Posted by
The Secular Conservative on Thursday, November 30, 2006 7:10:12 PM
Why I’m not convinced by arguments that are based on religious belief
Arguments that use god as an underlying premise (e.g. “because Jesus said so”) have no effect on me because I see god as a man-made creation. Similarly, those who attribute certain traits or characteristics to god and claim that man could not possess them independently of god, have no impact on my own beliefs about the world. For example, to suggest that morality is given by god, and that man could not have developed morality independently from god, to me is a non sequitur. If god gives us our morality and man created god, then man has given us our morality.
I understand that few will agree with me, and I don’t offer this posting in order to convince anyone, I simply offer it so that we can understand where we differ. Appeals to a higher authority are meaningless to me because I believe all higher authorities are constructs of man. I hold mankind to be the highest authority we know of, and therefore capable of developing systems of morality, complex cultures, religious orders, etc. If mankind is able to understand morality, for example, why isn’t he also able of originating morality?
Let me try to summarize why man created god (I think these three examples also provide insight into how man created god):
- God is an explanation for the unexplainable. In the early years of man, many unexplainable events occurred like hurricanes, thunderstorms, and human tragedy. The unexplainable nature of these events led early men to attempt an explanation, which usually pointed to some unknown higher power. As society evolved and unexplained events were explained through natural processes, god was given less responsibility in our daily lives.
- God is a useful tool to those who seek to obtain or hold power. Enterprising early humans learned to exploit belief in god by holding themselves up as intermediaries. The shaman, holy man, priest, or medicine man became critical to the functioning of society and was given significant authority over men as a result of a perceived intimacy with god. Warlike peoples often used religious authority as justification for war, and even peaceful institutions like the Catholic Church continue to benefit from the perception of some divine relationship.
- God provides a point of reference when we seek comfort. The act of prayer is a simple way for humans to distance themselves from daily life, focus, and attempt to understand events. By focusing these thoughts on an entity like god, we can feel that we are appealing to a higher power that can somehow influence our thoughts or even alter human hearts.
Note that in these examples it is not relevant if god actually exists, only that the individual and/or society believe God exists. For example, God may hear a prayer and either act or not act. If God does not exist, however, the individual praying still believes God exists, is listening, and will choose to act or not act. To the individual, there is no difference in the outcome, and any outcome reinforces the belief in God. If the prayer is answered (through the course of natural events, because the believer’s act of prayer provided him/her with the way to solve a crisis, or through true divine intervention), the believer’s faith is reinforced. If the prayer is not answered, it’s simply God’s will and the believer’s faith is reinforced because clearly God knows the best outcome.
I’ll take this opportunity to say that I begrudge no one their faith, and while I believe religion can be damaging to individuals in some instances (the micro level), religion is necessary and good for society (the macro level). This post is to reinforce earlier posts of mine urging conservatives to remove the religious foundation for their political arguments because they don’t necessarily appeal to reason and do not convince those who do not share the faith.
-tsc