If you were born into a specific religion, and then went out in search of evidence specifically for what you currently believe, you probably found some legit-sounding arguments for you already established belief system.
Because everyone is at least a little curious about the validity of what they believe at one time or another, this is a very normal thing to do. Unfortunately it is also uncomfortable, consuming time, energy, and thinking power, so most will have a few conversations with a religious leader or maybe read a book or two on the subject. Then, after this brief sidetrack of questioning, it is common to accept the few legit-seeming answers you got and then move on with life assuming your religion is true.
There is a problem with this- if you only look at evidence for what you currently believe, you will probably be lulled into a false sense of belief. Almost any religion can be convincing after such a surface level inquiry has taken place.
In addition, based on my last post, http://honestsearchfortruth.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-are-odds-that-you-were-born-into.html, you probably started out in the wrong place anyway. The situation would be analogous to putting a band-aid over a wound from a battle axe and calling it good.
What to do then? At least get multiple points of view! Don't just read books and talk to leaders from your current belief system. Also read books and talk to people who have the opposite point of view. Learn about other religions from members of those religions (not your current leader!). If you ask you current leader whether or not there is legit evidence for other beliefs, and he/she says 'no', well what answer were you expecting? Obviously he/she will tell you that the belief system he/she is a leader of is legit and that others are not.
So, it is way better to learn about other religions from the members of those religions.
As with the last few posts, my overall goal has been to persuade people of the following things:
Because everyone is at least a little curious about the validity of what they believe at one time or another, this is a very normal thing to do. Unfortunately it is also uncomfortable, consuming time, energy, and thinking power, so most will have a few conversations with a religious leader or maybe read a book or two on the subject. Then, after this brief sidetrack of questioning, it is common to accept the few legit-seeming answers you got and then move on with life assuming your religion is true.
There is a problem with this- if you only look at evidence for what you currently believe, you will probably be lulled into a false sense of belief. Almost any religion can be convincing after such a surface level inquiry has taken place.
In addition, based on my last post, http://honestsearchfortruth.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-are-odds-that-you-were-born-into.html, you probably started out in the wrong place anyway. The situation would be analogous to putting a band-aid over a wound from a battle axe and calling it good.
What to do then? At least get multiple points of view! Don't just read books and talk to leaders from your current belief system. Also read books and talk to people who have the opposite point of view. Learn about other religions from members of those religions (not your current leader!). If you ask you current leader whether or not there is legit evidence for other beliefs, and he/she says 'no', well what answer were you expecting? Obviously he/she will tell you that the belief system he/she is a leader of is legit and that others are not.
So, it is way better to learn about other religions from the members of those religions.
As with the last few posts, my overall goal has been to persuade people of the following things:
- There is only one truth
- All but one belief system is false
- Because there are many belief systems, if you pick one at random you will probably start out in the wrong
- Being born into a religion, reading 1 or 2 books in favor of what you already believe, and never getting evidence from the opposite side of the argument is no better than just picking a belief system at random
- Finding truth is essential to obtaining maximal happiness
- You find truth by going on an honest search
thank you, nice post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot! You have some pretty sweet blogs I see- I'll have to jump around on them and do some reading. I started on 'Intellectual Products are the richness of the world' and it looks pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteIt might be worth mentioning that while it is difficult for people of faith (or who began in faith) to understand, there are people who start off with no belief system at all.
ReplyDeleteNote that many theists (and even ex-theists) consider atheism to be a belief system - ie "my belief system is structured around the central tenet that there is no god". This isn't really valid, as many atheists try to argue, often unsuccessfully :)
As an avid non-stamp-collector myself (among many other hobbies including not jogging, not knitting, and not hunting), I have no idea what you mean. I feel so much more accomplished when I think about all the cool stuff I'm (not) doing with my life.
ReplyDeleteI hope my silliness has demonstrated that I see your point. =D
It has completely!
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I've made a few comments on various articles and probably not made it sufficiently clear that I think this is all great work you're doing. I come from a somewhat reserved culture, a culture of understatement, and my personal nature tends towards "droll", so please take that into account when reading my comments. (If I were to say something was "not too bad at all", I mean it is "absolutely freaking fantastic"!)
Hi!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for saying that!!! I have very much appreciated all of your feedback. Everything has been useful. You respond on a level that pushes me to learn more. =D
I look forward to more dialogue!
-Josh