> From: Mark Loy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan > Subject: Re: TAN > Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 12:58 PM > > In article <ag9o35$rql$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ken Gerrard) wrote: > > > Kenneth G. Cavness <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > >Foolishly giving up the right to remain silent, > > >Edward Measure <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> confessed... > > >[snip] > > > > >> One thing that always interests me is the quasi-religious passion that > > >> many anti-theists exhibit regarding religion. I'm inclined to believe > > >> that it is a symptom what appears to be a nearly universal human need > > >> for religion - even if the only religion they can embrace is > > >> anti-religion. > > > > [...] > > > > >There are other reasons of course. They are powerful, and they are > > >useful, and an atheist usually has found other ways to deal with the > > >needs that religion has fulfilled for so many centuries. Still, they > > >have learned to be defensive when confronted with the smug superiority > > >that people who profess to a religion tend to espouse. It's a vicious > > >cycle. > > > > I find that some *do* seem to replace their lack of religion with atheism; > > it's either that they can't function without a strong, overriding belief > > in something (even if that something is nothing) or they need to feel > > superior to those who haven't made that decision. I've noticed a surplus > > of the latter on this very newsgroup. > > > I don't think I _need_ to feel superior to someone who still believes in > religion as much as I just am superior. > > Wow. Does that ever sound pompous. > > What I mean is that someone that believes in religion--most notably > Christianity because I'm the most familiar with it and its ilk--with all > that that belief entails does not, IMHO, have the ability to discriminate > fact from fiction, myth from reality, pseudo-science from science, logic > from illogic or worse, they are not _willing_ to do so but in fact > *prefer* delusion. Either way they are inferior to someone who can and > will make distinctions. > > Wouldn't everyone here agree? > > To me if someone is willing to accept the tenets of an ancient > superstition with all its logical flaws and inconsistencies as factual > then they would be willing to accept a whole shitload of bullshit as such > and that, again in my opinion, makes them inferior to someone who is > capable of making logical/rational discriminations based upon sound > scientific principles and or reasoning and makes them rather...pitifully > dangerous because they seem to be the majority and the property of mind > that makes them susceptible to religious propoganda makes them susceptible > to all kinds of bogus belief systems...and that just scares the shit out > of me. > > One person/group is mired in a fantasy universe or doesn't know that they > are or is unwilling to find out if they are while the other is firmly > entrenched in reality. > > Then again that's my basis for superiority. > > Some people would state rather unequivocally that being able to believe in > that that is unprovable, untestable, utterly unknowable is the mark of a > superior being while being rooted only in the world of the tangible is, at > the very least, sadly pathetic and limiting. > > <shrug> > > I do know that in some respects I regret that I ever "bought" into the > fantisists universe in any way, shape, or form. I allowed myself to > believe that what was reality and fiction could be co-mingled without > really doing any harm. I accepted the indoctrinating principles of Santa > Claus and the Tooth Fairy as basically harmless childhood games but in > retrospect...well I wonder if they don't make it easier for a child like > my Eric to more easily accept religion--at least for awhile. Is accepting > religious doctrine even for a short period of time detrimental to > development of the kind of reasoning mind that I most assuredly hope my > son will have? Fuck if I know. All I do know is that I was just like him > and I'm not now. All I'm sure of is the fact that I believed in > superstitions and fairy tales and jolly old men providing me with comfort > and joy and peace and happiness without requiring anything in return but > belief. And that belief...yeah, became, eventually Belief. But I got > better. Will Eric? I sure as fuck hope so. But the whole mythos that we > alllow...nay, encourage children to buy into sure as fuck makes it harder > for them to become the discriminating individuals that we want them to be > and for that I regret my part in the deception. Part of me wishes that I > had been straight with him from the very beginning about Christmas--it was > never a religious holiday with me and the whole Santa Claus mythos was and > always will be an irritation propogated almost beyond the control of > parents. > > But I'm now on a rant of another color. > > Back to the superiority thing...yeah, I admit to feeling superior to > people who can't or won't examine their beliefs and are incapable of > rational interpretations of the results. Religious people are scary in > their baseless fanaticism. And the fact of the matter is that there are a > whole shitload more of them than there are people like me and that just > fuckin' gives me the willies. > > The fact that there are people that believe with every fiber of their > being the looniest tenets of christianity/mormonism/islam etc. and that > they are in the majority is nothing short of a constant oppressive cloud > over the heads of more rational people everywhere and the fact that I > count myself as one of the "oppressed" while it does give me an inate > sense of superiority it also makes me dreadfully sad and depressed for the > utlimate state of mankind as well as the future for our great species. >
> ML >
