Well, since Dags asked...
I just think religion should be held to the same standards of any other belief--reasonable, credible evidence indicating a probability that it exists. In a court of law a religion trying to prove its existence would have the case thrown out without getting to a jury. Any scientific inquiry would have to come back with the finding that there is almost no proof that any religion actually exists.
In one sense I understand that religion provides a great solace in a difficult life. The idea that we as intelligent beings are here for such a short time and that's it is very hard to accept. I kind of feel like I am telling a kid there is no tooth fairy or Santa Claus when I argue against religion. If it gives someone solace, why not let them have that solace.
I understand that religious people will say something to the effect that they see signs of God everywhere, that I am blind to it. That's fine. I just don't see that it stands up to scientific scrutiny. And that is the great mechanism that we have developed to distinguish between true and false beliefs.
Will Durant, a great historian, said that Christianity had helped to civilize people but had lost its utility. Apparently not. It still provides solace and community and we will always need that. The downside of religion is that it separates people into different groups based on different beliefs and that causes conflict. It also cultivates a bias against science, both because science threatens religion (evolution, textual analysis, anthropology, etc) and that since belief in religion need not be proven other unscientific beliefs are allowable as well (the barrier against unscientific belief is broken).
Atheism is not a belief system; it basically requires religion to hold up to the same scientific scrutiny as any other human belief. Atheists assert that no religion meets that test and therefore no religion has any basis in reality.
Don't mean to offend anyone but since Dags asked there is my position. I used to say I was agnostic but that was chicken. So, atheist it is.
I just think religion should be held to the same standards of any other belief--reasonable, credible evidence indicating a probability that it exists. In a court of law a religion trying to prove its existence would have the case thrown out without getting to a jury. Any scientific inquiry would have to come back with the finding that there is almost no proof that any religion actually exists.
In one sense I understand that religion provides a great solace in a difficult life. The idea that we as intelligent beings are here for such a short time and that's it is very hard to accept. I kind of feel like I am telling a kid there is no tooth fairy or Santa Claus when I argue against religion. If it gives someone solace, why not let them have that solace.
I understand that religious people will say something to the effect that they see signs of God everywhere, that I am blind to it. That's fine. I just don't see that it stands up to scientific scrutiny. And that is the great mechanism that we have developed to distinguish between true and false beliefs.
Will Durant, a great historian, said that Christianity had helped to civilize people but had lost its utility. Apparently not. It still provides solace and community and we will always need that. The downside of religion is that it separates people into different groups based on different beliefs and that causes conflict. It also cultivates a bias against science, both because science threatens religion (evolution, textual analysis, anthropology, etc) and that since belief in religion need not be proven other unscientific beliefs are allowable as well (the barrier against unscientific belief is broken).
Atheism is not a belief system; it basically requires religion to hold up to the same scientific scrutiny as any other human belief. Atheists assert that no religion meets that test and therefore no religion has any basis in reality.
Don't mean to offend anyone but since Dags asked there is my position. I used to say I was agnostic but that was chicken. So, atheist it is.