Believing in God as a placebo

[noname223]

My religion teach said that many years ago when I was in school. He said something like. Noone knows for sure whether God exists. But everyone who believes in him no matter whether it is true can gain strength and hope from it.
I don't deny that faith can give hope and strength. For some people that works pretty well.

Though my life experience is the proof that this logic has flaws. The semi-faith I had in God (from my education) made my life even way worse. I told that a myriad of times. During my first major depression with severe suicidality I had excruciating nightmares about hell. Really literally nightmarish things. My bullies celebrated my suicide and welcomed me to hell forever. They all spit in my face in that dream.

When I read more on atheism this could comfort me. The desire for nothingness and the belief in nothingness after death comforted me a lot. Personally it was a relief. It did not even worsen my suicidality because I had less fears or something like that. It just made my mental state a little bit less excruciating.

It would be cool to tell him that story. However I don't necessarily want to ruin the faith of other people. As long as they respect me I respect them. Moreover I try to run away from my past and don't want that other people see that I became such a fucking loser.

What do you think about the idea of faith as a placebo?

 

[Rainy_days]

I think there are better things to gain strength and hope from than an authoritarian promising to protect and reward you as his chosen (and fuck everybody else), so long as you are an obedient little slave. I do believe there is value and purpose in religion, but some of them are better than others. Christianity should be rejected because it is anti-human, authoritarian, hostile to all other religions, etc, etc. It's such a shame that it has become so entrenched in our psyches due to conquest and historical accident, to the point where it crowds out any healthy open-mindedness we might have naturally possessed regarding questions of religion. When faced with this false "either/or", no wonder so many are rejecting religion altogether in disgust.

 

[lionetta12]

My religion teach said that many years ago when I was in school. He said something like. Noone knows for sure whether God exists. But everyone who believes in him no matter whether it is true can gain strength and hope from it.
I don't deny that faith can give hope and strength. For some people that works pretty well.

Though my life experience is the proof that this logic has flaws. The semi-faith I had in God (from my education) made my life even way worse. I told that a myriad of times. During my first major depression with severe suicidality I had excruciating nightmares about hell. Really literally nightmarish things. My bullies celebrated my suicide and welcomed me to hell forever. They all spit in my face in that dream.

When I read more on atheism this could comfort me. The desire for nothingness and the belief in nothingness after death comforted me a lot. Personally it was a relief. It did not even worsen my suicidality because I had less fears or something like that. It just made my mental state a little bit less excruciating.

It would be cool to tell him that story. However I don't necessarily want to ruin the faith of other people. As long as they respect me I respect them. Moreover I try to run away from my past and don't want that other people see that I became such a fucking loser.

What do you think about the idea of faith as a placebo?

This is what my philosophy teacher would always say as well spot on, and he had ironically been a priest in the past before becoming an atheist philosopher. I personally agree.

 

[theboy]

No
is real

 

[Forever Sleep]

I read a beginners guide to philosophy once that said believing in God/heaven (even if you're not sure) is like hedging your bets. Seeing as we don't actually know whether there is a God but supposedly- denying one could land you in hell/trouble- the 'safest' thing would be to believe. I never really understood that though... I imagine an all powerful God would know if you were faking it!

Plus- it's always REALLY bothered me- this idea (I get anyway) that you shouldn't question- just accept. We have been designed with brains that question everything. Why would God want to limit us like that? Why would he/she/it be so offended by being questioned? (Sounds pretty insecure to me.) And why would they need a fan club in the first place?!!

I think a lot of people actually have their own versions of God and religion. I agree- it could well be a placebo type thing- a comfort. (Although none of us really know because we don't know which God- if any are real.) I think spirituality CAN do a lot of good.

I DO definitely have many problems with our orthodox religions though. I think they are fairly likely to be manmade anyway and I think they easily do as much harm as good.

 

[Unending]

I can relate to this. I was raised by christians and feel that despite listening to their religious advice at a young age, you know... because the adults are supposed to know better, it never did quite make sense to me.

Eventually I stopped forcing myself to believe and it has been quite the process getting all the fears of hell out of my head.

Christianity never really comforted me either, only made me fearful. It sucks still having that residual logic defiant fear stuck in my head at times. I really wish I could have just skipped that programming.