We’re in the 21st century, and the vast majority of us still believe in an utterly and obviously fictional creator deity. Plenty of people, even in developed countries with decent educational systems, still believe in ghosts or magic (e.g. voodoo). And I–an atheist and a skeptic–am told I need to respect these patently false beliefs as cultural traditions.

Fuck that. They’re bad cultural traditions, undeserving of respect. Child-proofing society for these intellectually stunted people doesn’t help them; it is in fact a disservice to them to pretend it’s okay to go through life believing these things. We should demand that people contend with reality on a factual basis by the time they reach adulthood (even earlier, if I’m being completely honest). We shouldn’t be coddling people who profess beliefs that are demonstrably false, simply because their feelings might get hurt.

    • Queen HawlSera
      -36•1 year ago

      Right? One day people will learn that giving up religion is not the cure-all for society’s woes.

      • @Bytemeister@lemmy.world
        25•1 year ago

        Right, and giving up alcohol won’t cure all liver disease, but it sure does help with suicide bombers drunk driving.

      • Dyskolos
        8•1 year ago

        But for maaaany. The moment some people gather and start believing what they’re told to believe, the shit catches fire.

        • @sock@lemmy.world
          -1•1 year ago

          a lot of issues arent from religion its from people thinking their religion is “right” and doing smth about it. someday they’re realize a right answer comes from evidence not who can fight for the holy land the hardest

          some folks just wanna believe that when they die they go somewhere because thats a bit less scary and im dowm for that. granted morality solely from a gods threat of hell isn’t sustainable

          i hate religion and want it gone but some folks are at least understandably religious

            • @barsoap@lemm.ee
              4•1 year ago

              Abrahamic religions generally do but it’s far from a universal. (Most, at least in the west) Buddhists will tell you to avoid faith like the plague, to suspend disbelief or become an empty cup, and see for yourself. Discordians will right-out tell you that it’s all bullshit, which is beautiful, because that’s what makes flowers grow.

              I get the hostility many people have against religion, it seems to come largely from the US and it’s really not hard to have atrocious experience with religion there. But that’s just, like, you know, your experience, man.

              • Dyskolos
                2•1 year ago

                To a degree i don’t count buddhists to religions/cults They usually don’t do harm to others based upon their faith. That is fine. Might include sikhs and mmaybe others, but never dug deeper. It’s exceptions to the general rule.

                Religion did nothing good to this world. Without the worshipping of invisible sky-daddys we would probably be advanced many centuries ahead already.

                And I’m not from the US. Religion where i live was basically non-existant, besides our infiltration by muslims for decades now. Critical thinking happens everywhere, you don’t have to be surrounded by cult nutjobs like the muricans.

                • @barsoap@lemm.ee
                  2•1 year ago

                  There are different definitions of “religion” that people use, and in fact there’s no scholarly consensus on one definition, but I assure you “stuff I don’t like” generally gets you laughed out of the room. It is not, how should I put this, the pinnacle and end-all-be-all of all critical thinking. One does not need to be religious to lack humility.

                  As to sky daddy: Yahweh doesn’t even really qualify the closest Semites got to a proper sky-daddy was Shamash and Yarikh, the sun and moon gods. The ascription really came from further up north as sky daddies are very very common in Indo-European cultures, short story short during Christianisation people ascribed ideas relating to Tyr, Zeus, Jupiter etc. to Yahweh.

                  • Dyskolos
                    0•1 year ago

                    So. There are maby definitions hm? Ok. Let’s cut the word out and just use the general consensus description of “gathering around under the same set of beliefs”. There can’t be any good coming out of that.

                    As to youe other argument: And? What is your point here? You know of some “very common sky-daddies in Indo-European cultures” and such? And what about it? For many moons, people, who believed to see ghosts or have imaginary friends, were proclaimed mentally ill. Unless they call their imaginary friend the same like everyone else does. Then it’s sane.

                    I’m no atheist. Atheism is the same ignorance as theism is. Just 180° turned around. I’m agnostic.

                    Yet name one single good reason, why one should join ANY cult at all? No one happens to accidentally come to the same conclusions like e. G. The catholic church comes to and says “wow, they exactly believe what i belive. I shall joinn them”. It’s the other way round. It offers lazy or dumb or frightened and simple people an easy answer to everything. Not to be meant condescending, it’s just what it is.

          • Dyskolos
            1•1 year ago

            But that is the inherent problem with religion. Somone “knows” the “facts”. By definition. A religion where everyone could believe what they want wouldn’t even make much sense.

            I have nothing against belief. We can’t KNOW, so everyone can come up with their own idea and believe in it. For whatever reason. I don’t care. But religion is the pure evil and rarely does more good than bad. If at all.

            People getting out of any a cult is rare and hard.

        • @Soleos@lemmy.world
          1•1 year ago

          No, they’re not saying that. They’re saying OP hasn’t encountered the complex conflicts of values inherent in such issues. Even if the outcome you’re seeking is noble, such sweeping attitudes invariably ignore the potential harm. Not sure what that looks like? Just ask the native Americans what it’s like to have their belief systems steamrolled by “superior colonial” ones.