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Religion does have some benefits. One of them is a sense of community. If you are new to a town, you can probably even attend a church and tell them honestly "I'm just here to meet people" and they would probably still be cool with you. Some may still try to convert you, but you can give those ones the brushoff.
So under the assumption that religion is a placebo, maybe an atheist like myself could still benefit from religion, even though I know it's fake.
Thoughts?
This is something atheism addressed some time ago. It is long known that Yoga and Buddhist meditation has beneficial effects and those effects can be benefitted even without the slightest religious trapping. The Theists never understand this, which is why one minister in the UK banned a Yoga class on church premises.
The De Botton initiative developed this idea that religion has benefits to offer. While I agree, I am always suspicious of this ploy being used as a pretext to keep religion on.
In fact that argument is as false as the old 'We need the Bible because it tells us good things' argument. We can work most of those out with humanist moraility. Indeed the Bible undoubtedly hi -jacked non Biiblical morality in the first place. But even if it has something new of value to offer - why..we can take it and say thanks ..and goodbye.
We humanists can take what is of value from the religions (if we don't have it already) and push the religion out of the door. We don't owe religion a thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bulmabriefs144
Religion does have some benefits. One of them is a sense of community. If you are new to a town, you can probably even attend a church and tell them honestly "I'm just here to meet people" and they would probably still be cool with you. Some may still try to convert you, but you can give those ones the brushoff.
Yes. That is something that religion offers. But, like charities, one has to ask - is that not something a secular organization could also do? I don't think it does it because these administrations are not atheist, frankly. They do not think logically or ethically. They think politically.
I mean their rationale is not 'What are we morally required to do?' It is 'What can we get away with not doing, without losing votes?'
P. s that perhaps is the reason I won't replace the term 'atheist' with something else. it is a Political ploy and as such it it, essentially, dishonest. And it sets my alarm bells off. Sam Harris had a an argument and a good one. But there are real good ethical reasons why we should not do it.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 11-24-2015 at 06:37 AM..
If it is Christianity (I don't consider Christianity a religion) then how do you know it is fake?
First, you assess the honesty and rationality of its proponents.
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