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From: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,net.religion.christian
Subject: Why believe in religion?
Message-ID: <1165@cybvax0.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Sep-86 11:46:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: cybvax0.1165
Posted: Mon Sep 29 11:46:25 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 2-Oct-86 19:44:20 EDT
References: <1136@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU> <1144@cybvax0.UUCP> <1135@mhuxt.UUCP> <2584@watdcsu.UUCP>
Reply-To: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Organization: Cybermation, Inc., Cambridge, MA
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Xref: linus talk.religion.misc:317 net.religion.christian:4781

In article <2584@watdcsu.UUCP> magore@watdcsu.UUCP (M.A.Gore - ICR) writes:
> >> "There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot
> >> face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths."
> 				       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> 	Gee I wounder just *who* could be implicated here considering
> the news group??? But I put this question to the news group. WHO
> is it that believes in myths? Is it the Christians that have a
> Living God that reveals himself to those who seek him OR those
> who believe in myths about what Christians believe?

Who is having delusions?  Is it the man who sees pink elephants or the man who
thinks the other is deluded for seeing pink elephants?  Let's ask this third
man who sees flying purple people-eaters....

> Main point of this posting. What do non-Christians think that
> Christians believe in God for?:
> 
> 	1) 'Just because the Bible tells us.'
> 	2) 'Because we need a crutch to hold are lives up.'
> 	3) 'Our parents told us.'
> 	4) 'Not very bright. No science in our education.'
> 	5) 'There is a sucker born every minute.'
> 
> 	These are just a few of the myths that non-Christians
> have about Christians. But I contend *if* you believe these or
> statements like these that you have a 'comfortable myth' and a
> crutch that will keep you from understanding Christians.

Any one of those is an incomplete explanation.  They may well explains some
individuals' belief, but not all individuals.  The real explanation is
simply that god belief is bundled into the price of the package of social
services peddled as Christian religions.

Religion is simply a form of social behavior (in the anthropological sense.)
It provides certain services which can all be provided by secular sources.
Different people can select different services.  One may use the crutch of
belief in a caring god; another may use the church as a meeting place for
meeting marriageable women or business deals; and another may seek moral
instruction to deal with life's conflicts.  There's a large list of non-
supernatural services.

> 	Still I came to believe in God/Christ because I used the
> method of *verification* outlined in the Bible.

Congratulations.  You have fallen prey to circular reasoning.

> - Nothing any Christian can say (that is words) will convince another of
> the validity of Christianity.  God/Christ ultimately does the
> convincing/convicting (re Bible etc) but they have to do the looking.

That is plain and simple a psychotic fantasy, no better substantiated by
reality than the idea that there is a homunculus inside your head who controls
your brain and decides whether you will appear to be convinced of Christianity.

It's amazing the lengths people will go to fantasize that somebody important
has taken an interest in them.
--

"There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot
face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths."
	Bertrand Russell in "Human Society in Ethics and Politics".
-- 

Mike Huybensz		...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh