This thread is for those who are willing to explain what religious and/or supernatural beliefs they hold and why.
I think we're all old enough to understand that questioning of said beliefs is not "being intolerant" and mocking said beliefs is different than mocking a person.* People hold a huge variety of beliefs that aren't justified, and I don't believe ANY belief should be put on a pedestal. If you believe that NO beliefs should be questioned, then this thread isn't for you (and I would encourage you to learn about things that EVERYONE would challenge, like autistic children being "treated" with bleach enemas and justify not challenging those parents' beliefs...)
*The problem, it seems to me, is that people identify AS their beliefs, and so questioning a belief is often construed as attacking the person.
I'm starting this thread because I think it's important for both believers and non-believers to understand what we believe, why we believe it and how this should fit into society. Ofc, I doubt that I will be converted or that anyone else will be deconverted in this thread. These processes take a lot of time and aren't necessarily the point.
The more I learn about holy books like the Quran and the Bible, the more I realize that nobody actually reads them, despite claiming to be strict adherents to their religion. It is a fact that we are most likely to take up the religion we were raised into (understandably), but this is ofc not good justification for holding those beliefs into adulthood.
So why do you believe or disbelieve? Do you think the belief is justified itself or do you believe that belief itself is justified for various reasons like the moral argument or pascal's wager?
I'll start by explaining that I am an agnostic atheist. Yes, this sounds like a contradiction in terms to most because most people don't understand what they mean. At it's simplest, it means that I do not believe and I do not know whether a god exists. I think it's important to use both simultaneously to avoid confusion. If you do not understand what I mean above, then I encourage you to read this webpage which explains it very clearly and within just a few paragraphs. Part of the reason I want to emphasize this is that many people (my past self included) believe that saying one is agnostic is an adequate answer to the question of "do you believe in X"
It is not, because it is an answer to the question "do you know X". Both the majority of atheists and agnostic are actually agnostic atheists, but forego better terminology because they've been taught a variety of things culturally like "atheists are arrogant" or simply have not thought about it because it's not important to them.
Ofc, when it comes to a specific god (not just a deistic god) I am much more likely to be a gnostic atheist, meaning I know it does not exist (to the best that I can "know" anything, anyway). This is limited to logically inconsistent gods and those which fly in the fact of science like the 6 day creator, for example (challenging evolution).
edit: also please try not to interpret any question as an attack or dishonest. I honestly am curious what people believe and why
I think we're all old enough to understand that questioning of said beliefs is not "being intolerant" and mocking said beliefs is different than mocking a person.* People hold a huge variety of beliefs that aren't justified, and I don't believe ANY belief should be put on a pedestal. If you believe that NO beliefs should be questioned, then this thread isn't for you (and I would encourage you to learn about things that EVERYONE would challenge, like autistic children being "treated" with bleach enemas and justify not challenging those parents' beliefs...)
*The problem, it seems to me, is that people identify AS their beliefs, and so questioning a belief is often construed as attacking the person.
I'm starting this thread because I think it's important for both believers and non-believers to understand what we believe, why we believe it and how this should fit into society. Ofc, I doubt that I will be converted or that anyone else will be deconverted in this thread. These processes take a lot of time and aren't necessarily the point.
The more I learn about holy books like the Quran and the Bible, the more I realize that nobody actually reads them, despite claiming to be strict adherents to their religion. It is a fact that we are most likely to take up the religion we were raised into (understandably), but this is ofc not good justification for holding those beliefs into adulthood.
So why do you believe or disbelieve? Do you think the belief is justified itself or do you believe that belief itself is justified for various reasons like the moral argument or pascal's wager?
I'll start by explaining that I am an agnostic atheist. Yes, this sounds like a contradiction in terms to most because most people don't understand what they mean. At it's simplest, it means that I do not believe and I do not know whether a god exists. I think it's important to use both simultaneously to avoid confusion. If you do not understand what I mean above, then I encourage you to read this webpage which explains it very clearly and within just a few paragraphs. Part of the reason I want to emphasize this is that many people (my past self included) believe that saying one is agnostic is an adequate answer to the question of "do you believe in X"
It is not, because it is an answer to the question "do you know X". Both the majority of atheists and agnostic are actually agnostic atheists, but forego better terminology because they've been taught a variety of things culturally like "atheists are arrogant" or simply have not thought about it because it's not important to them.
Ofc, when it comes to a specific god (not just a deistic god) I am much more likely to be a gnostic atheist, meaning I know it does not exist (to the best that I can "know" anything, anyway). This is limited to logically inconsistent gods and those which fly in the fact of science like the 6 day creator, for example (challenging evolution).
edit: also please try not to interpret any question as an attack or dishonest. I honestly am curious what people believe and why