Sunday 19 September 2010

The Religious Believer

The religious believer is a mental slave to an insubstantial idea, a phantom presence inculcated in a youthful developing mind with the object of control and obedience. It develops with the mind to become a source of mental refuge and comfort, and consequently becomes near impossible to expel. 

To claim to be in communication with this phantom does not provide the claimant any special authority for the issuing of moral and ethical diktats which can deleteriously affect peoples' lives. 

If a cloistered, life-long celibate, 83 year old man, with no experience of sex, marriage, children or grandchildren professes to give advice on such matters as contraception, abortion, sexual relations, we are  entitled to ask for back-up evidence. We are aware of the shortcomings of our own minds, so we are unlikely to be impressed simply with what is going on in his (or his advisors). If he has sincerely-held opinions on these matters, let him set up and fund appropriate research projects in all the relevant disciplines, physiological, psychological, statistical, and, when they are completed, re-present his advice backed-up with credible evidence.

4 comments:

  1. I am concerned by the direction you have taken in your post. What is the aim of your post? What do you want to happen? Do you want all religious believers to be gathered together and expelled from the UK? What? You do not sound very loving or joyful you sound full of hatred. You call us "Mental Slaves" do you mean I am stupid for having my beliefts? Please expand on your vision for us "Religious believers" where do you see us in your world? With our choice to believe removed / outlawed?........

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  2. @Double. You seem to be describing your emotional reactions to my post rather than taking issue with any of the specific points I make in it. My aim is simply to say what I think, as does the Pope.
    Everyone has the absolute liberty to believe exactly what they want. How could it be otherwise? I suppose my post sounds rather serious but I don't know why you read hate into it. In any case it is directed at religious belief, not the believer. No, I do not think you stupid for having beliefs. I suppose the most I might say was that you had a rationality deficit in that particular area. But I do not know you so that would be presumptious.

    Thank you for visiting.

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  3. @quedula you have read emotion into my post that was not there. I simply asked valid questions as your post read "The religious believer is ....." not "Belief in religion is.... " As you have clarified that this was a mistake and your post was infact "directed at religious belief, not the believer. No," it reads you must admit in quite a different way.

    BTW I still dont know what you want to achieve? What is the eventual outcome that you would like to see as a result of your argument?

    As a Biochemist I have always had an enquiring mind at times fervently rational too hee hee :-)

    Thank you for correcting ;-)

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  4. I have reread my original post Double and think I want to stand by its content and the manner in which it is expressed..

    My subsequent comment might be misleading though. I meant to cover the point that a believer might have many admirable qualities aside from his belief and the extent to which my post is directed at him is proportional to the extent that religion has subsumed his mind and character.

    You ask what I hope to achieve. Maybe nothing. Maybe just to make people think.

    However, what I would hope cpmes about in the not too distant future, and which I endeavour to promote in whatever small way I can, is the widespread recognition of religion for the superstitious nonsense it is.

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