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The Origin of the Religions - Part 2: Cowardice

Started by Ivan Tudor C McHock, March 19, 2010, 08:59:03 PM

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Ivan Tudor C McHock

This is the big one. Fear of death.

It is the overwhelming reason for the invention of religion.

It is no coincidence that the most popular religious myths worldwide are those which promise that death is not the end.

It is a cowardly cop-out for those without the intestinal fortitude to look reality square in the eye.

It surprises me that god-shouters are so fond of the expression, "there are no atheists in foxholes". For what they are explicitly admitting when they parrot this cliche is that the reason for their faith is fear. Not because it makes sense. Not because there is any evidence for their position. But simply because they are frightened. Alas, for the believer, reality does not twist and warp and change in order to assuage their fears.

The craven nature of the religious can be seen in the hysterical reactions they frequently display when their absurd beliefs are challenged. Tell a physicist that Newton's laws are crap and he won't be offended. Tell a believer that there is no god, however, and the reaction will range from outrage (if you're lucky) to floggings, stonings and imprisonment. Why the hysterical reaction? Because they are so terrified that the atheist might be right and they don't want to be reminded of that fact.

I can empathise with the fear of the religious. When, as a young child, I first became aware of my own mortality, I can remember being a little uneasy. But as I grew up and thought about it, it became obvious that there was literally nothing to fear. For that's what death is - nothing. And we've all been there for a long time before we were born. I repeat for the sake of the frightened theists on this forum - you have nothing to fear from death. You do not need to pay your priest to tell you lies. You can get the truth for free from your friendly neighbourhood atheist.

The only part of death which is potentially unpleasant is the period between being healthy and being dead. That is, the degenerative process of those unlucky enough to contract a terminal illness. For the handful of civilised and secular countries such as Switzerland which have enacted progressive voluntary euthanasia laws, this is not a problem. For the rest of us, guess who it is standing in the way of such sensible, compassionate laws? That's right, the religious.
Faith = 1/I.Q.