FRDB Archives

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.


Go Back   FRDB Archives > Archives > IIDB ARCHIVE: 200X-2003, PD 2007 > IIDB Philosophical Forums (PRIOR TO JUN-2003)
Welcome, Peter Kirby.
You last visited: Today at 05:55 AM

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 04-13-2003, 05:51 PM   #1
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: India
Posts: 6,977
Default Believers need illusion

The reason why even otherwise intelligent people stubbornly believe in God, particularly in a benevolent Christian God is because they are unwilling to surrender the illusion of pattern, of the reassurance in a moral universe

One Bengali writer wrote a book critical of Mother Teresa. He sent sample chapters to St. Martin's Press, New York. The literary editor turned the book down saying, "In the end I feel that certain things are better left unsaid; while Mother Teresa's accomplishments may indeed be illusory, I still applaud the ideals that she, perhaps not unhypocritically represented, and millions in the west , a society ravaged by excess materialism, were still able to connect with the philosophy she preached. Alas, she and her order were not able to live upto the standard that she preached, but she remains a hero, albeit tainted, to millions of America alone … so much so that I do not feel I would be the best editor to launch this book".

So this supposedly intellectual editor is arguing that
1. Accomplishments don't matter as long as nice things are said.
2. People need some kind of faith in Goodness to live by.
3. We must not hurt the feelings of people who regard someone as a hero by speaking the truth.

I feel the first two reasons are why Christians refuse to give up their belief in God, while the third is why many people are unwilling to openly criticize religion.


Truth/facts does not matter
hinduwoman is offline  
Old 04-13-2003, 07:12 PM   #2
Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,018
Default

Hi Hinduwoman,
Long time no argue.

So the editor was a jerk. Even tho I am a Catholic, I view Mother Theresa rather circumspectly, as I do our pope. I am for the truth as it alone can set us free. As our Lord said, you are either for it or against it. That editor, by his benign neglect of it, proved himself to be against it. He will have to answer to God for having denied God in the manner you described.

Enough agreeing. I suspect I disagree with your disagreement of this:
Quote:
People need some kind of faith in Goodness to live by.
That’s very poorly stated, quite vague. But if you mean by it that people can live by bread alone, you are wrong. We need meaning as much as we need meat. Do you deny this? – Sincerely, Albert the Traditional Catholic
Albert Cipriani is offline  
Old 04-13-2003, 08:49 PM   #3
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,335
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Albert Cipriani
But if you mean by it that people can live by bread alone, you are wrong.
I think there are a few people over in S&S right now that would disagree with this one. :banghead:
Quote:
We need meaning as much as we need meat. Do you deny this? – Sincerely, Albert the Traditional Catholic
Life without substance would make for a very dull existence. "Meaning" is a bit of a loaded word, isn't it?
Godot is offline  
Old 04-13-2003, 08:53 PM   #4
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: On a sailing ship to nowhere, leaving any place
Posts: 2,254
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Albert Cipriani
But if you mean by it that people can live by bread alone, you are wrong.
I agree with you here. As brother Dave Gardner observed, "man cannot live upon bread alone. He must have peanut butter."
Demigawd is offline  
Old 04-13-2003, 09:56 PM   #5
Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,018
Lightbulb

Dear Godot,
You say:
Quote:
"Meaning" is a bit of a loaded word, isn't it?
Yes it is. By meaning I mean what other people mean when they say God or spirituality.

Touch is to our physicality what meaning is to our soul. Every time you perceive a relationship between two abstractions, you have fed your soul meaning. It is as necessary for your keeping your body and soul hybird together as bread. – Sincerely, Albert the Traditional Catholic
Albert Cipriani is offline  
Old 04-13-2003, 10:04 PM   #6
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: secularcafe.org
Posts: 9,525
Default

I think this would be better in GRD.
Jobar is offline  
Old 04-14-2003, 02:42 AM   #7
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Sweden
Posts: 2,567
Default

I think people need Hitler just as much as they need Mother Theresa. The devil in the flesh so to speak.
Theli is offline  
Old 04-15-2003, 05:53 PM   #8
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: India
Posts: 6,977
Default

albert, people need meaning in their lives. But believers insist that this meaning has to come from outside; they desperately want to believe that they are important in this infinite universe. This illusion is the source of all religious related problems.
hinduwoman is offline  
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:30 PM.

Top

This custom BB emulates vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.