The Earthbound Parent by Richard A. Conn Jr

Author:Richard A. Conn, Jr.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
Published: 2018-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

5

LIFE UNDER THE SUN

Embracing the Benefits of Abandoning Religion

We have now looked at what drives us toward belief in gods, why that belief should be strongly doubted, how to break the cycle, and where our morality and values might come from if they do not come from religion. I personally have no choice but to reject the idea that they come from religion for all the reasons that I have outlined. I simply do not have the mental “off” button that I would need to disengage from critical thinking and allow myself to experience the alleged euphoria of a religious belief and faith that I regard as delusional. You, on the other hand, may still have a choice, and may thus want to hear something more about the personal and societal benefits of not having delusional religious beliefs.

So what is the upside of abandoning religion and deciding not to pass our religious beliefs on to our children? What is our internal narrative if we are on our own in the universe—if we are truly without a god to guide us—and have only ourselves and whatever life forms may exist on distant planets to keep us company? What do we get by way of a personal and social gratification—what is our reward—if we take the red pill, or cut ourselves free from chains in Plato’s cave? What, in short, is our prize? What gifts are you giving your children?

If what I have been saying is true, then your prize for rejecting what you have been taught about religion includes freedom from fear, freedom to think for yourself, and the joy that comes from embracing uncertainty and acknowledging that you do not in fact know the answers to some important questions. Your prize is that you get to raise your children without any pressure to instill the terror and psychological abuse of fire, brimstone, and an eternity in hell in their gentle little minds. Your prize is that you get to live your life as you wish to live it with no one telling you what to think and what to do in the name of some god, and without any god—Qua, Quo, Santa Claus, or Easter Bunny—always watching, judging, rewarding, or punishing you. Your prize is that you get to think critically and make judgments for yourself instead of parroting religious beliefs and religious doctrines promulgated by religious authorities. Your prize is also the great relief of not having to pay homage to some religion you do not really believe! Think of all the extra time you will have to enjoy freedom!

Richard Dawkins, renowned scientist and author on atheism, shared his thoughts about one aspect of the prize:

The feeling of awed wonder that science can give us is one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable. It is a deep aesthetic passion to rank with the finest that music and poetry can deliver. It is truly one of the things that make life worth living and it

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.