Reply #48: I have not attempted to defend atheists. Had you said that [View All]

[ladjf]

you considered atheist to be mentally ill, I might have wanted to hear your argument. I most definitely wouldn't have felt insulted. In the first place, I'm not completely sure of the definition of atheism and therefore don't even know if I'm one.

Animals on Earth proceed through their lives adapting to whatever resources available to them. To survive, they must conduct their actions efficiently. If they were to base their tactics of fabricated ideas rather that natural observation, they would soon perish.

Humans, in certain ways, are smarter than other animals. Their brains allow them to think abstractly. That capability is an assert and a liability. Humans naturally want to understand the why and how's of life. They need to connect with their spiritual side. It is my belief that religious leaders through the centuries have used this human need to convince people that the only avenue to connecting to their spiritual nature is through the church. I believe that they are wrong. People attend religious activities and make wonderful connections with others. There's a sense of belonging and understanding. All of that is good. But, it is at the point where
religious leadership begins to instruct their followers about matters that are not directly related to the core spiritual values that the big problems begin. Jesus never said anything about pre-emptive wars that would kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Jesus never said to put unethical men into political office in order to receive certain financial benefits of that politicians tenure in office.

Lastly, my comment that religious activity being a sign of mental illness only would apply in cases of extremism. I would by no means consider say a Pres. Carter to be mentally ill. Far from it. He's one of the most cogent and articulate people on the American scene today.

I do believe organized religion is being allowed to get away with some very dangerous and immoral activities. I agree with you in a sense that my feeble attempts are not likely to spark much of a debate. I'm doing the best I can with what I have.