Agnostic.com

4 0

The concept of god is weird and essentially meaningless, but at the same time normal and meaningful. God gives life purpose to a lot of people and is used as reassurance and peace of mind. There's nothing wrong with that, it's maybe even essential for those not capable of nuanced philosophical thought. Many associate the belief in god with morality, in that humans get morality from god. So let's break that down. If we are to accept supposed claims that god is a tangible phenomenon that some have experienced in their lives, then why has this never been objectively verified? One might then say that god is shown to people in different ways, physically or otherwise, which makes more sense considering the extreme variance of what god represents in different religions. So usually when someone says they believe in god, they essentially mean they believe in what their particular religion says in regards to god. Some say they aren't religious but they believe in god. What do they mean by this? God would have to have some general meaning aside from how organized religion has contributed to the concept of god. It usually means that they believe god created the universe and they believe in an afterlife or reincarnation. This is just a natural, curious instinct that developed tens of thousands of years ago. This is a relatively benign personal belief that shouldn't affect anyone else. Arguing about this concept is a fruitless endeavor. It becomes a problem when the mere belief in god, which is obviously ambiguous, is somehow used an indication that the person is morally good. But it is forgotten that religion is used to determine what is right or wrong, not god itself. Since there are thousands of interpretations of religion and hence thousands of interpretations of what is right and wrong, it's also pointless to say morality comes from religion. Which religion? Which denomination? So then, are we to believe that just simply believing in the concept of god makes one moral? Which again, the concept of god, religion aside, is relative to the person thinking it. So how can we use the concept of "God" when it essential has no consistent meaning, as the basis for morality? All that aside, if god is essentially anything that anyone truly feels in their heart, then I definitely believe in god.

Jarucker 5 Nov 27
Share

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

4 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

1

Religion is a business like any other. Take from the poor and turn a blind eye to what the rich and powerful do and whatever you do do not share out the profits.

1

Doesn't seem to be much of a question here. I mostly agree with your arguments.

1

The one thing I hate about religion is the selfish motivation behind it. Religion is for the salvation of believers. The promise of everlasting life is the main goal. I can find almost no evidence of religion being the basis of morality. I do believe if people find it helps ,such as in A.A, or if it gives people hope I really have no problem with it.

0

The argument that religion brings joy and gratification to some people's lives, therefore it should not be spoken ill of, can be refuted with the following phrase:

So does porn and heroin. What's your point?

I never said religion shouldn’t be spoken Ill of. In fact, I speak bad of it almost daily.

God gives life purpose to a lot of people and is used as reassurance and peace of mind. There's nothing wrong with that, it's maybe even essential for those not capable of nuanced philosophical thought. Many associate the belief in god with morality, in that humans get morality from god

I was referencing the argument made by others that you included in your post. I was making fun of that argument, not yours.

Oh, that makes sense. Sorry, I guess I assumed you were asking me when you wrote “What’s your point?”

That’s true, anything is up for criticism and skepticism in my book.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:5534
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.