I stumbled upon a blog via another blog that I read frequently and when I read a particular post I became quite stunned at this person’s zealousy on his and everyone elses religious beliefs. I knew I did not have the calm and collective reasoning that Carlo does, so I sorta sicced him on this poor fellow.
To understand the reasons behind all of this, please go here first and read the complete post.
This was Carlo’s beautiful response to the commentary:
I am new to your blog, and I have just finished reading some of the religious comments that have been made in response to your posting titled “anyway.†You have talked about www.skeptic.com debunking the so-called supernatural. You have also talked about www.randi.org and other resources that prove that God doesn’t exist, at least not in the Biblical manner, and that anyone who believes in a Judeo-Christian style God is automatically wrong, uneducated, blind, or simply chooses to be sheep. I may be misinterpreting what you said, however, that is the way that it came across to me. What I would like to understand is what is behind your rabid denunciation of any and all religions? Before you denounce me for defending any particular group, I ask basically the same question to believers of any particular group, religious, philosophical, political, etc.
My issue with what you say is not so much what you are saying, but rather, how you are saying it. If you have any experience with debating, you know that, in formal debates, debaters are required to refrain from personal attacks. This promotes open-mindedness and a honest exchange of ideas. Your insistence on using terms like sheep, idiot, and so on seems to be an intentional goad to push people away from a rational discussion where you all can openly exchange ideas. This tactic allows you to sit back and point fingers and say, “See? I had to be right! He/she/they all left because they couldn’t handle the discussion!â€
The irony here is that you have taken your skepticism to the same level as a devout Christian has taken their faith or a Buddhist monk their philosophy. You demonstrate a religious fervor, bordering on zealotry, based on tearing down what you call myths and superstitions. There are a lot of people that have similar beliefs, and they have all gotten together and formed various groups. Could these groups be worshiping at the altar called “Reason� Could that be a new “faith†that is forming?
My point (the one that I am wandering all over the place before I make it) is that some people want or need something to believe in. You can call it God, Yahweh, Buddha, Allah, Zeus, The Man Down The Street, or Reason, it is what that particular individual wants or needs to have faith in. Faith, as defined on www.webster.com is:
“1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefsâ€
I am actually talking about definition 2b(1). You have faith that science will prove that God does not exist, while Lisa and Louise have faith that God does, and “He†loves them. Many things, both great and terrible have been done for “faithâ€, but we, hopefully, as a society have moved past that. The important part is the lack of proof. You see, people that do not need proof to believe something can make the seemingly impossible possible. Diseases slow their ravages; superhuman feats of strength; things along those lines.
The issue here is the link between the body and the mind. If a patient’s outlook / attitude / mood can affect the course of their treatment and possible cure from diseases like cancer, then maybe homo sapiens needs faith.
Your staunch belief that reason, science, and facts are the only “Truth†could be interpreted as your particular brand of religion.
Just a thought.
My question for the day is:
What is it about people that brings them to the idea that only their beliefs are the correct ones and everyone else be damned?
