Just throwing it out there for some other opinions. I've always believed that theism, religion, and a belief in a "God" or Gods, is for people who cannot deal with reality, and refuse to let go after a loved one passes away. They WANT, and NEED to believe that they somehow will see their loved one again someday, and "tiptoe through the tulips" together into a "paradise." I also believe that this is a way for people to deal with their OWN mortality...which can be scary...thinking that they will never really die. If someone feels they need to cling to something to help them get through a difficult time...I do get that. But I wish the theists would ADMIT it, and SAY IT THAT WAY...instead of trying to convince everyone who CAN get a grip on their emotions, and has the internal strength and sensibility to deal with, and get through a tough time,, that there is something wrong with THEM for not believing in things that quite frankly are so out of the box that they defy all logic and reasonable intelligence. There are people who SWEAR that they still see Elvis running around. ( pumping gas, maybe??) People just don't want to let go...Awhile back then Gov. Jessie Ventura said that " Religion is for weak minded people." AMEN!!
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Concurring with your opinion, I think that many people believe in an afterlife as a consequence of what I call the "Curse of Consciousness."
It is a mental placebo and it is easier for them to continue believing it if people they interact with believe the same. That is where the boundary crossing occurs.
I don't think anyone who knows themselves the agony of loss can truly begrudge anyone their comfort, whether or not we think they're "weak" for having it.
I don't see the use in Ventura's superiority trip either: calling the faithful "weak" doesn't make atheist "strong".
I agree with the thought of this thread. I'm also sensitive to anyone who takes strength from supernatural conjuring, doctrine induced or otherwise. I don't have the heart to hurt, as it were. It's their holistic placebo that costs me nothing more than a sense of sadness to observe. I'd like all of humanity to embrace reality as I do, which is pretty selfish of me, but I have to understand that its advancement and investment in future survival will have to take a backseat to god-complacency, for now.
While I can and have taken to the militancy of side of the debate, I tend to take exception to it now. Anti-theism is always lurking in my psyche but so is its antidote in peaceful coexistence. I know theism is losing ground. One can only hope atheism grows exponentially with each succeeding generation.