"Everything happens for a reason" (No, it doesn't!) (believe, punishment)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just noticed this forum and I'm very glad to see it. I'm retirment age but have been reading Bertrand Russell (my hero) since about age 12, and love Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, etc. Really very unhappy in Texas, because with few exceptions, everyone I meet is religious. I recently went through a struggle with cancer, too, and had all sorts of people praying for me. Scary.
My inquiry is this, though: this notion that "everything happens for a reason" troubles me. I know this sounds nice and makes people feel better, but what evidence is there for this? And does it not imply a reason-er (i.e., god)?
Please discusss? Is there an academic name for this nonsense? Why is it so popular? When I hear Oprah and others, state this, I find it annoying.
Robert G. Ingersoll said:
In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.
which i think relates to that 'everything happens for a reason' none sense. I do believe that everything happens because something caused it to happen (ie. cause and effect)....but that's not what they mean when they say what they say :-)
Location: where people are either too stupid to leave or too stuck to move
3,982 posts, read 6,690,233 times
Reputation: 3689
everything happens for a reason is just a way to make you feel better about your misfortune. but if it does, i see no evidence of it most of the time. life seems to be a random lottery, and at any time,anything can happen
I just noticed this forum and I'm very glad to see it. I'm retirment age but have been reading Bertrand Russell (my hero) since about age 12, and love Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, etc. Really very unhappy in Texas, because with few exceptions, everyone I meet is religious. I recently went through a struggle with cancer, too, and had all sorts of people praying for me. Scary.
My inquiry is this, though: this notion that "everything happens for a reason" troubles me. I know this sounds nice and makes people feel better, but what evidence is there for this? And does it not imply a reason-er (i.e., god)?
Please discusss? Is there an academic name for this nonsense? Why is it so popular? When I hear Oprah and others, state this, I find it annoying.
TIA
its actually an incredibley callous thing to say , " everything happens for a reason "
For those so deluded that they believe their "special friend" determines everything, I have one question;
Why do you look before you cross the street. If you are to make it safely across, as determined by your "special friend" then where is the "faith", just cross the damn street. If you look, then clearly you don't have any faith in what you say you have faith in.
its actually an incredibley callous thing to say , " everything happens for a reason "
I fully agree... especially when someone tells that to a parent who lost a child.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I fully agree... especially when someone tells that to a parent who lost a child.
