Atheists & Agnostics
In reply to the discussion: Dishonesty and thoughtlessness in believers. [View all]nil desperandum
(654 posts)Each religion with its' modernists suffers the same issues. Intellectually dishonest is not far off the mark because in every case people are attempting to justify their variance with their holy books as an alternate interpretation of the subject matter. I know a fair amount of adulterers, muslim and christian, who attempt to justify their actions as having come from a "bad" marriage....as if their religious books make exceptions for such...most of them are not keen on the idea of eternal damnation for breaking their marital vows or being stoned to death for those actions.
I think most believers like the idea that their god will provide them with a life of ease after they die in this world. The thought that all of this struggle to succeed, to live, to provide for a family is not just an accident of cosmic chemistry but a meaningful exercise to prove that one is worthy of an existence after death where there is no longer a struggle and no longer an inequity in life as on earth where man has created a world of death and violence and exploitation on a global scale. I understand the appeal of such thoughts, and I understand that most people don't actually wish to live in full compliance with their religious dogma, they just want to enjoy their existence on earth and make things easier for themselves and their families.
The dishonesty and thoughtlessness enter into play when they attempt to explain how they arrived at these doctrinal positions that deviate from the strict fundamentalist positions of others in the same religion. I would prefer they just say they don't believe most of their own religious book, they just like the part about getting to heaven and enjoying a blissful existence with loved ones after death. I could at least understand that, even if I don't believe any of it. Pretending that some of the book applies and some doesn't and that's okay because of changing scholarly reviews is a completely dishonest explanation.
It's as dishonest as pretending that covering for pedophiles or suicide bombers is a tenable position because of the good works of others in the same faith who don't do those things.
Christians shooting doctors over abortion is as disgusting as muslims killing kids with a plane or a suicide vest in a market, failing to proclaim that evil is dishonest at every level.