Is it better to be happy or right?

[BadBoyBenny]

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Why is it that every crispy that comes to my door 'selling' their religion uses this line? Like the only way to get a sense of 'meaning' and 'hope' is through a fairy tale? It's actually a very condescending question.


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Bernie, I wasn't trying to say that you can't derive meaning and hope outside of religion. I would say, however, that out of people I know, religious people are on average more happy than athiests. There are many exceptions to the rule. Not trying to convince you of anything here, just asking the question for my benefit and hoping people ca give me good arguements one way or the other. Also, I can't believe you actually talk to those people who come to your door, I don't know anyone who doesn't just ask them to leave before any discussion get started.

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Why do so many people still follow a religion that's past is ridden with slaughter and child molestation?

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Is it realy fair to dismiss an idea as big as the gospel, a history changing idea, becaue many of its messengers are monsters. Every good idea will be perverted into justifying some type of inexcusable behavior.

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Denial seems to be a big part of religion.

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That goes into my original question, if I believe that denial would leadme to a better life, why is there anyhting wrong with that?

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Especially when the collection plate comes around.


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If I was to join a church, and make use of their facilities on Sunday's and derive something from the messanger, I would have no problem giving what I thought was an appriate amount to make a life for the pastor and to maintain the facilities. Also, If I felt that it would add to my overall contentment moreso than puchasing some material good or meal, I would have no problem contributing to some charity in the name of a church.

[garyc8]

On the surface this may be sensible enough. But how do you, in your self-imposed ignorance (I don't mean you specifically Bison), know you're not hurting anyone? What if you're unable to permanently maintain your shield of vapidity, and you later learn that you've been living in a manner detrimental to both yourself and others. Then you'd become unhappy.

I think happiness is important too, but I don't think it's a wise plan to eschew knowledge, wisdom, and skepticism out of a fear that some truths may be unpleasant. It is possible to seek truth and still find a way to be happy. In my view, this is the ideal. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[college kid]

I haven't read any of the replies yet.

I don't think that it is happy or right. Being an athiest and a skeptic has made my life immensely enjoyable as I enjoy questioning and learning and trying to find truth if it is exists. And I have no problem with just saying "I don't know." Sometimes, I can't explain a thing. That doesn't mean it is unexplainable.

Anyway, back to my point. My athiest/skeptic life does not lack meaning or happiness. I try to help an dimprove the world to the best of my abilities and make lasting contributions to the people I love and society at large.

I would pick knowledge over ignorance. Knowledge is power and helps you make more informed choices. Happiness comes by your outlook, not by ignorance. Knowing there is not a God does not make me less happy--it in fact makes me strive to do good and be better because I know my time is limited and I want to leave knowing I have helped the world in some way. My reward is not some eternal haven--it is the effects of my actions.

I am happy and I am right.

[Bodhi]

Small world. I played chess with that guy once, but I didn't punch him in the face. Too bad.

[fnord_too]

Personally, I take truth over hapiness, but that is not quite the right way to put it. I tend to not get upset or unhappy about things I can not change. (I do feel sad when I hear about sad things like children with cancer, which is something I cannot change, but things like the nature of the universe are different.)

Also, there are some religions that do not really have the concept of eternal existence per se, but rather espouse the values of striving for acceptance of and harmony with the world you live in.

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If you don’t believe in religion, all you have is this life. Why would you choose something that you gives you less of a sense of meaning and hope?

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This is kind of like asking "Why would you not do heroine when it [purportedly] makes you feel so good?" or "Why would you want to know you had terminal cancer if there was no chance of recovery?" or (germane to this forum) "Why would you want to know that playing trash UTG is a losing proposition if you don't have the willpower to muck that T7s?"

[Bodhi]

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I try to help an dimprove the world to the best of my abilities and make lasting contributions to the people I love and society at large.

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The more you love society at large the less you can stand the [censored] next door. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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Knowing there is not a God does not make me less happy...

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Do you really know this? Believing there is not a God is a big step further than not believing there is a God.

[wildfirefighter]

Once again I'll quote Harry Connick Jr. "And the preacher said .... The church is the shelter, not the faith son."
I enjoy thinking about and debating the specifics, but you have to think about what religion is there for. It is to make the world better, and enrich your life. I think all religions have some truth to them. So even if you have some problems with the specifics of a religion it can still help you have a better life. I'm a Mormon and have some pretty big disagreements with our religion. But it still helps my community and I be better. I think most religions can do the same. I think there is a story in the Bible along the same lines. Some sort of religious order gets in big debates about things like how tall an angle is and they lose the important message of the faith. Thinking about things like life after death and God can be mentally stimulating and worth while as long as you don't lose sight of the important messages that many religions have to offer.

[college kid]

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Knowing there is not a God does not make me less happy...

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Do you really know this? Believing there is not a God is a big step further than not believing there is a God.

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Obviously, I cannot disprove the existance of God. I also cannot disprove the idea that the inside of a black hole is filled entirely with jelly doughnuts. However, based on observation, current knowldege, and logical reasoning, I can conclude to a high degree of certainty that a black hole is not filled with doughnuts past its event horizon.

The most simple and most reasonable explanations are usually the most accurate ones. God does not need to exist in order for the universe to exist or to explain it. There is very little need for God in explananing the nature of the universe and based on the above reasoning, I can conclude to a high degree of probability that God does not exist.

[Bodhi]

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The most simple and most reasonable explanations are usually the most accurate ones. God does not need to exist in order for the universe to exist or to explain it.

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You beg the question. If I ask you "Does God exist? I just don't know. There's no evidence for an affirmative or negative answer." And you answer "God does not exist because there's no evidence for God's existence," then you haven't given a straightforward answer.

I am an avowed agnostic, and I just wonder sometimes why atheists pronounce their disbelief as confidently as theists pronounce their faith. Occam's Razor or concerns of parsimony have no application here, I fear. I am not asking you to prove a negative, I merely suggest that we don't make claims which are beyond the scope of any possible empirical confirmation. Rules of inference for empirical study hold no weight in philosophy, and philosophy is exactly what we're attempting when we say we know God does or doesn't exist.

[dfscott]

As someone who has a very opinionated and strong-willed spouse, I can promise you that it's better to be happy than right.