[mit-ac6] The pros and cons of believing in deities
- From: Neil Santos <ne0_akt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: mit-ac6@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 01:41:57 +0800
>> [Monday] 10/14/2002 :: 10:25 PM -- NEWMSG
In the past, I have stated again and again my non-belief in
omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient beings (who are, from now on,
be referred to by me as `Gods' with a capital `G'). However, does
that not mean that I condemn the idea of religion, nor do I naively
believe that everyone should just forget about the idea altogether.
On the contrary; I believe that having `faith' in religious ideals can
be benificial, although, through observation, I have noticed that it
doesn't do much at all.
Bear with me.
Religion is a good thing in a lot of scenarios; for example, it gives
people something to hold on to, in times of need. ``Hope for'', would
a good phrase to describe it. `Faith', in the religious sense of the
word, has a, as I have observed, placebo effect on the people that
have it.
This can be a good and a bad thing.
GOOD:
Believing in life after death (which is mandated by Christian belief),
allows people to focus on life one day at a time, instead of rushing
through it, eager to do what they can before they die.
Belief in life after death also calms most people after losing a loved
one; i.e., because they believe that the `soul' of a person goes
somewhere, and that the survivors can reach that place in due time,
the thought of seeing loved ones after death usually consoles people.
BAD:
When people believe in life after death, I've usually observed, people
tend to proscrastinate more than the people who don't believe in an
afterlife. Agnostics or atheists usually strive to accomplish more
and achieve more in their lifespan than do the religious.
Believers of an afterlife tend to become sloppy with the things they
do, subconsciously believing that they'd get another chance to set
things straight (for those who believe in reincarnation), or that
most of the menial things they do won't matter in `heaven'.
GOOD:
Following a religion usually automatically gives you moral guidelines
to follow: for example, Christians believe that killing, for any
purpose, is `bad', and that they shouldn't do it. Most religions also
preach doing ``unto others, as you'd want others to do unto you''.
BAD:
Most followers forget what their religion preaches anyway. Also,
a strict moral guidelines can sometimes become a moral straitjacket
very quickly. For example, most of the religious loathe killing
people convicted of a horrendous crime, believing that it is up to
their Gods to punish him.
What they don't see is that by continuing to let people like these
live on, they deprive hapless children from poor countries a fighting
chance to live. How? Instead of giving food to African children, a
lot of the nutritional resources of a country goes to convicts that
have long since nulled their right to live.
I can go on, and on, and on about the pros and cons of religion, but
it really doesn't matter... Because, in my experience, people who're
able to believe in Gods rarely acknowledge arguments from `the other
side', and would rather `just believe'. No offense intended, of
course.
-------
``... I don't suppose we shall see them again.''
-- Frodo, from `The Fellowship of the Ring', by J.R.R. Tolkien
... Flying saucers are real, the Air Force doesn't exist.
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