become embarrassingly obvious once you reached a certain level of maturity? Examine your mythology objectively and without dogma and see how it stands up. Or, if your belief gives you vital comfort and fulfillment, don't examine it because you will probably lose it.
Is your virgin born, resurrected Jesus all that different from virgin-born, resurrected savior gods such as Dionysus (Grecian), Krishna (Hindu), Mithra (Persian), or Tammuz (Sumerian-Babylonian)and several dozen others? Your own Bible references Tammuz in Ezekiel 8:14. Your myths are so similar to other myths which you have examined and found to be fantasy - how is yours so different?
I admit that it is a lot more difficult for religious people to see that their religion is based on myth. Their parents and/or other authority figures shore up their beliefs and support them as generations of parents and authority figures have. Those parents and authority figures are not lying, they've all been misled, too.
I was not born thinking God was real. If a person isn't taught that God is real while he or she impressionable then he or she will need to be convinced that God is a real thing rather than convinced that God is not a real thing. If you think about it, I'd bet you will see you were not born believing in the Christian God either.
If you truly feel a person must re-examine everything they don't think is real then why don't you do it all the time? Or do you? Do you re-examine Egyptian and Greek Gods and Goddesses, Bigfoot and Nessie, UFOs and aliens, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? Or was once or twice enough to make their unreality pretty clear?
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5 comments:
Great post. I could relate to this at one point: "Or, if your belief gives you vital comfort and fulfillment, don't examine it because you will probably lose it."
I don't know that my beliefs gave me comfort so much as I was scared what might happen if I couldn't keep making myself believe, belief kind of being a prerequisite for salvation all.
Yes, perfectly logical. God, I love religion.
Joseph Capbell opened my eyes wide as a young man. For me, that was the begining....
Thank you. I've been trying to make this exact point to others recently. Nobody wants to approach their own religion as others would approach it--skeptically. When someone says I've stubbornly hardened my heart against Jesus, I ask why they've hardened their hearts against Ganesh, Allah, and Zeus?
How great it is to find a blog of people who are honestly looking for answers. You people see only what is material; lots of Christian ideas are out of this world (and help us to live better in this world). Plato in his 'Allegory of the Cave' started it. Abbott, writer of 'Flatland', described contiguous dimensional worlds. 'Techie Worlds', available at Amazon.com, analyzes in a mechanistic sort of way. It looks at Christian concepts like Trinity, resurrection, judgment, soul, Satan and hell. Viewed dimensionally, those ideas make logical sense. That follows the pattern of science: examine phenomena in the light of a theory. When phenomena become more understandable, accept that theory.
Throughout history mankind has experienced strange ideas and events: Wicca, Greek gods, Hindu pantheism, upturned corners on oriental temples, the sun dancing at Fatima. Materialists just deny them all. 'Techie Worlds', with its geometric understanding of worlds contiguous with ours, explains the structure of our real worlds. It is not accepted by bible thumpers and professional religious. They have faith. Instead it serves thinkers who are able to integrate sensible ideas.
GeorgeRic
This all stems from Christians (and religious people in general) not realizing that their religion is nothing but an enormous cult.
They're brainwashed as children to believe it and threatened with "eternal damnation" if they don't.
Maybe future generations will become intelligent enough to resist the brainwashing even at a young age. Until then, they're here and they're loud and violent.
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