Science or Spirituality...You Choose:

Daredevel7 said:
I know this question isn't for me, but these questions are exactly why I don't believe in God. It would be nice if I believed, I mean, it would be great to go to heaven, that someone "out there" is watching out for me, that I am not alone and so on. So even if I "believed", it wouldn't give me a peace of mind, hope for the future, etc. because.. deep inside, I do not believe.

We don't get "benefits" from believing in science as you do with religion, other than the satisfaction that it is "truth".

(PS, I am not saying that science is TRUE, just that we believe it to be true)
Click to expand...

Right. No payoff to be obtained in the future.
 
Wirelessly posted

Reba said:
Daredevel7 said:
I know this question isn't for me, but these questions are exactly why I don't believe in God. It would be nice if I believed, I mean, it would be great to go to heaven, that someone "out there" is watching out for me, that I am not alone and so on. So even if I "believed", it wouldn't give me a peace of mind, hope for the future, etc. because.. deep inside, I do not believe.

We don't get "benefits" from believing in science as you do with religion, other than the satisfaction that it is "truth".

(PS, I am not saying that science is TRUE, just that we believe it to be true)
Click to expand...
I'm curious. If you don't get peace of mind, hope for the future, encouragement, and joy from either religion or science, from what do you get them? In other words, what is your source for those things?
Click to expand...

I find peace of mind and encouragement in sciences. Especially evolutionary science. Life begets life.

I am satisfied knowing my genes will be contributing to future generations. I am satisfied the social sciences gain a better understanding why people behave the way they do, and that the future generations benefit from better governments, better schoolings and better parentings.

I already have an afterlife. It may not be spiritual, but my legacy lives on long after I am dead-- genetically or progressivism of social theories.

That is why I don't snub religious people of the past-- their holy laws were once the foundation of many political and social theories of past, which evolved into the theories we have now.

I abhor from so-called "sinful behaviours" because there are consequences to adhering to them. Don't value friends and families? You'll die alone. Steal? Someone will catch you. Incest? Raising a child with inbred diseases is costly. Murder? Some people seek vengeance either personally, legally or by blacklisting. So why do I need religious morals? I know what happen if I commit a wrong.

So, I have an afterlife and a set of values without the need for a deity or a Holy scripture.
 
souggy said:
Wirelessly posted
I find peace of mind and encouragement in sciences. Especially evolutionary science. Life begets life.

I am satisfied knowing my genes will be contributing to future generations.
Click to expand...
What if your genes weren't contributing to future generations? Suppose you had no children, or they didn't survive into adulthood?

I am satisfied the social sciences gain a better understanding why people behave the way they do, and that the future generations benefit from better governments, better schoolings and better parentings.
Click to expand...
It's too bad that after all these decades of social sciences things really haven't gotten any better in the world.

So, I have an afterlife and a set of values without the need for a deity or a Holy scripture.
Click to expand...
When you say afterlife, do you mean a conscious spirit that will continue throughout eternity?
 
Reba said:
What if your genes weren't contributing to future generations? Suppose you had no children, or they didn't survive into adulthood?
Click to expand...

I am not worried. My sister has a small part of me from our mother. My half-brother has a small part of me from our biological dad. So whatever traits we have in common will be passed on. Even if the immediate blood relatives don't produce a heir, keep extending the definition of family until one gets to the offspring that do survive.

It's too bad that after all these decades of social sciences things really haven't gotten any better in the world.
Click to expand...

I disagree. We left the age of eugenics behind us. The Renaissance taught us to admire the human spirit. We had the Enlightenment which gave us modern democracy. Current economic theories are showing that the carrot-and-stick can only go so far, and after that it's a virtue of self-improvement-- this is something 20th century economists would call us insane for.

Sure we had to back peddle out of the Old Progressivism of yogurt enemas, acidic masturbation and processed cornflakes, but not all is lost-- we learned from those mistakes and some the discoveries back then set a foundation for today.

When you say afterlife, do you mean a conscious spirit that will continue throughout eternity?
Click to expand...

In a figurative sense while taking the reading the word "afterlife" literally. See, we don't just die. When we die, then others benefit from what we left behind and we become the next generation. I left my mark, and I am immortalized; even if no one knows who I am.

To think "we die, and worms eat our corpse" is rather a grim and simplistic way of seeing thing. If it's that simple, then everyone in the world would commit suicide upon understanding such thing. Instead, every one of us understand we are all interconnected. I means, why else would people donate to Haiti? Hurricane Kristina?

It's much more complex than rotting in the ground. When we die, our body nourishes the earth, which in turn give food back to nature and nature utilize our matters. When we die, our ideas are left behind. Even if our works didn't survive or were not recorded, we supported the people whose works did survive.
\
 
souggy said:
I am not worried. My sister has a small part of me from our mother. My half-brother has a small part of me from our biological dad. So whatever traits we have in common will be passed on. Even if the immediate blood relatives don't produce a heir, keep extending the definition of family until one gets to the offspring that do survive.



I disagree. We left the age of eugenics behind us. The Renaissance taught us to admire the human spirit. We had the Enlightenment which gave us modern democracy. Current economic theories are showing that the carrot-and-stick can only go so far, and after that it's a virtue of self-improvement-- this is something 20th century economists would call us insane for.

Sure we had to back peddle out of the Old Progressivism of yogurt enemas, acidic masturbation and processed cornflakes, but not all is lost-- we learned from those mistakes and some the discoveries back then set a foundation for today.



In a figurative sense while taking the reading the word "afterlife" literally. See, we don't just die. When we die, then others benefit from what we left behind and we become the next generation. I left my mark, and I am immortalized; even if no one knows who I am.

To think "we die, and worms eat our corpse" is rather a grim and simplistic way of seeing thing. If it's that simple, then everyone in the world would commit suicide upon understanding such thing. Instead, every one of us understand we are all interconnected. I means, why else would people donate to Haiti? Hurricane Kristina?

It's much more complex than rotting in the ground. When we die, our body nourishes the earth, which in turn give food back to nature and nature utilize our matters. When we die, our ideas are left behind. Even if our works didn't survive or were not recorded, we supported the people whose works did survive.
\
Click to expand...

Sounds like simple faith to me. There is nothing like an out-of-body experience to go a bit further than that.
 
deafskeptic said:
Personally, I think the only payoff is a better understanding of how things really work around you. I'm very biased toward evidence.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Some of us get a kick out of knowledge obtained through evidence. Makes me happy and gives me peace of mind when I gain a greater degree of understanding.
 
Freethinkers Group on Facebook

Just FYI,there's a Deaf Freethinkers group on Facebook now. It's a social forum for deaf atheists, agnostics and humanists - people who are comfortable living without religion or belief in the supernatural. It's not intended to bash believers or religion. It's simply a place to gather and discuss living positively with the world as it is. If you'd like to join, look for us on FB or contact me, we'll get you set up. And tell others you know who might be interested!
 
Back
Top