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Is existential awareness necessary towards freedom from religion? Once a person is aware of the absurdities of living, that they are but a decaying bag of chemicals governed by the laws of nature, they would realize that their attachment to religion is just an attachment to their illusory view of life. It is hard to escape the congruent realization that not only religion, but many other beliefs - rights, justice and so on are also illusory crutches we use to deny our own awareness of imminent death. Is it possible to make a religious person think about their death but wean them away from religion towards an acceptance that we don't know why we live and that is okay; that we will rot and be eventually be forgotten and that is okay. In a world that cares not whether or not we live, we have been finding meaning by mass hypnosis starting with self deception. Can we accept defeat against the impertible world and admit our inconsequentialness? This might free us to define our own existence better and be more empathic to fellow humans and other conscious beings that share this existential dread

Spongebob 7 Aug 29
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0

When yoy use he word "impertible", do you mean imperturbable? Otherwise I have never hard of the word. Please define what yoy mean.

wordywalt Level 9 Nov 1, 2021
0

These ideas that there is no meaning in life and no life after death are also matters of faith.

brentan Level 8 Aug 30, 2020

Noone can come out of that sinkhole of word play 😊 You can attach "is a matter of faith" to any statement recursively

@Spongebob It isn't word play It's the truth of the matter.

2

Maybe but I don't agree with the basic premise in that we really have no idea. Belief in god is a version. Belief in no god is another version The truth is that we haven't got a clue and that bothers a lot of people.

Do we really have no idea or do we just refuse to accept what we see?

@Spongebob We cannot see beyond death other than reports of those who have been brought back to life.

2

I think I understand what you’re saying, but I think there’s an odd irony in it. Because, as I see it, what you’re proposing is actually closer to what an authentic religious perspective is trying to achieve.

The freedom from religion that you mention is desirable only when we define religion narrowly and popularly to mean religious literalism and religious supernaturalism. But I claim that a historically authentic religion, rather than providing relief through self delusion or distraction, provides genuine liberation through deep understanding of the actual human condition.

Nothing can currently facilitate this authentic counterbalance to existential despair better that a broad and deep understanding of the interconnectedness of science, history, and art. And how dangerous to our existence some of our evolved instincts, such as supernatural “reasoning” can be.

Authentic religion then, can actually turn existential base metal into liberation gold.

skado Level 9 Aug 29, 2020

Yes, I agree with your point. I am restricting to the corporate style religions we see today. I also think you are right that, at least partially, religions were meant to make sense of our lives and be at peace inspite of the existential despair rather than be used to control people. I don't know if such authentic religions are necessary to achieve this liberation but they would at least nudge a questioning person towards it. Thanks for your comment 😊

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