Guy P Harrison's 50 reasons people give for believing in a god, part II

50 reasons continued:

26. I want eternal life.
27. Without my god, we would have no sense of right or wrong.  As strange as it may sound, the big fall from faith before this one (it lasted for a mere week one year before I started this blog) was triggered in part by my reading up on Peace Corps.  I was interested in volunteering with PC, but I thought I'd rather work with a Christian volunteer organization.  Problem was, many of the religious groups did not have the benefits of loan deferment like PC and usually cost money to work for.  Anyway, I was under the belief that God was the source of all goodness and all true love.  That, without him, every human act, even the ones that seemed to be good, contained some trace of a vice.  Pride, desire to impress others, manipulation leverage, thinking about the benefits you'll receive, etc.  Something about looking into a non-religious volunteer program and reading blogs written by non-religious, seemingly selfless people made me wonder how anyone not accepting God could do such good things.  Then I started reading about humanism and questioning the doctrine of inherent sinfulness.  It was a wild spiral into doubt that days later, was hastily "fixed," but left my belief in human depravity beyond repair.  Now, my thinking is that while religion can give humans moral guidance, you don't need religion or gods to figure out what's right and wrong.  All you need is empathy and logic.  It's not hard to pick up on the benefits that come from good behavior and the consequences you suffer when you're a jerk.  Being good feels good because there are rewards in showing kindness, being responsible, giving back and because of empathy, you know that treating others well blesses them.  Those secular PC volunteers were serving because they, like I, saw a world in need of justice.  They knew that it wouldn't feel very good to be born into poverty and die at an early age  or live a semi-long life marred by disease, lack of opportunities, or malnutrition and were doing what they could while on earth to try and make things better.  You don't have to be moved by the Holy Spirit to understand duty to your world or kindness to your neighbor. A lot of Christians can see that, but many would say that without God, we wouldn't have consciences implemented into us.  A friend of mine told me that's one of the biggest reasons she believes: that there had to be someone who guides us in the differences between darkness and light, both a rule-maker and a judge.  But I stand by my claim that, over time, humans have developed moral universals because they have been easy to figure out, they are vital to our survival as a species, and because laws have been put in place that uphold basic morality. 
28. My god makes me feel like I'm a part of something bigger than myself.
29. My religion makes more sense than all the others.  Harrison, rightfully, often uses the argument that religious people are skilled at thinking critically about every religion but their own.  That they put this safety bubble around the religion of their youth, being sure to never step outside of it and question it.  The following video, which Barry at Atheos Godless posted back in October, was one I kept thinking back on while reading 50 reasons.  If any believers who are reading this can get past the choice of the word "delusional"  :-/  it is a thought-provoking video.  One that reminds everyone that critical thinking is always a good thing.  Nothing should earn an automatic exemption. 




30. My god changes lives.  Enter: the power of testimonies.  The problem is that, often, the power is more in the moral guidelines that can be found in a religion and the motivation a belief system provides someone to change his or her life.  Also, accountability and new friendships can keep a faith going strong.  There are many factors in someone's story of how God changed his/her life. 
31. Intelligent design proves my god is real.
32. Millions of people can't be wrong about my religion.  No matter which religion the person using this argument is referring to, more people don't believe in it than do believe it.  So, they are the minority, meaning their logic that knowledge is proven in numbers is working against them. 
33. Miracles prove my god is real.
34. Religion is beautiful.  Yes, some parts of religion are wonderful.  Community.  Attention to the poor and lowly.  The belief that all are loved.  The emphasis on reflection and constantly working on improving yourself.  You can't deny that some religious organizations make incredible differences in our world and that religion has inspired magnificent artwork, literature, music, and architecture.  But... at certain points in time, it has been used to justify wars, acts of terrorism, slavery, bigotry, oppression, and it divides our already fragmented world.  If it's not true, it has slowed humanity down academically and socially (ie, people not opening up to the proof of evolution and people continuing to try and pass discriminatory legislation).  I should add that it has benefited our collection of human knowledge: it did much to advance education and preserve historical documents during the middle ages (in monasteries).  Back to the drawbacks: religious belief demands much from its believers.  There is some goodness to be found in just about every religion, but I have to wonder how much more united we would be as a species without it.
35. Some very smart people believe in my god.
36. Ancient prophecies prove my god exists.
37. No one has ever disproved the existence of my god.  I used to have a friend who vehemently defended her belief in fairies.  "You can't prove that fairies don't come out when they're sure that no one's around!"  She was right.  You really can't prove or disprove any supernatural beliefs that are faith-based.  But that doesn't mean that they're true.
38. People have gone to heaven and returned.
39. Religion brings people together.
40. My god inspires people.
41. Science can't explain everything.
42. Society would fall apart without religion.
43. My religion is so old, it must have been true.  I used to take pride in the fact that my religion was so old.  A creation story seems to ring much more true if it surfaces closer to the time of the origin of humanity, right?  Well, actually, Hinduism is much older than Christianity (historians conservatively estimate it originating around 3,000 BC), plus most cultures had their own creation stories and set of belief systems.  And, really, being old just means it's more likely to be antiquated.  It means it was written by people living in a completely different world, one where science had much less of a bearing on what was viewed as real, one that was much more patriarchal, one where little was known about cultures across the globe.  Would I consult a 2,000 year old medical text if I wanted to know how to treat a fever, or historic examples on how to raise kids dating that far back?  Why trust a book written around that time when trying to live my life well and find truth for today? 
44. Someone I trust told me that my god is real.  This is why it's so painful to try and leave the religion of your youth.  You are indirectly telling your parents, your friends, and your spiritual mentors that you think they're wrong.  I'm sure that this is the reasons religions that make little sense are still around today.  They've survived because parents have brought up their children to believe the things that their parents taught them, that their parents were taught by their parents, and on and on. 
45. Atheism is a negative and empty philosophy.
46. Believing in a god doesn't hurt anyone.  Actually, belief costs a lot!!  Time, financial contributions, intellectual concessions, agreement to abide by the rules of that religion...
47. The earth is perfectly tuned to support life.  Of course it is.  Everything around today has been custom-tailored to function and thrive on this planet.  When species haven't worked out, they've been weeded out.  We're way, way on the right (present) side of a 4.5 billion year time-line which has the title "Evolution of Planet Earth."  From the very beginning, the rule has been: what can survive and thrive here will win.  So, here we are and we look around and think, "Gosh, this place fits us animals like a glove!  Amazing!"  Yep, it is.  But isn't it just that all those parts of us, and parts of the world that didn't work well here were done away with, traded in for more efficient, fitting qualities?  We're at the end of this evolutionary process amazed that it's done its job in creating species that can live and thrive on this planet.  Can you tell I'm academically in over my head?  :)  I just mean that the fact that our world works pretty harmoniously does not mean there had to be a creator.  Evolution explains it rather well. 
48. Believing is natural, so my god must be real.
49. The end is near!  My uncle's argument! 
50. I am afraid of not believing.  It can be scary to face and begin the process of critically questioning your reasons for believing.  What if you find that they're not as sound as you had hoped?  You may have a crisis of faith, and goodness, that would change everything!  But truth is always worth pursuing.  You should feel confident in whatever it is you're saying you believe and you should come to terms with your questions and doubts, even if that is a scary thing, so that you can work towards certainty.  No matter what philosophy it is that your reason and research leads you to, you will have the invaluable assurance that it makes sense.  That you can fully embrace it.  That will be worth the trauma you may endure if you decide to leave your belief system.  I'm sure of it.