The Way of the Agnostic. The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers and other thinkers on issues both timely and timeless.
Two of Simon Critchley’s recent Stone columns, “Why I Love Mormonism” and “The Freedom of Faith,” offer much-needed reflections, sympathetic but critical, on particular religions. Such reflections are important because religions occupy an ambivalent position in our world. Even if it falls short of knowledge, religion can be an important source of understanding. On the one hand, religions express perennial human impulses and aspirations that cannot plausibly be rejected out of hand as foolish or delusional.
The idea that there is simply nothing worthwhile in religion is as unlikely as the idea that there is nothing worthwhile in poetry, art, philosophy or science. Thinking Style and Belief In God. There is no doubt that the human mind is prepared to believe in the divine.
All over the world, cultures have created belief in one or many gods. These beliefs are common in societies regardless of levels of technological advancement and scientific achievement. Because of the prevalence of religious beliefs in cultures throughout the world, psychologists have explored why a belief in God is so common. It is clear that there are many different factors that come together to support a belief in God. For example, people tend to view even random events as having a cause, and God provides a good explanation for these seemingly random events.
An interesting paper by Amitai Shenhav, David Rand, and Joshua Greene in the August 2012 issue of the suggests that people’s thinking style may also influence the strength of people’s belief in God. Many different theories propose that there are two inter-related systems of thought. Many people have an immediate intuition that the ball cost ten cents. People are more likely to believe in magic spells that are repetitious and time-consuming.
The Fireplace Delusion. It seems to me that many nonbelievers have forgotten—or never knew—what it is like to suffer an unhappy collision with scientific rationality.
We are open to good evidence and sound argument as a matter of principle, and are generally willing to follow wherever they may lead. Certain of us have made careers out of bemoaning the failure of religious people to adopt this same attitude. However, I recently stumbled upon an example of secular intransigence that may give readers a sense of how religious people feel when their beliefs are criticized. It’s not a perfect analogy, as you will see, but the rigorous research I’ve conducted at dinner parties suggests that it is worth thinking about. We can call the phenomenon “the fireplace delusion.” On a cold night, most people consider a well-tended fire to be one of the more wholesome pleasures that humanity has produced.
I am sorry to say that if you feel this way about a wood fire, you are not only wrong but dangerously misguided. Why Being a Prophet Means Job Security. Greta Christina's Blog: Atheists and Anger. I want to talk about atheists and anger.
This has been a hard piece to write, and it may be a hard one to read. I'm not going to be as polite and good-tempered as I usually am in this blog; this piece is about anger, and for once I'm going to fucking well let myself be angry. But I think it's important. One of the most common criticisms lobbed at the newly-vocal atheist community is, "Why do you have to be so angry? " So I want to talk about: 1. 2. And 3. So let's start with why we're angry. I'm angry that according to a recent Gallup poll, only 45 percent of Americans would vote for an atheist for President. I'm angry that atheist conventions have to have extra security, including hand-held metal detectors and bag searches, because of fatwas and death threats. I'm angry that atheist soldiers -- in the U.S. armed forces -- have had prayer ceremonies pressured on them and atheist meetings broken up by Christian superior officers, in direct violation of the First Amendment.
Daylight Atheism > Defending Genocide, Redux. Part 1: Are You Living By the Fruit of the Spirit or Fruit of the Flesh? I attended a wonderful church service yesterday, and it made me realize how certain religious prescriptions parallel many areas of positive psychology research.
For instance, the emphasis of showing kindness to others, living a joy filled life, and focusing on love and generosity all pervade Christian scripture as well as positive psychology laboratories. There are certain attributes we can pull from both disciplines in order to begin living a life of greater happiness and fulfillment. Specifically, the emotional propositions reflected in the fruit of the Spirit offer valuable insight and overlap between the two areas. The sermon revolved around how living based on the fruit of the Spirit, as opposed to the fruit of the flesh, provides a chance to experience true peace of mind.
The “fruits” include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Consider where you fall on the spectrum of emotions. Worldly and Spiritual Values: Humankind May Depend on Rediscovering a Natural Balance. Worldly and spiritual values appear to pull people in different directions. Take a look at each in turn and this becomes clear. How may they be reconciled? Worldly values primarily concern basic human needs to survive and flourish: food, clothing and shelter. This means not only making sure you can pay for what's required, but also having something extra for luxuries and for security. The more anxious you are about life's risks and vicissitudes, the more you are likely to want to acquire and accumulate. It is a short step from this position to one fully embracing monetary values; giving them high, if not top, priority.
It says, "In God We Trust". 2012 Global Atheist Convention. Belief in God is part of human nature - Oxford study.