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When I am taught something, and I *feel* it makes sense, I usually do not question it. If people I respect also feel it makes sense, that reassures me that my beliefs are justified. If the vast majority of people agree with it, that also reassures me, albeit to a lesser extent. This does not mean I never question what I’ve been taught, but only that I don’t immediately feel the need to research the matter, because it’s not something my life depends upon.
Since I was little, I was taught that to get enough protein in your diet, you had to eat some sort of animal product (beef, poultry, seafood, dairy.) Getting enough protein is something your life depends upon. Did you know, however, that it is virtually impossible to die from protein deficiency in a developed nation. Almost all foods have some amount of protein in them, and the fact is that the number one cause of premature death in America is OVER INGESTION of high protein foods (beef, eggs, dairy.) Even though the beef, poultry and dairy industries do their best to make people believe the opposite (and most people do.)
When I am taught something that my life depends upon which does NOT make sense, I will exhaustively research the matter to find out as much as possible, so I can make an INFORMED decision. My research might include personal experimentation, consulting with experts, consulting with people opposed to what I’ve been taught, reading unbiased opinions, etc, etc. If the issue in question has personal ramifications (e.g. taking a medication), I will be extra diligent.
Religion, apparently, deals with the most important and personal aspects of life and death possible, so naturally we would assume that if any aspect of a religion did not make sense, a sane person would be compelled to research the matter themselves. After all, this is life and death you are talking about.
Yet it seems that very few people question the validity of the Bible or Christianity, or the claims made by the people who market Christianity. Perhaps part of the problem is that the promoters have really very little information available to back up their claims, so a person is left with two options… believe because that’s what you’ve been taught, what you see other people believe, and what the religious industry markets, or don’t believe and EXPERIMENT with a life without religion.
From what I see and have experienced, given equal opportunity, there is nothing a believer can do or achieve, or experience in life, that a non-believer cannot do.
The Bible makes numerous absolute claims regarding things that can not be corroborated, and the claims DO NOT MAKE SENSE. In any other situation, when an outrageous claim is made, a person will seek out evidence to corroborate the claim, so how can you possibly accept the Bible as being true when it is full of outrageous claims that there is really no way for you to corroborate?
How do you know you aren’t just playing it safe because the Christian industry has exploited your worst fears?
Barry
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