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This is helpful. I was a pretty rabid atheist in my 20s(not proud) and over the years, I have constantly recalibrated my atheism and have swung between ignostic

This is helpful. I was a pretty rabid atheist in my 20s(not proud) and over the years, I have constantly recalibrated my atheism and have swung between ignosticism and agnosticism to exploring faith. there was no rational basis for atheism either. agnosticism seemed to be a comfortable nook to hide under but as one gets older, one starts questioning that too. i have considered cults. holding a human guru to a higher esteem seemed an easier pill to swallow than an invisible omniscient/omnipotent being. but that duck didnt even waddle, never mind fly. i went back to my own faith of origin which was easier to navigate. perhaps it was easier for me as it wasnt an monotheistic faith, but it still required 'faith'. i have since started studying astrology because it had a deistic component alongside solid mathematics/astronomy concepts. it's still muddled, but it a 'language' i can understand without too much baggage. i do want to 'believe' in something ultimately. i feel lucky enough to be in a place/time where i can define it on my terms. the question tho' is: 1. why does the populace have Faith? 2, what are it's benefits? vs downsides? 3. why did it evolve and thrive? religion and the notion of a God has staying power. this shouldnt be dismissed. 4.i am not dismissive of Faith as I was when I was younger.(how we change!!) clearly it has its upside. or it wouldnt have survived over the centuries. 5. what is that comfortable 'sweet spot' where i can have a intersection of the benefits of Faith and Rationalism? I do feel like I want to subscribe to a "supernatural" Faith rather than A God. 6. My escape is Sci-Fi. Will AI play a role in shaping future Faith? I envy those who have Faith. I really do. A decade ago, I might have been facetious, but no longer. I am weathered and mellow. I dont want to fight anymore. I want to understand but also want the freedom to observe it as an outsider to most organised religion.

rramadass 6y ago
>1. why does the populace have Faith? Human psychology. We find it inherently very hard to live in a world ruled by Randomness/Chance, Factors outside of our control and a sense of our own mortality as a consequence of natural ageing (eg. your current crisis :-) Think of it like this; a Child is born into a world populated by "Gods" i.e. its Parents/Society who solve all its problems deterministically. As the Child grows up, the gods turn out to be "False"(i.e. there are problems they cannot solve) which is a huge shock to its worldview and therefore it invents new gods (i.e. Religion) to cope with Reality. >2, what are it's benefits? vs downsides? A coping mechanism to live in World ruled by Randomness/Chance and Indifference. The downside is that, taken to extremes one loses touch with Reality and lives in a fantasy world. >3. why did it evolve and thrive? religion and the notion of a God has staying power. this shouldnt be dismissed. No reason. It is a consequence of Evolution following a meandering path to give us "Big Brains" one of whose emergent properties is a need to invent God/Religion (see also the book The Runaway Brain: The Evolution of Human uniqueness) >4.i am not dismissive of Faith as I was when I was younger.(how we change!!) clearly it has its upside. or it wouldnt have survived over the centuries. No, the above statement is itself an act of Faith :-) Ever since the advent of "Modern Science" starting in the 17th/18th century Faith/Religion/God have lost their Cachet. >5. what is that comfortable 'sweet spot' where i can have a intersection of the benefits of Faith and Rationalism? A marriage of Philosophy and Science. For example, i like Samkhya for its model of the World and our Position in it, Yoga for its everyday discipline for keeping Mind and Body in harmony and Scientific Materialism to enjoy the World. PS: You might also be interested in life arguments put forth by Jack London via his hero Wolf Larsen in the novel The Sea Wolf - https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1jqpar/what_book_singlehandedly_made_you_change_your_life/cbhweki/ https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1jqpar/what_book_sin...
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  I have been reading Hindu texts and vedas/upanishads/puranas(it’s wild! There is hard core philosophy and then suddenly it veers into weapon art and tax codes). I started with Dr.Radhakrishnan’s books but find the language weird and stilted for quick reading. I might get back to it at some point, but I am currently reading Upanishads by Eknath Easwaran.

rramadass 6y ago

>1. why does the populace have Faith? Human psychology. We find it inherently very hard to live in a world ruled by Randomness/Chance, Factors outside of our control and a sense of our own mortality as a consequence of natural ageing (eg. your current crisis :-) Think of it like this; a Child is born into a world populated by "Gods" i.e. its Parents/Society who solve all its problems deterministically. As the Child grows up, the gods turn out to be "False"(i.e. there are problems they cannot solve) which is a huge shock to its worldview and therefore it invents new gods (i.e. Religion) to cope with Reality. >2, what are it's benefits? vs downsides? A coping mechanism to live in World ruled by Randomness/Chance and Indifference. The downside is that, taken to extremes one loses touch with Reality and lives in a fantasy world. >3. why did it evolve and thrive? religion and the notion of a God has staying power. this shouldnt be dismissed. No reason. It is a consequence of Evolution following a meandering path to give us "Big Brains" one of whose emergent properties is a need to invent God/Religion (see also the book The Runaway Brain: The Evolution of Human uniqueness) >4.i am not dismissive of Faith as I was when I was younger.(how we change!!) clearly it has its upside. or it wouldnt have survived over the centuries. No, the above statement is itself an act of Faith :-) Ever since the advent of "Modern Science" starting in the 17th/18th century Faith/Religion/God have lost their Cachet. >5. what is that comfortable 'sweet spot' where i can have a intersection of the benefits of Faith and Rationalism? A marriage of Philosophy and Science. For example, i like Samkhya for its model of the World and our Position in it, Yoga for its everyday discipline for keeping Mind and Body in harmony and Scientific Materialism to enjoy the World. PS: You might also be interested in life arguments put forth by Jack London via his hero Wolf Larsen in the novel The Sea Wolf - https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1jqpar/what_book_singlehandedly_made_you_change_your_life/cbhweki/ https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1jqpar/what_book_sin...

jelliclesfarm 6y ago
I have been reading Hindu texts and vedas/upanishads/puranas(it’s wild! There is hard core philosophy and then suddenly it veers into weapon art and tax codes). I started with Dr.Radhakrishnan’s books but find the language weird and stilted for quick reading. I might get back to it at some point, but I am currently reading Upanishads by Eknath Easwaran.