Drunken Ramblings --- Is it 'wrong' to think like this?

[sixstrings75]

Stone cold agnostic here.

Just wondering if anyone ever thinks about this like I do...

I just cannot respect religious people. There I said it. Such logical fallacies ignored or excused away in the most ludicrous fashion, ridiculous rituals and rites (raised catholic here-know of what I speak), ignorance on a mass scale.

Is it wrong then to automatically judge someone based solely on the knowledge that they are religious? Because I do...sorry.

Having interacted with these types in every aspect of my life, I just cannot wrap my head around someone who takes their faith to such levels of, well to me...zealotry. To attend a catholic mass is a mind fuck for an agnostic/atheist. Rise, sit, kneel, sing, bells ringing, people chanting, food turned into a human, etc. In the most direct way it can be said - I just cannot respect someone who believes this...

Seeing the medias images of people praying, chanting at the wailing wall, or seeing some poor persons head being chopped off in some barbaric country just makes me feel so lucky to be an agnostic. All this nonsense and more because of religion. I don't get it all and I cannot take seriously anyone who bases their lives on such tripe.

Time to be harsh...should I feel guilty because I believe that these people are somewhat silly? Is it wrong to not even want to associate with religious people in any fashion? Because this is how I am feeling recently. I just cannot trust someone who partakes in these religions. It's hard to put into words, but watching some of these people live their lives in such a fog scares me. I just think less of them in a very unique way. I despise these faith based divisions in our society. And by society I mean the earth. When it's all boiled down to its essence - we are all one and the same, sharing the same planet and should have common goals. I wonder how they can look at the same world I see everyday and be so shallow to believe they are 'special', or saved, or unique. This is the height of ignorance and narcissism. To my obviously untrained eye, I see a mental disorder. Maybe that's too harsh, but again, it's hard to put into words.

Knowing that so many religious people have just been victims of their upbringing, it still amazes me they lack the critical thinking skills to eventually say to themselves, "wait a tic - this is nonsense and illogical". It screams something to me, almost like a warning. I have religious family members, fiends, co-workers, etc. This isn't a love/hate thing. It is something entirely unique, this feeling I have towards religious people, it borders on pity.

It should be stressed that in no fashion whatsoever should any persons beliefs or rituals be restricted or censored - but only if said religions DO NOT INFRINGE on anyones basic human rights to a religion free public infrastructure, personal freedom (thinking of many religions persecution of gay people), and privacy. The moral and ethical 'trump card' used by the pious to trample on these basic rights throughout history SHOULD have all people agreeing that religion is a PERSONAL and PRIVATE affair. In every way, shape and form.

Also, I don't think any less of someone who believes their is a higher power, or who keeps their religion on a personal level without all the theatrics. It's the herd of people I see in churches, synagogues, mosques, etc, etc. All trying so hard to be different. I just don't get it???

Am I alone here?

Time for a drink...

[Name removed]

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[Tobin S.]

2. I hear you, sixstrings

I think of religion as a type of delusion. I think the root of religious beliefs is that people cannot accept the idea that there is nothing after death; that they will forever disappear. They also don't understand how someone could be a moral person while not believing in God and/or an afterlife. That's very telling. It says that they have to have this concept of God and an afterlife just to keep them in line. So they make up stories about an afterlife and all you have to do to get there is be good and praise God.

With 9 out of 10 people on the planet believing in some sort of higher power, it can make things seem pretty hopeless to folks like you and me. We can see how much better the world would be if everyone would just give up their beliefs fairy tales. It seems self evident to us that religion is a crock of shit, but people buy into it every day.

I have heard many God-fearing people say that they could never be an atheist or an agnostic. They say that they would lose all hope. But atheism has been liberating to me. I can live in the darkness of superstition or the light of the truth. There is nothing truthful about religion.

[laconicsax]

3. One thing you mention...

Knowing that so many religious people have just been victims of their upbringing, it still amazes me they lack the critical thinking skills to eventually say to themselves, "wait a tic - this is nonsense and illogical".

Depending on the brand of nonsense they've been brought up in, those doubts are encouraged as a way of strengthening convictions through faulty reasoning. It's never, "this doesn't make sense, maybe there's something wrong with it," but always, "this doesn't make sense, there must be something wrong with me" followed by persistent interpretation and reinterpretation to rationalize the nonsense so it will fit the preconceived notion of those beliefs being right no matter what.

Classic example:

Premise: The Bible is always right.
Problem: The Bible says the Earth was created in its current state over six days in October, 4004 BCE and a mountain of evidence says it was formed over hundreds of millions of years about four billion years ago and is constantly changing.
Clear thinking solution: The Bible is wrong.
Religious thinking solution: The six days don't refer to 24-hour days, but some longer, nebulous definition or the whole thing is a metaphor--the Bible is always right.

[Skeeve]

4. Right or wrong, count me in

I've had the same problem myself for many years. My inner dialogue tells me it's wrong, but I can't help setting aside a little judgment for those that profess religious beliefs.

[CrispyQ]

5. I try not to be judgmental, but I do feel pity for them.

When I read about the beginnings of the universe/multiverse, I am completely awestruck! What could be more totally spectacular than that this all just happened? To me, the idea that something/someone had to create it diminishes the grandeur of it.

Also the god they created is so small. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Their god is so uncertain that it's first rule is to demand belief in only it. IMO, that is a direct reflection of their own insecurity in their belief.

My mother once commented on my lack of belief in an after life. "What a sad way to view life!"

"Quite the contrary!" I replied. "It makes every moment you have even more precious than you can begin to imagine!"

[Lost-in-FL]

6. And you don't think Christians judge Atheists?

or distrust atheists?

Have at it. Don't feel bad.

[immoderate]

7. Some of the most ethical people I have met were fundy Christians...

...and I was the beneficiary of their kindness, and they knew I was an atheist. I'll admit that this is rare, but obviously, I have a very positive feeling about those people.

Now, I know that religion is stupid in the light of what we do know about the universe, but it makes it difficult to condemn people for something they see as good, even if it's wrong. I'm not defending religion here, but just pointing out it's sometimes a more nuanced situation in dealing with people.

--imm

[Warpy]

9. Exactly, the wisest course is to treat people the way they treat you

and some of the finest people I've known have been self described fundy Christians.

I've also seen the nastiest, most pernicious form of religion be a great comfort to families losing someone in an ICU.

I just can't buy into the bullshit and I'm too honest to try to pretend. There's just no way I can judge another person based on whether or not he's religious. I have to get to know him first.

[Deep13]

8. Feelings are not right or wrong. nt