Comments on: Can belief in God be a good thing? http://www.thegoodatheist.net/2009/07/can-belief-in-god-be-a-good-thing/ chilling tales of godlessness!!! Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:30:44 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: quandmeme http://www.thegoodatheist.net/2009/07/can-belief-in-god-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-5842 quandmeme Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:40:02 +0000 http://www.thegoodatheist.net/?p=2006#comment-5842 I am repenting and commenting on topic. I don't go around telling kids that there's no Santa (on my mind because I told my 8 year-old my thoughts on him this week). I will call a kid's belief in Santa "good" if it is based on reasonable evidence (to that kid) and the kid acts in a manner consistent with his belief. I am frustrated by my fundamentalist (my label) republican fellow church-goers and just can't even get into their heads to see how they could see the world the way they do in light of their faith. (Viz. of all Christians, we Mormons should be the most pro-environmental and anti-war IMO). However I will call a worldview which I don't like "good" if I think that adherents really have reason to see the world that way and/as evidenced by they really live according to those beliefs. If I'm honest about it, I can't judge the "goodness" of other beliefs based on whether I like the outcome--because that just ends up judging how close that system is to my own beliefs. I can only judge them by their intellectual/spiritual sincerity. I am repenting and commenting on topic. I don’t go around telling kids that there’s no Santa (on my mind because I told my 8 year-old my thoughts on him this week). I will call a kid’s belief in Santa “good” if it is based on reasonable evidence (to that kid) and the kid acts in a manner consistent with his belief.

I am frustrated by my fundamentalist (my label) republican fellow church-goers and just can’t even get into their heads to see how they could see the world the way they do in light of their faith. (Viz. of all Christians, we Mormons should be the most pro-environmental and anti-war IMO). However I will call a worldview which I don’t like “good” if I think that adherents really have reason to see the world that way and/as evidenced by they really live according to those beliefs.

If I’m honest about it, I can’t judge the “goodness” of other beliefs based on whether I like the outcome–because that just ends up judging how close that system is to my own beliefs. I can only judge them by their intellectual/spiritual sincerity.

]]> By: quandmeme http://www.thegoodatheist.net/2009/07/can-belief-in-god-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-5839 quandmeme Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:02:01 +0000 http://www.thegoodatheist.net/?p=2006#comment-5839 Just to sidetrack from one of your last points, where you mention that religion should be kept out of public affairs. Could you explain your take on that recurring skeptic comment to me, a theist? It seems like every philosophy orders the way any adherent votes or makes political $ contributions. I have assumed that if someone believes that education is a waste of time then they would oppose the spending of money on schools in such a way that their private beliefs are given public effect. So help me with that, are theistic world-views in public affairs bad because they are inconvenient for you? Or is it something about a supernaturally-derived philosophy being less likely to engage in debate within a purely empirical context? Just to sidetrack from one of your last points, where you mention that religion should be kept out of public affairs. Could you explain your take on that recurring skeptic comment to me, a theist?

It seems like every philosophy orders the way any adherent votes or makes political $ contributions. I have assumed that if someone believes that education is a waste of time then they would oppose the spending of money on schools in such a way that their private beliefs are given public effect.

So help me with that, are theistic world-views in public affairs bad because they are inconvenient for you? Or is it something about a supernaturally-derived philosophy being less likely to engage in debate within a purely empirical context?

]]> By: Sabio Lantz http://www.thegoodatheist.net/2009/07/can-belief-in-god-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-5816 Sabio Lantz Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:28:36 +0000 http://www.thegoodatheist.net/?p=2006#comment-5816 We all have silly beliefs and habits - theists and atheists alike. At times, should just cut each other some slack. My mother dieing of lung cancer smoked up to the last minute. A doc, 2 days before she died, tried to lecture on that -- come on ! We all have silly beliefs and habits – theists and atheists alike. At times, should just cut each other some slack.
My mother dieing of lung cancer smoked up to the last minute. A doc, 2 days before she died, tried to lecture on that — come on !

]]> By: CybrgnX http://www.thegoodatheist.net/2009/07/can-belief-in-god-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-5801 CybrgnX Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:42:47 +0000 http://www.thegoodatheist.net/?p=2006#comment-5801 No I would not critise someone who is dying. I supported my dying mothers believes in anyway to ease her journey. But her belief was not 'GOOD'. It has her irrational belief that prevented her from dying quickly and comfortably instead the intesnse pain she suffered. Her belief stopped her from getting the 'illigal' drugs that could have given her more comfort. If my time comes the rational part of me knows the 'illegal' shit is just BS. I WILL get the drugs I need, I WILL have the suicide needle ready. Whether I become addicted to the drugs is no ones plucking business. Suicide may be illegal so have the DA blow his brains out along with a couple cops and come arrest me. So anything that interferes with rational decisions is BAD. So there is no 'good' in religion unless self-delusion is considered 'good'. Which we can see from society most people do like delusions. No I would not critise someone who is dying. I supported my dying mothers believes in anyway to ease her journey. But her belief was not ‘GOOD’. It has her irrational belief that prevented her from dying quickly and comfortably instead the intesnse pain she suffered. Her belief stopped her from getting the ‘illigal’ drugs that could have given her more comfort.
If my time comes the rational part of me knows the ‘illegal’ shit is just BS. I WILL get the drugs I need, I WILL have the suicide needle ready. Whether I become addicted to the drugs is no ones plucking business. Suicide may be illegal so have the DA blow his brains out along with a couple cops and come arrest me.
So anything that interferes with rational decisions is BAD. So there is no ‘good’ in religion unless self-delusion is considered ‘good’. Which we can see from society most people do like delusions.

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