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How about when they cause problems? Too many people confuse faith with the idea of absolute belief. It's one thing to be faithful to a set of teachings and it

How about when they cause problems? Too many people confuse faith with the idea of absolute belief. It's one thing to be faithful to a set of teachings and it's another to believe a particular set of statements to be literally true. I'm no great fan of religion because most require the suspension of inquiry into their core principles when really that's exactly what they should encourage.

jrockway 18y ago
I'm no great fan of religion because most require the suspension of inquiry into their core principles when really that's exactly what they should encourage. I agree here. Religion encourages you to stop looking for answers and to just believe what you're told. Where did the Universe come from? "God made it." Where did God come from? "He has always been." Those answers aren't good enough for me.
- Chocobean 18y ago
  I agree that those answers aren't good enough when stopped there. But it's not merely limited to religion. How many people understand the evidence of evolution being true, and are able to apologize for it when challenged? There are easy answered for everyone: Evolution made animals; the big bang made the universe. Most people stop at the first reasonable idea passed onto them from authority because it is widely accepted. Don't credit religion for creating in man what was there to start out with, please. Don't be satisfied with easy answers: alway dig deeper for reason. The easy answers to "Why the central basis to every single religion is wrong" is temptingly easy as well. (hint: "it's impossible") What is the basis for ethical behaviour? (hint: "herd instinct/evolutionary advantage") What keeps humanity "going" in the face of understanding that each of us and the universe will die one day? (hint: that "something" will continue on.) Look deeper, keep asking. Jesus' first and greatest commandment, contrary to popular belief, isn't love your neighbour. It was 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Christians are required to use our intellects as part of worship. The first step to understanding anything is to find out what it's all about; making insulting blanket statements and feeling condescendingly superior without actual knowledge is something "the other camp" does, no?
netcan 18y ago
Too many people confuse faith with the idea of absolute belief. It's one thing to be faithful to a set of teachings and it's another to believe a particular set of statements to be literally true. I understand the wish to be diplomatic & uninflammatory. After all, a lot of wars have started over these kinds of things but.. I think that statement doesn't make much sense. I think that making that statement is confusing religion with scripture. If you take Christians as an example, many do not believe various elements (eg Adam & Eve) to be literally true. OK. I understand. But all that means they are essentially reading a different text. One is reading a history & rule book. The other is reading a book which contains high level principles in the form of stories, some of which may be based on real events. There are lots of variations. What they have in common is that both are receiving information from a divine, supernatural (unless you do semantic cartwheels) source. Both believe this information to be definitively true. To me (an atheist) the distinctions seem less significant then the commonalities. The religious have a source of information that I do not have. The words faith, belief, god, religion etc. are very hard to generalise. But the idea behind them is often simply information
- bayareaguy 18y ago
  Although it may not have made much sense to you, you seem to have captured the gist of what I tried to say. Even athiests can appreciate the Beatitudes.
  - netcan 18y ago
    I suppose I did if the Gist of "Too many people confuse faith with the idea of absolute belief" is "Too many people assume that faith = literal belief in Genesis, Leviticus or Luke" Certainly absolute beliefs matter in a practical sense. If I were in The States, Obama's beliefs wouldn't worry me. Palin's might. In the very theoretical sense, they both worry me a little. But even Palin's beliefs are probably less likely to affect anything to the degree that her social conservatism (related but not equivalent) is likely to have.
    - MHollender 18y ago

jrockway 18y ago

I'm no great fan of religion because most require the suspension of inquiry into their core principles when really that's exactly what they should encourage. I agree here. Religion encourages you to stop looking for answers and to just believe what you're told. Where did the Universe come from? "God made it." Where did God come from? "He has always been." Those answers aren't good enough for me.

Chocobean 18y ago
I agree that those answers aren't good enough when stopped there. But it's not merely limited to religion. How many people understand the evidence of evolution being true, and are able to apologize for it when challenged? There are easy answered for everyone: Evolution made animals; the big bang made the universe. Most people stop at the first reasonable idea passed onto them from authority because it is widely accepted. Don't credit religion for creating in man what was there to start out with, please. Don't be satisfied with easy answers: alway dig deeper for reason. The easy answers to "Why the central basis to every single religion is wrong" is temptingly easy as well. (hint: "it's impossible") What is the basis for ethical behaviour? (hint: "herd instinct/evolutionary advantage") What keeps humanity "going" in the face of understanding that each of us and the universe will die one day? (hint: that "something" will continue on.) Look deeper, keep asking. Jesus' first and greatest commandment, contrary to popular belief, isn't love your neighbour. It was 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Christians are required to use our intellects as part of worship. The first step to understanding anything is to find out what it's all about; making insulting blanket statements and feeling condescendingly superior without actual knowledge is something "the other camp" does, no?

netcan 18y ago

Too many people confuse faith with the idea of absolute belief. It's one thing to be faithful to a set of teachings and it's another to believe a particular set of statements to be literally true. I understand the wish to be diplomatic & uninflammatory. After all, a lot of wars have started over these kinds of things but.. I think that statement doesn't make much sense. I think that making that statement is confusing religion with scripture. If you take Christians as an example, many do not believe various elements (eg Adam & Eve) to be literally true. OK. I understand. But all that means they are essentially reading a different text. One is reading a history & rule book. The other is reading a book which contains high level principles in the form of stories, some of which may be based on real events. There are lots of variations. What they have in common is that both are receiving information from a divine, supernatural (unless you do semantic cartwheels) source. Both believe this information to be definitively true. To me (an atheist) the distinctions seem less significant then the commonalities. The religious have a source of information that I do not have. The words faith, belief, god, religion etc. are very hard to generalise. But the idea behind them is often simply information

bayareaguy 18y ago
Although it may not have made much sense to you, you seem to have captured the gist of what I tried to say. Even athiests can appreciate the Beatitudes.
- netcan 18y ago
  I suppose I did if the Gist of "Too many people confuse faith with the idea of absolute belief" is "Too many people assume that faith = literal belief in Genesis, Leviticus or Luke" Certainly absolute beliefs matter in a practical sense. If I were in The States, Obama's beliefs wouldn't worry me. Palin's might. In the very theoretical sense, they both worry me a little. But even Palin's beliefs are probably less likely to affect anything to the degree that her social conservatism (related but not equivalent) is likely to have.
  - MHollender 18y ago