fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2193 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2193 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

[GunnerKrigg Court]

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02.

[The Avengers]

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03.

[French & Saunders]

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04.

[X-Men/Marvel Universe]

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05.

[Tron: Uprising]

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06.

[Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman]

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07.

[How I Met Your Mother]

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08.

[The X-Files/Fox Mulder]

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09.

[Homestuck]

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10.

[True Grit]

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11.

[Saya no Uta]

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12.

[The Silmarillion]

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13.

[Homestuck]

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14.

[Supernatural]

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 015 secrets from Secret Submission Post #313.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Speaking as a "believer", this is kinda patronising. It's not always comforting - sometimes it's unsettling, sometimes it's challenging. Personally I find that belief is an interplay between faith, doubt and lived experience, and I find the stereotype of the happy-clappy, never-questioning believer really annoying.

I am sorry to be coming off as patronising or insulting. I am speaking only of the believers that I know personally. I did not mean to imply that they are always happy. That is not what I meant at all.

It is kind of patronizing, but it also reads as pretty accurate to me. I know far more happy-clappy believers than deep philosophical ones, and that's pretty much the nature of the game. A lot of people don't analyze why they believe things or what it means, for better or worse, and that's not just a religion thing. :/

I don't think the anon above said anything about blind faith being nice, just belief

You can definitely believe strongly in something and still question that belief, in fact I would argue that you would HAVE to question your belief in anything in order to really believe in it, otherwise you don't really have any understanding of what it is you do believe (this goes for everything, not just religion/spirituality)

ayrt

you would HAVE to question your belief in anything in order to really believe in it, otherwise you don't really have any understanding of what it is you do believe (this goes for everything, not just religion/spirituality)

Yeah, exactly, this. So just saying 'oh it must be so comforting' seemed too limited to me.

True but, you can still feel comforted in a belief that you've questioned I guess is my point? IDK

This is still childings, not sure if OpenID is going to let me log in or not

As a non-believer I think you're seriously undervaluing how comforting it can be just to believe in a higher power or even a greater purpose. Even when you aren't sure of specifics and whatnot that very basic belief in an "other" is something I struggled to try for even a taste of fir a very painfully long time. It's not necessarily that we think of believers as happy-go-lucky types who never have to worry or question it's just that we recognize how much just a vague sense of spirituality can comfort a person.

OP here. Thank you! You are much better with words than I. This very much.

This is more the way the OP phrased it. That came off in a very 'It's so ~cute~' and 'Gee, I wish I could turn off my brain'-ish, which is condescending.

Personally? I don't mind if other people have different believes [or lack there of], but I *do* think that religious beliefs [or lack there of] should be respected - and that includes not doing that.

Oh gee. Thanks for not minding my existence. It's not at all condescending that you think everyone should respect your belief in how religious views should be treated or discussed. I'll think of you fondly while I'm burning in hell.

Are you a troll or did you miss how they didn't say anything about what they do think of people who don't share their beliefs, except that beliefs and *lack thereof* should all be respected?

As for "not minding" what's the problem? Do you expect people to LOVE every single other person in the world?

I'm sick and tired of religious people acting like they are somehow in charge of passing judgment on me and that I should be interested and greatful when they have a basic human respect for me. Congratulations on not being a horrible human being. I do not give a fuck if a religious anonymous has an opinion on my lack of faith. Good or bad.

How far do you extend this respect?

Will you never criticise anyone for believing any damn fool thing, or is their a limit?

I think it's rude and disrespectful when people make fun of or show disrespect to people who have religious beliefs, in general. I don't think it's okay to mock someone for believing in a higher power, for example.

But at the same time, a lot of people act like beliefs should be respected because they're religious, and I disagree with that. Nobody's belief system is above reproach. There are a lot of religious beliefs (and beliefs justified with religion) that I don't respect.

Also, if you don't believe in a higher power, it can feel like you would need to "turn off your brain" in order to believe. That's how I feel. But it's not because I think people who believe in a higher power are all stupid. It's because it's impossible to force your brain to let you believe something that you don't believe. Once I doubted my beliefs, that doubt was always in my mind.

Edited 2013-01-04 02:59 (UTC)

I think a factor to consider in this...quarrel? is that the idea of "turning off your brain" does not necessarily imply ceasing to think - in this context I would think of it much more as getting out of your own way. The skeptical / doubting / over-analyzing / nit-picking / anxious brain can be seen as a great hindrance, and the quiet brain doesn't mean stupidity in its place.

But having that quiet brain is not a requirement to be a religious believer. You can be doubtful/skeptical/over-analyzing and still wind up identifying as religious. I'm a former atheist, personally; atheism was part of that process of skeptical analysis, but it was not where the process ended.

Certainly, I agree. I don't think belief is worth much if it is never questioned. But that questioning strengthens belief, which, at least from the outside viewpoint, is seen as bringing at least a temporary peace of mind. That period of peace / quiet brain is harder to come by if the skeptic remains in a state of doubt. I'm saying all this as someone in a very intermediate position, as I don't consider myself an atheist but I wouldn't call what I believe in a god. It just seemed like there were some misconstrued points that ruffled feathers and I wanted give a stab at clarification.

How do you question something that isn't grounded in reality at all? Any questiong that results in stronger belief is just abunch of mind babbling designed to ensure keeping belief and that isn't really critical thought.

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