How strong is belief?
If religious people are so sure that they're going to go to heaven and see each other in the afterlife, why do they get so upset when someone they love dies?
3
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Weakness of conviction and sadness at a real loss.
mattersauce
Level 7
Dec 19, 2018
1
If, when I was, say, 12 years old, my Dad had said he was going away for fifty years but he would return when I turned 62, I would have been devastated... but looking forward to seeing him again anyway. Time apart from loved ones is always painful. Even for adults. If I believed in an afterlife today (which I don't) and my closest friend or family member died, I would still grieve the forced, total loss of communication with that person, even if I was confident it would be restored after my death.
skado
Level 9
Dec 19, 2018
0
I get the sadness of parting for a while. My son lives in another state, my daughter briefly moved to another city. Those losses are not devastating because they are temporary. My ex-son-in-law just lost his father. He is very religious, and is taking the loss of his father harder than I took the loss of mine. (Both men died at the same age). I knew that I'd never see my dad again. He believes he will see his again (supposedly). If he does, he shouldn't be taking it so hard. I actually saw my dad more often than he saws his (before they died). It just seems a little hypocritical.
@Cheri
It could be. Hypocrisy is one of the things humans are capable of. You know him and I don’t, so anything I might say is just generalized conjecture.
I know that people are different, and human relationships vary widely. I would wonder if he might be grieving for the time he didn’t get to spend with his dad on earth.
Also, trying one’s best to mentally accomodate two conflicting views of reality can add to one’s dissonance load. Dissonance amplifies all suffering.
I think we’re capable of carrying enormous dissonance and suffering without conscious hypocrisy being involved.
It's a tragic experience to loose a loved one. No matter what belief system is. The pain of the lose and waiting can be heart breaking for the religious fools. I have accepted there is nothing after death. It was one harder things to accept for me, when I left the dark side. I'm sure it tests the religious fools faith in the bs and maybe it's enough for them to become an atheist and start there journey of enlightenment.
freedom41
Level 9
Dec 19, 2018
1
Because they don't actually believe. Deep down inside they know the truth, but they lie about it to themselves and others because that's what they've been trained to do. It's like the story about the Emperor's New Clothes. Everyone knows the truth, but nobody gets to say it.
ldheinz
Level 7
Dec 19, 2018
2
To be fair, religious people believe in grieving, knowing they'll never see the loved one again in this life. But that said, your question is my question too. I've seen grieving Christian parents' lives ruined when a child of theirs dies at a young age. The hope of the resurrection they claim changes everything seems in fact to change nothing.
Of course, this doesn't go to the validity or otherwise of Christian belief, but it surely does expose what such religious persons actually believe. Actions are louder than words; they grieve no differently from others, possibly worse, because they keep telling themselves it's for the good yet can't emotionally accept that.
Doubting
Level 6
Dec 19, 2018
1
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.