Religion and Doubt: How Religions Demonize Intellectual Honesty

DOUBT

Religion and Doubt: How Religions Demonize Intellectual Honesty

Christians, as well as people from other religions, often express doubt. Quite often, in fact. This is something that I find interesting, and I would like to spend a couple of minutes on.

First, let's look at other areas of life:

Doctors do not have moments of doubt (regarding the legitimacy of the germ theory of disease, the efficacy of pharmacological intervention, etc).

Evolutionary biologists do not have moments of doubt regarding the truth value of the natural selection mechanism as part of the theory of evolution.

Mechanics don't suddenly doubt their mechanical training's veracity and wonder if perhaps cars run on magic, or have souls (unless they are crazy, or high as a kite).

None of these things ever happen (or at least, very rarely do) yet you constantly hear religious people talking about doubt, crises of conscience, etc. Could this be because....the religion isn't true, and some part of them knows/suspects it? What happens in these instances? They seek out the aid of pastors, priests, family, friends, theologians, etc. Ina n effort to reaffirm their faith; ie, they fight their own intelligence/logic/reason!

I submit that, rather than scramble to patch up the boat before it sinks, you learn to swim! Rather than working against your brain, go with it. Seek out knowledge, read, listen to, and think about information that contradicts your religion, and if the religion is true, this will become evident and you have nothing to worry about. In other words, follow your line of reasoning, don't fight it!! If your faith is not reaffirmed, but rather, shattered, then good, you've found truth! Now embrace it!

You see, the only reason 'faith' is required is that religions are not self evidently true. This is why it takes no faith to be a mechanic or an evolutionary biologist (contrary to what the creatards will say). Religions, like Christianity, do a great job at scaring people away from investigation. Think about it: how many people have said that they had doubts and immediately said that they thought it was Satan trying to confuse/trick them? That's a defense mechanism built right into the religion, and it's as insidious a thing as I can imagine. It is the religion's way of stopping people from exploring the path that their intellect insists they explore, and that's incredibly damaging, and something that I find to be completely reprehensible.

If you have a change of heart, so to speak, you should FOLLOW IT, and religions, if they were at all humanistic, fair, and not selfishly motivated (propagation and monetary gain, for two examples) would preach this very concept. They would, if they were actually concerned with the other and not the self, encourage their members to acquire as much knowledge about the world around them, and any other systems of belief/worldviews as they so desired. But nooooooo, it's all “you MUST believe this and anything else is EVIL. If you feel any doubts, it's the work of an EVIL AGENT to try and trick you.”

How fucking ridiculous, and how fucking obvious, to anyone not tied to these ideologies, what the true purpose of such an idea is: to keep the sheep in the flock. Imagine what would happen to the religions of the world if they openly encouraged exploration, education, and hell, even doubt? They would shrink in numbers with every new scientific advancement, and they would shrink in numbers every time an open minded, clear eyed, free thinking member of the fold scrutinized their respective 'holy book' without the assumptions normally built into the members (ie, THIS IS THE TRUTH, and all of the other presuppositional nonsense, none of which can be philosophically justified, btw). And so, knowing this, the religions promote the fear of, and disdain for, doubt, and they actively discourage people from seeking out contrarian information.

Now, of course, there is a caveat here: This tendency which I am ascribing to religions is true, and it IS ubiquitous, but this does not mean there are not exceptions to this. There are. In fact, from what I gather, some theologians are encouraged to read contrarian information during school/in seminary. I am not sure how common a practise this is, but I have read some people discussing it so I know it happens at least some of the time.

That aside, imagine if other things, secular things, worked the way most religions seem to. Imagine if in the political arena, people changed their mind on issues but rather than adjusting their political leanings accordingly, they were encouraged to submit themselves to party line rhetoric and try to suppress their doubt. If a democrat expresses doubt about certain positions, he should be encouraged to follow those through. And ditto for the republican, and everyone in between.

Imagine if you got tired of your career, and you wanted to explore other options, and rather than support you, the people around you told you that those thoughts were evil and you needed to fight them in order to stay loyal to your employer, regardless of the benefits to you lost/the harm done. So, rather than explore potentially beneficial alternatives, you repress your desires and continue doing something that is detrimental to your psychological (and perhaps financial) well being. Awful, right? Shouldn't ever happen, right?

WELL, WE LET RELIGIONS GET AWAY WITH IT!

Not only do they get away with it, religion is fucking DEFERED to in so many cultures! In spite of the OBVIOUS fucking harm it does!!!! I MEAN, THINK OF HELL HOUSES? Really? REALLY? This is something to be respected?

Intellectual honesty should be encouraged, not discouraged! People, like your children, should be encouraged to explore and express themselves, not to cower before the threat of retribution if they do not maintain the (usually forced on them or at least coerced into) status quo!

Notice how an atheist is free to explore any religion they so choose, yet a religious person is typically discouraged from doing so by the leaders and the texts of their religion? This is why atheists are often talking about being 'free thinkers.' Sure it's not a term I am particularly fond of (I think many religious people are perfectly adept at being 'free thinkers', and I find it a bit condescending), but if it's meant for situations like the one I am describing, then it's perfectly legitimate and I am absolutely in agreement with its usage here. I AM a free thinker, and my atheism affords me the ability to utilize this.

If I wanted to, I could go tomorrow and meet an Imam and discuss Islam at a Mosque. I could go to a Buddhist temple and talk to a monk. I could learn meditation. I could consider the idea of 'spiritual enlightenment,' I could discuss the concept of nirvana if I wanted to, and I could, if whomever I was speaking to was convincing, and had good evidence, be convinced, or at least inclined to ascribe some likelihood to these ideas. I could research Jainism and convert to it if I so desired (something that I have actually considered doing, btw) (not converting, but researching, as the few snippets of info I have heard have been interesting, such as the concept of all life being considered equally valuable).

Hell, if I wanted to, I could start my own religion! (Actually, this is something I am going to blog about soon, so stay tuned).

If I had stayed in my parents oppressive regime known as the Roman Catholic church, I would be admonished for such endeavours. I WOULD BE CHASTISED AND THREATENED WITH ETERNAL TORMENT FOR CONTEMPLATING SUCH AN ENDEAVOUR! I would be told that any doubts were the “work of Satan.” I would be made to feel afraid, threatened, and ashamed of my intellectual inclinations.

NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE MADE TO FEEL AFRAID OR ASHAMED OF THEIR INTELLECTUAL INCLINATIONS!!!!!

If you ask me, this disdain for the pursuit of knowledge is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. And there is ZERO hyperbole in that statement.

EDIT: Right after I wrote this, I stumbled upon THIS. Talk about serendipity!! (Not to make light of the pastors' plight....it's terrible).