Are religious people fearful of facing reality?

[Deleted]

Isnt it smarter to build your character based on friendship with other people and that way develop your self-esteem and well being compared to "trusting" to "higher" power? I think in many cases religious people fear to face reality as it is and instead of building yourself based on what you see and feel, they build their self-esteem based on maybe fictional character.

[Kraenen]

Aren't we all? Religion is a mechanism we adapted in our minds to explain the world. Some people can go on in life without it, some can't.

[Titan2k10]

Has someone disproved there is no God? No one has proved either way so I don't really understand the point of this topic. How do we know non religious people aren't facing reality?

[Klutzington]

I agree with what the OP is saying. However, you must see it from their side as well. If they know nothing better and are not willing to expand their mind to the other "side," whatever that may be described as, they will never know any different. Generally, they will say the same thing of you, but with no logical throughout towards their explanation. Such is the life we must endure in the real world. Also: Don't just base your judgement on Christianity/Judaism/Catholicism, many other religions are similar.

[Deleted]

Well I dont know. When you dont believe in anything and instead build your character with trust to other people and yourself I think you're more stable person.

[Klutzington]

Has someone disproved there is no God? No one has proved either way so I don't really understand the point of this topic. How do we know non religious people aren't facing reality?

Also: this.

However, I agree with the OP, being agnostic (leaning slightly towards atheist, but agnostic nonetheless).

[Deadvolcanoes]

Some might be. Certainly not all.

[Deleted]

I write this because I have faced some religious people in my life and in my book they're firstly very narcissistic and least compassionate people i've ever met. They dont even notice when you feel bad and insulting other people for them is like saying "hello".

[Deleted]

Lol no

I am religious, christian that is, and i don't "build my self-esteem on a fictional character". My self-esteem has nothing to do with the bible. If i have problems in life, i don't assume that god will magically fix them for me every time i pray. I have to do it myself.

And here's a fun fact for you: quite many of us also consider our current science to be a fact as we understand it. Not every religious person are like those from the Westboro Baptist Church

[darkwarrior42]

Not necessarily. People who use religion as an excuse to not take responsibility or face the world as it is certainly are, but then there are plenty of non-religious people who do the same, as well as religious people who do the same thing using something other than religion.

It's not about the religion specifically, it's about whether you're using your beliefs to help make you a better person who can openly face the world, or using your beliefs to protect yourself from having to think about what you're doing. Some people claim that faith is their shield.... but I prefer to think of mine as a compass, something that helps point me in the right direction without forcing me to actually do what it says, because sometimes the compass is just not as useful as looking around and using common sense.

[Djuntas]

I see religion as a guide-line on how you could choose to live you're life. Sadly that has changed now days to X is better than Y, religion has sadly become a scarry thing now.

Inn the old days (200+ years ago, before any industrilasitation etc) I could understand why people would belive inn a greater being/cause. Now days it seems abit odd, considering what man-kind can do, compared to very long time ago. Thats just my POV anyway, each to there own (I'm sure most religues people woulden't force there beliefs on others, but sadly Muslims exsist, yes I can generalize, sorry but its the truth, dont see western christian people going Jihad and declaring shahira law)

edit typo.

[Deadvolcanoes]

Has someone disproved there is no God? No one has proved either way so I don't really understand the point of this topic. How do we know non religious people aren't facing reality?

God of the bible has been thoroughly disproved by science.

[Soisoisoi]

Isnt it smarter to build your character based on friendship with other people and that way develop your self-esteem and well being compared to "trusting" to "higher" power? I think in many cases religious people fear to face reality as it is and instead of building yourself based on what you see and feel, they build their self-esteem based on maybe fictional character.

I demand this thread is locked and the OP infracted immediately. My God, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, is real and thus the OP is the one not facing reality!


On a more serious note - As someone else pointed out above, you can't prove it either way, and although I am not religious, we don't know for sure who really is facing reality, though I have my assumptions.

[Titan2k10]

I write this because I have faced some religious people in my life and in my book they're firstly very narcissistic and least compassionate people i've ever met. They dont even notice when you feel bad and insulting other people for them is like saying "hello".

Kind of like Atheists in my experience. Im religious. Do I care whether or not someone believes in God? No that is not my decision to make and to each their own. In ALL cases politics religion etc the few ruin it for the many doesn't matter the stance.

---------- Post added 2013-01-09 at 11:31 PM ----------

God of the bible has been thoroughly disproved by science.

No it hasn't.....

[Damascus]

I agree with what the OP is saying. However, you must see it from their side as well. If they know nothing better and are not willing to expand their mind to the other "side," whatever that may be described as, they will never know any different. Generally, they will say the same thing of you, but with no logical throughout towards their explanation. Such is the life we must endure in the real world. Also: Don't just base your judgement on Christianity/Judaism/Catholicism, many other religions are similar.

I'm sure you mean well in this response, but it does seem a little condescending. Your response seems to imply that all Christians are ignorant to anything else and expresses a stereotyped view of followers of Christianity.
I, personally, am agnostic, but I know a great number of people who are devout Christians yet are some of the most open-minded, intelligent, and educated people I know. I feel that far too often those that are religious are portrayed as superstitious, archaic-ly minded, and judgmental. Don't get me wrong, this can be the case, but any assumption that that is always the case makes the person making that assumption just as ignorant and small-minded as they believe religion to be.
Edit: This can also apply to any other religion. I have plenty of friends that are Buddhist, Muslim, and even a Scientologist (I definitely tease him about that one, but we both know it's all in good fun). I merely used Christianity because that seems to get the most negative 'press'.

[semaphore]

I don't see much other reason to construct an alternative reality for after your death.

[Giants41]

No. I find nothing wrong with believing in something greater than ourselves. While people on this board will certainly hate on me for thinking this i don't care. A good majority of people aren't the crazy religious people who shove their faith down others throats, sadly they are the most known. Same thing with Atheists. A large amount of religious people view them in negative ways when most of them are really good nice people.

[Deleted]

Kind of like Atheists in my experience.

Well I dont know what kind of atheists you know, but the ones I know atleast are compassionate (as compassionate as you can be as a man) and dont insult without reason unlike the "believing" people I know.

[Deleted]

Has someone disproved there is no God? No one has proved either way so I don't really understand the point of this topic. How do we know non religious people aren't facing reality?

Has someone disproved fairies? werewolves? unicorns? no because they can't. you cannot prove what does not exist, lack of proof is not proof.

I can never be 100% sure that fairies don't exist, but I know that it's highly improbable so I won't waste my time with it, and it's the same for god...

[Kraenen]

I find the psychological impact and causes of religion much more interesting than its truth/disproving.