So, recently I was talking to a friend and somehow we got to talking about religion and stuff. When I complained that religion is often put on a huge pedestal and that it’s really just a glorified opinion and should be subject to the same criticism as any other opinion, they told me that that was a really hot take.
According to them, belief and religion is more than just an opinion since it’s such a big part of people’s lives. I countered that opinions are also big parts of people’s lives and personalities. I mean, a huge chunk of your personality is based on your opinions, right?
We agreed to disagree but I kept thinking about it. I don’t get why religion shouldn’t just be treated like any other opinion just because people tend to cling to it. I get that it people are emotionally invested but that’s not just the case with religion but other opinions too. I would appreciate your thoughts to help me understand better, is it really a hot take?
This does make a lot of sense.
Although, if I want to explain that I think that religious beliefs should be subject to the same scrutiny and criticism as opinions how would I put into words that religion should not be put on a pedestal the way it is currently done often times?
I don’t think there’s any way to reach devoutly religious but telling them the thing they hold sacred, the thing that ties together their family and community, is nothing more than a mass delusion. You can’t tell them that religion is an opinion because to them, god is above all.
The only way I can imagine is by providing a viable alternative. Many religious people think atheists are incapable of morality. Lost without god, poor unfortunate souls. It might help if atheists were more open and vocal. But that’s just the problem - nobody is preaching about nothing. Nobody is preaching about just being a good person for no reason other than you want to. Atheists and non-religious should easily have a majority in many places but actually have almost no representation in government.
I got this Scientology recruitment pamphlet in the mail. Most of the precepts make sense to me, except 9 (don’t break the law), and 18 (respect others religions). But I think the religious are more likely to change religions than walk away from it entirely.
Anyway I’ve never received an atheist pamphlet. It doesn’t really need recruitment because it’s self-evident. Imagine going door to door trying to sell nothing. Not just nothing but try to tell people not to buy anything from anybody else. Kind of a hard sell.
Some but not all.
Jesus has the parable of the good Samaritan for example. The religious man (The Pharisees) leaves someone on the mountain to die, while the less-religious Samaritan saves him.
In fact, a lot of Jesus’s preachings are about the outsider. Ex: Magi were likely Zoroastrianism, etc. Etc.
There are many warnings about how Religion can be used for bad in Catholic preaching. Ironically, Evangelicals ignore these parts of the Bible.