Comments for Weltshauung http://saesui.wordpress.com random mutterings of rational beings Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:34:26 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on The persistence of religion by adeistic http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-14 adeistic Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:34:26 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-14 Science has answered the afterlife question - it is simply that those who wish to believe in an afterlife do not wish to face what science tells us. As for "soul", that is merely a fancy term for the emotional side of consciousness and neuroscience has demonstrated that this function has a neural basis. This is not to say that neuroscience can yet reconstruct how consciousness is itself constructed, it is merely to say that there is absolutely no reason to believe that consciousness operates independent of physical process. If I did not understand how people operate it would be even more extraordinary to me that those who insist on believing in something for which there is absolutely no evidence – counter-evidence, in fact –are so very eager to dismiss actual knowledge. Science has answered the afterlife question – it is simply that those who wish to believe in an afterlife do not wish to face what science tells us. As for “soul”, that is merely a fancy term for the emotional side of consciousness and neuroscience has demonstrated that this function has a neural basis. This is not to say that neuroscience can yet reconstruct how consciousness is itself constructed, it is merely to say that there is absolutely no reason to believe that consciousness operates independent of physical process.

If I did not understand how people operate it would be even more extraordinary to me that those who insist on believing in something for which there is absolutely no evidence – counter-evidence, in fact –are so very eager to dismiss actual knowledge.

]]> Comment on The persistence of religion by Bubbles http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-13 Bubbles Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:20:22 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-13 I personally have accepted that there are people who will find the idea of a belief in God ridiculous. In the first place, it's impossible for everyone to be a bleiever. For me it's not an 'either or' scenario. It's not beleive in God or believe in science. There are many things science has failed to explain. Like if there is an afterlife and the nature of our soul. Because of the great leaps that have been made in the scientific world some people are starting to think humans are omnipotent. Sorry for rambling on your blog. ;) I personally have accepted that there are people who will find the idea of a belief in God ridiculous. In the first place, it’s impossible for everyone to be a bleiever. For me it’s not an ‘either or’ scenario. It’s not beleive in God or believe in science. There are many things science has failed to explain. Like if there is an afterlife and the nature of our soul. Because of the great leaps that have been made in the scientific world some people are starting to think humans are omnipotent.

Sorry for rambling on your blog. ;)

]]> Comment on The persistence of religion by adeistic http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-12 adeistic Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:00:38 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-12 Ah, yes, the flip side of Pascal's Wager! You might have wathced Amanpour's "God's Islamic Warriors." In the program a young American Muslim from a regular American background had taken to wearing the hijab. She said that once you start wearing the hijab, you never take it off. It strikes me that your "paranoia" is a bit like that -- once you believe that God might exist, you are a little afraid not to believe. I don't think that you are alone in that discomfort. I think that a lot of moderates of whatever religion do not dare to give up their belief just in case the hype is true. As for moral training, we can learn decent morals without all the religious trimmings, but many religious absolutists don't seem to realize this. Ah, yes, the flip side of Pascal’s Wager!

You might have wathced Amanpour’s “God’s Islamic Warriors.” In the program a young American Muslim from a regular American background had taken to wearing the hijab. She said that once you start wearing the hijab, you never take it off.

It strikes me that your “paranoia” is a bit like that — once you believe that God might exist, you are a little afraid not to believe.

I don’t think that you are alone in that discomfort. I think that a lot of moderates of whatever religion do not dare to give up their belief just in case the hype is true.

As for moral training, we can learn decent morals without all the religious trimmings, but many religious absolutists don’t seem to realize this.

]]> Comment on The persistence of religion by blue_calumet_satyr http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-9 blue_calumet_satyr Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:01:41 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-9 I think you're absolutely right. I was raised in a religion that never supported free thinking. Hell, no one was encouraged to go to college. It would make you too "worldly." I always fought with logic the teachings laid before me. Though I was young, I managed independent thought but, this was merely a fluke. I had fairly liberal artistic parents who where of the 60's generation. Essentially my parents knew I would not become a devout follower. I can look back now and can appreciate the experience and the knowledge this sort of background in religion gave me. I appreciate the morals I recieved, and I appreciate the fact I pretty much stayed out of trouble as a young woman. The problem being - the brainwashing. To this day I possess this sort of fear, or paranoia that everything they taught me is true, and I am wrong. I think you’re absolutely right.
I was raised in a religion that never supported free thinking. Hell, no one was encouraged to go to college. It would make you too “worldly.” I always fought with logic the teachings laid before me. Though I was young, I managed independent thought but, this was merely a fluke. I had fairly liberal artistic parents who where of the 60’s generation. Essentially my parents knew I would not become a devout follower. I can look back now and can appreciate the experience and the knowledge this sort of background in religion gave me. I appreciate the morals I recieved, and I appreciate the fact I pretty much stayed out of trouble as a young woman. The problem being – the brainwashing. To this day I possess this sort of fear, or paranoia that everything they taught me is true, and I am wrong.

]]> Comment on The persistence of religion by Anonymous http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-8 Anonymous Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:13:48 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-8 Comment on The persistence of religion by Anonymous http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-7 Anonymous Sat, 25 Aug 2007 22:33:48 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-7 <del datetime="2007-08-30T02:48:02+00:00">

]]> Comment on The persistence of religion by Anonymous http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-6 Anonymous Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:07:52 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-6 <del datetime="2007-08-30T02:47:41+00:00">

]]> Comment on The persistence of religion by Anonymous http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-5 Anonymous Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:52:48 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/the-persistence-of-religion/#comment-5 <del datetime="2007-08-30T02:47:22+00:00">

]]> Comment on God’s Mysterical Warriors by God’s Deranged Warriors « MetaThoughts http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/gods-mysterical-warriors/#comment-4 God’s Deranged Warriors « MetaThoughts Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:55:22 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/gods-mysterical-warriors/#comment-4 [...] Elsewhere : God’s Mysterical Warriors [...] [...] Elsewhere : God’s Mysterical Warriors [...]

]]> Comment on God’s Mysterical Warriors by God’s Demented Warriors « Naturalism http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/gods-mysterical-warriors/#comment-3 God’s Demented Warriors « Naturalism Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:33:19 +0000 http://saesui.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/gods-mysterical-warriors/#comment-3 [...] Elsewhere : God’s Mysterical Warriors [...] [...] Elsewhere : God’s Mysterical Warriors [...]

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