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Guybrush · 03-10-2012, 03:22 PM

I don't personally think think things that only exist in the mind are entirely valid when they are thought to influence anything besides the mind. If you believe in God as someone able to work miracles like splitting the read sea or turning people into stones - and no such entity with that kind of power exists - then I don't think that perception of God is useful. Little good comes from treating fantasy as if it was fact in the long run. Overall, I think it would be best if people had roughly the same world view and the basis for our common world view should then be the things we can experience, test and document. From all we know, physical laws apply to all of us.

blastingas, I don't think it requires a similar leap of faith to not believe in God or any deity. It requires some knowledge perhaps so that you can see there are ways we can explain the world we live in without having to resort to explanations like the world having been created by a great magician in the sky.

edit :

Some time ago, I read about a study on how terminally ill people used prayer. Generally, at first, they prayed for God to heal them of their illness. Then when that didn't work, they'd redefine prayer to have a different function, like rather just a way of being close to God. So this means that these people initially had an idea of God which turned out to be unrealistic. He doesn't answer prayers and grant wishes. In light of this new information/experience, they then have to redefine their belief in their head to justify God not helping them.

How useful was their initial idea of God and prayer then?

In the end, there are many barriers belief just can't overcome.

03-10-2012, 03:22 PM	#351 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	I don't personally think think things that only exist in the mind are entirely valid when they are thought to influence anything besides the mind. If you believe in God as someone able to work miracles like splitting the read sea or turning people into stones - and no such entity with that kind of power exists - then I don't think that perception of God is useful. Little good comes from treating fantasy as if it was fact in the long run. Overall, I think it would be best if people had roughly the same world view and the basis for our common world view should then be the things we can experience, test and document. From all we know, physical laws apply to all of us. blastingas, I don't think it requires a similar leap of faith to not believe in God or any deity. It requires some knowledge perhaps so that you can see there are ways we can explain the world we live in without having to resort to explanations like the world having been created by a great magician in the sky. edit : Some time ago, I read about a study on how terminally ill people used prayer. Generally, at first, they prayed for God to heal them of their illness. Then when that didn't work, they'd redefine prayer to have a different function, like rather just a way of being close to God. So this means that these people initially had an idea of God which turned out to be unrealistic. He doesn't answer prayers and grant wishes. In light of this new information/experience, they then have to redefine their belief in their head to justify God not helping them. How useful was their initial idea of God and prayer then? In the end, there are many barriers belief just can't overcome. __________________ Something Completely Different Last edited by Guybrush; 03-11-2012 at 04:06 AM.