Scientific conclusions are not believed in in the same way gods are believed in.
We do not consider scientific conclusions to be absolute truth, we do not worship scientists or credit them with fantastic superpowers. Unfortunately there are no holidays in science. In a totally pragmatic society we’d have to find some other criteria for giving ourselves days-off from work and reasons to get paid for work we aren’t doing. That’s if four and maybe even three day work weeks don’t become more popular first. I don’t doubt economic feasibility studies are already underway.
We “believe” in many of the conclusions science has come to because they make sense in our view of reality and they are conclusions drawn from evidence or consistent with the knowledge we’ve already gained historically. The “belief” of the theist and the “belief” of the non-believer are based on very different degrees of skepticism and the requirements for validity. We do not believe in evolution to the degree a theist believes in their creation story. We do not accept the majority of creation stories because they do not satisfy our skepticism, they do not answer questions to our satisfaction and they offer no evidence of having actually happened.
A belief in gods as real and existent beings is a preconception which acts as a filter for reality, a parental control for information you encounter.
Before the theist can examine any evidence of a natural origin to the universe or humanity they already have decided that god created all this, that reality is intended to reflect the glory of god, that god is a fact and that the stories in their holy book are accurate and true. That’s a massive filter to force reality to strain through, a clear and obvious preconception. It’s placing a precondition on information before they encounter it. It places the conclusion before the evidence is presented. If we so choose we can refuse to acknowledge any evidence that doesn’t conform to a constraining precondition, or we can choose to follow the evidence where it leads.
If I ever found evidence of a god that could withstand honest, open, critical scrutiny, if I could submit it for examination and study and the conclusion was that there was no other possible explanation for this evidence than that it was clearly the product of a god, I would be the first to start posting about it, talking about it and showing that evidence to the world. Why wouldn’t I? I’m obviously not reluctant to state my opinions. If I ever become convinced there’s a god or gods I will not be shy about saying so.
I’ve already met and rejected several of the current nominees for the position of god around today. I’ve been interested in the mystical and spiritual since I was in my teens. Some god as yet undetected, unknown, not featured in any religious text, may come along in the future and I’ll believe. I’d like to think that it would be belief based on more concrete knowledge than current religious belief is. We may someday find evidence for the supernatural. (Often when I read books on quantum physics I wonder why a religion hasn’t suggested that the quantum world is the supernatural realm they’ve been talking about.) I enjoy contemplating the quantum world. I like having my view of reality both broadened and sharpened.
I won’t say I don’t have my own preconceptions. But none demand the degree of conformity that religious belief does. If I were convinced any current theistic viewpoint was valid and chose to share it, I am free to do so. Can a person convinced that a god exists honestly say the same?
No one has ever overcome every human weakness, it’s simply not possible. Perfection isn’t even a concrete concept. Theists themselves admit they don’t become perfect because of their belief, they don’t become saints.
So what difference has religious belief made to human behavior? It introduced the idea that some of our common behaviors were bad, evil, an affront to its god. It introduced guilt and shame. Religions make being a human a bad thing.
Religions invent superhuman gods as personifications of what we wish we could be; everlasting, error free, beyond reproach, spotless and pure. Religion preys on our ability to sense our imperfections, our awareness of our stumbles and falls throughout life. Theism has to knock its followers down first so it can claim the win when it helps them back up again. All us humans are essentially the same, imperfect and subject to forces both natural and social beyond our control. All religious belief does is offer a refuge from the feelings of guilt and imperfection religious belief itself created.
Religious belief poisons minds, then offers an antidote that doesn’t cure the symptoms but only promises that the poison won’t kill you, not really dead.
I’ve tried many times to explain the concepts summed up in this video. Predictably, trying to reason with the unreasonable is usually unproductive. Perhaps this video will get through to someone who needs to grasp this situation.
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