A "belief" is seldom governed by a rational brain, but rather generated by the heart and seldom a credible meter stick for Truth(TM) or logical reason.
Agnostics can safely be categorized among those with logical brain-based reasoning, as they hold no actual "belief".
genesis/science: You have witnessed how Atheists blather at length about how their belief (TM) equates to higher awareness and intelligence, patent "one and only" final truth of truths (TM)... superiority.
Now, how interesting since Theists themselves, swear on their Bibles, that to believe in their brand of dogma, equates to higher awareness and intelligence, and they too hold the patent "one and only" final truth of truths, and omg, they are of course superior to everyone else.
You tell me what the difference is.
Atheism does not equate to increased awareness or intelligence. To claim such is non sequitur.
People... from all levels of intellect, experience different levels of life experiences. From each individual's experience, they develop their own unique perception of "truth". That is, one who has never had cause to question their blind faith, religion or non-religion that they were raised by since birth, they may live their entire lives, content, peaceful and without cause to question their beliefs. Simply put, their beliefs never met with cause to be challenged in their own mind, their own perception.
Meanwhile, others, perhaps through bad experience, or curiosity, or an interest for whatever reason, may be lead to different viewpoints during their lifetime. Some arrive at a belief in God, while others may reject belief. But the majority on the planet still are Theist.
The point I'm making is experiences wake people up to question and reconsider our perception and cherished beliefs. Intelligence by itself does not. What a person believes or does not believe at the end of those experiences, is not a measure of intelligence for people tend to profess what they believe to be true in their heart and soul, and that does not necessarily have anything to do with the brain, but rather is based on non-logical reason.. the heart, the emotions. My heart tells me "There is a God." My brain may tell me an entirely different thing, because no, I do not see or hear God, but my heart leads me to believe that divine presence exists.
Those people you often complain about damning people to hell for not believing like they do? The Atheists are cut from the same cloth, as they ridicule and stereotype people who do not believe as they do. Which is, needless to add, proof of their lacking in intelligence.
an agnostic respondee:I agree there's conservative theists and also "hard" atheists, and both are equally convinced.
But I also think Christianity has a ready made vocabulary of contempt, such as "pagan" (Christians invented the word as an insult to intelligent Romans who refused to convert), "heretic," "apostate," "damned," all of which allow for precious little middle ground since they imagine it's "God, not myself" who is condemning such people for not believing as the Christian does.
I also agree that all mass movements draw in people who tend to identify their egos with the movement itself and treat people outside the movement as less than human. Such movements include Christianity, Islam, fascism, communism. Such movements usually make outlandish promises (like today's politicians usually do). Christianity and Islam promise heavenly eternal bliss, fascism promised a thousand year Reich in which the chosen race would populate the Ukraine and Russia and rule the earth, and communism promised a "worker's paradise" and the crushing of the evil factory owners and decadent classes.
Eric Hoffer Quotes
genesis/science: The old adage fits :
"If it sounds too good (or negative) to be true it (probably) is."
But "The Big Lie" yet always keeps the masses in check, whether or not its the "Big Lie," that Charles Darwin was a devout Atheist who set about convincing the world of a big lie, and on his death bed he recanted his great sin of evolutionary theory.
Or, the big lie that atheists tell, how a belief in theist religions are the result of mental illness.
Or, the big lie that if you kill enough infidels you will inherit 70 virgins in paradise.
Or, the big lie that only theists committed mass murder.
Or, the big lie that jews sacrifice babies.
Or, the big lie that muslims worship satan.
Or, the big lie that all atheists have no moral values.
Or, the big lie that Agnostics are in a more dangerous place with God than Atheists, because at least Atheists have a belief on the question of God.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
- Adolf Hitler
The irony here is,
I have heard Atheists and Theists present their spiel about "their beliefs."
But all I come away with is
- No facts.
- Many cherished beliefs they cling to are based on wishful thinking.
- Bitter animosity toward those who do not share their beliefs.
Their very belief system itself is a big lie.
There is no proof that God does not exist. Period.
Theism is chock full of people who hate "pagans" but xtianity itself is filled with pagan superstition (i.e., Christmas trees=tree worship, steeples on churches=reminiscent of Egyptian obelisks, Easter eggs=Egyptian fertility worship, and the list goes on).
Why should anyone want to willfully "believe" in a lie, by choice and free will? To do so, is the definition of "absurdity" and constitutes genuine insanity!!
