Tabula_rasa

Ipetric:
This sort of viewpoint is far from new; Plato expressed something very similar in his Republic. In that book's ideal community, Plato's society's sacred books would be banned on account of all the bad examples they contain -- bad examples like heroes lamenting and gods laughing. In their place would be an official ideology that he called a "Royal Lie", one that was designed to "demonstrate" the legitimacy of the community's philosopher-monarch rulers.

And the current Christian incarnation of the philosophy that h_s is putting forth comes from none other than Irving Kristol.

Tabula_rasa

Coragyps

I knew a teenager (probably schizophrenic, yes, I'll admit) who chopped off his right hand with a fairly dull Boy Scout hatchet in accord with some Bible verse that was in his pastor's sermon that morning. What other "authorities" advocate that sort of behavior?
What makes you think that Christianity or any other religion offers any more "hope" than a rational atheism?

Jesus Tap-Dancin' Christ

Well, Cal, guess what? The EVIDENCE is indeed taught both for evolution and for creationism. What, you say no evidence for creationism is taught? As I said, they DO teach the evidence, Cal, and only the positive evidence.

Gregg

Folks like Cal conveniently forget that the men who uncovered the evidence for an old Earth and for evolution were practically all Christians. In fact, many geologists set out with the intention of using the scientific method to find evidence for a 10,000 year old Earth and a global flood. Instead, the evidence pointed them in another direction, and they were honest enough to admit it. Cal should be humbled by their bravery and integrity.

Gregg

Albion

I wonder what Cal thinks of the American Scientific Affiliation.

Jobar

hungry_student, if you wish to continue discussing this subject when you return, let us know and one of the mods will copy it to General Religion. Your topic would be very appropriate there, but I'll tell you honestly that I don't think you would convince anyone of your point.

avalanche:ix

not really, i do remember reading some reports about depression among christians and non-christians which suggests it, but i'm not about to go to any lengths to find it.

i find it interesting you chose not to reply to anything else. airport or not.

Doubting Didymus

As I recall, the study you are thinking of found a link, not between actual specific beliefs and suicide/depression, but between how confidently that belief is held. Originally, the studies showed that christians trumped atheists. However, revised studies that focus on the strength of ones belief across as spectrum of god-belief finds that the correlation is with fervour and not technical specific beliefs. It's actually a nice bell curve, with the strongly held atheism end just neatly topping the strong christians.

Note that correlation is of course, not cause. I suspect that the reason for the correlation is NOT 'watery infirm belefs cause depression/suicide', but inversely, that those who are depressed and suicidal are more likely to waver in their convictions. That is, B=>A and not A=>B.

CALDONIA

It is not rational to believe in something for the comfort it brings you. Are Nazis comforted by the hope and faith that Adolf Hitler will someday return?

And if you do "believe" something for the sake of comfort, is that truly a belief, or is it self-delusion?

hungry_student

I don't really wish to continue this, as I think everyone is pretty set in their opinions.

Mine being that I personally do find hope and inspiration in the message of the Bible, and many, if not all, of you find hope in other things, namely atheism. I guess it is just the product of our environments, or perhaps some true logical thinking (if such a thing exists) that has led us to our convictions. Thanks for the dialogue, though, guys, very entertaining and enlightening. I look forward to many more.

-Matt