Making Light: All Religions are UPG

[MellowDem]

20. It is not similar to what fundamentalists do...

at least not as I understand the term. I'm on a discussion board, trying to convince others of my position. I mean, that's what most of politics is, right?

Everyone who is a faith based believer uses the same flawed system of thinking. Only some may use that belief to oppress the rights of others, but the method of thinking is poisonous regardless. That is, believing something is true without evidence is never a good idea. And, it's not just others who violate my rights. It's the people who trash the environment because they believe god is coming back soon, for example. And it's not just religion. It's atheists that try to use herbs to cure cancer because they were told it does so by a new age healer. Sure, progressive religions generally don't try to impose their beliefs on the rest of society, and for that I'm grateful, but the belief systems themselves are still irrational and can still lead to harm.

Skepticism is what I advocate. I am not using terms like "rationality" or "gullibility" as personal attacks, but as accurate descriptors of the kind of thinking promoted by religion. I think religious people generally are incredibly sensitive to having their beliefs criticized because traditionally they have been given privileged status over other ideas or belief systems. I'm treating them no differently than I would political ideologies or ideas. If someone wants to say why the idea of faith doesn't lead to gullibility, I'm all ears.

The link I provided was purposely from that source, since I didn't want to seem biased, I was just showing that religious people have and still do explain experiences with supernatural explanations, even as they themselves aknowledge experts have concluded these explanations are in fact bogus. They just think the experts are wrong, of course.