3 ms·
Right here on HN, I've been seeing over and over that climate change is going to wreck everything physically, that AI is going to wreck everything politically,
by AnimalMuppet 2y ago
Right here on HN, I've been seeing over and over that climate change is going to wreck everything physically, that AI is going to wreck everything politically, and that everything is wrecked politically. (Hard to argue with the last one.) And so we see discussion of deaths from alcohol, drugs, and suicide, and how they are "deaths of despair". We've talked about this a whole bunch of times over the last few years.
Now imagine believing that there was Someone there - not just the impersonal universe. And that Someone knew who you were, and cared about you, and wanted to be in relationship with you instead of just at a distance. And that Someone was in control of what happened, and could be trusted with the future.
Yeah, you don't believe it. You think it's brain-dead. You think it's against all the evidence. But can't you see that, if you did believe it, it would change everything about how you viewed the world, and your place in it, and your situation? Can't you see how you wouldn't be in despair any more, even in the same circumstances?
That's why religious teens are happier than their secular peers.
(And, as spamizbad pointed out, the community aspects help too.)
- techostritch 2y agoI basically agree with this and it totally makes sense to me why religious teens are happier than secular teens, But one weird realization I’ve had is that i’m sort of devoutly atheistic. Like you might think as an atheist I wouldn’t care about say converting to Judaism to get married and yet I wouldn’t. Partly out of respect for Judiasm! I think I wonder, what is the implication of this. Should I try to be more religious? Is happiness the ultimate goal over I dunno, some sense of being true to myself? Does it even work for people who don’t truly believe?
- silverquiet 2y agoI completely understand why someone would want to believe in that, what I don't understand is how they're capable of doing so given the complete lack of any contact with that "Someone". My parents wanted me to be Catholic like them though I told them I didn't believe in it when I was seven years old because god never appeared to me or answered a prayer or anything. I tried to believe for around a decade, but it never happened. I'd still like to, but I don't think it'll happen at this point.
- za3faran 2y agoDid you investigate how different religions provide their evidences and how they prove themselves?
- silverquiet 2y agoThe best method seems to be holy texts from so long ago that the origins are hazy at best. It’s one reason it’s hard to believe that Mormonism took off so well; Joseph Smith’s personal foibles are still well recorded.
- AnimalMuppet 2y agoFor baseline Christianity (not Mormonism), there are a number of works giving a defense of the holy texts as being historically accurate. "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" by Josh McDowell was a good one, but it is almost certainly out of date by now. "Cold Case Christianity" by J. Warner Wallace is a more recent one, but is far less comprehensive. From a philosophical perspective, "He Is There And He Is Not Silent" by Francis Schaeffer is solid. It's simple, but very deep.
- silverquiet 2y agoHistorically they may track somewhat with the evidence, but I’ve seen no signs of the god or miracles they claim existed in that time.
- lcall 2y agoJoseph Smith never claimed to be perfect, and notably said he was not, but that "there is no error in the revelations." I have learned for myself that the Book of Mormon is true (and amazing), and so can anyone who wants to test it for themselves. (More at my web site--in profile, nothing for sale, no stylistic ambition.) (Smith's life is thoroughly, unflinchingly documented: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/ https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/ ). (Thoughtful comments appreciated with any downvotes.)