Is there anything we lose from not being religious?

[Murky]

I noticed that the CFC-OT has a lot of atheist. Just out of curiosity, what's lost when a person chooses not to be religious or study religion? What could be gained by observing some religious practices like fasting or monogamy?

 

[CaptainF]

I gain plenty from not participating in religion, not the least of which is a relaxing Sunday.

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

I noticed that the CFC-OT has a lot of atheist. Just out of curiosity, what's lost when a person chooses not to be religious or study religion? What could be gained by observing some religious practices like fasting or monogamy?

Ummm...how do you see monogamy as an exclusively religious practice? Mormon's for one would disagree. As would the tens of millions married in Christian churches who partake in extramarital affairs or multiple divorces.

Last I checked, atheists still get married, are perfectly capable of monogamous relationships, and probably do both at the same rate of more religious couples. Its a social norm and not necessarily a religiously inspired one.

 

[Defiant47]

Comfort in an afterlife I guess. But I prefer a truthful analysis than living a wishful delusion (actually, I prefer a wishful delusion and would love to be religious... but I am incapable of it).

I gain plenty from not participating in religion, not the least of which is a relaxing Sunday.

Wrong! We do not gain a relaxing Sunday. We simply do not lose it.

 

[Masquerouge]

Ummm...how do you see monogamy as an exclusively religious practice? Mormon's for one would disagree.

Oooh Eran is going to love this


But anyway. From a religious person point of view, I guess the biggest loss is going to Heaven or the equivalent.
From the atheist pov, since there is no heaven, the loss is not much.

Also, just because some moral behaviors are condoned by religion does not mean they should not be followed by atheists. Atheists can be monogamous too.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Oooh Eran is going to love this

Hey, polygamy jokes never go out of style. But, in fact, we do take our monogmay pretty seriously these days.

Anyways, what you lose depends on what is true. If atheists are right, they lose nothing from not being religious. If I ever stopped believing in God, I would miss the social aspects of my religion, but I would consider the gain made by accepting the truth to be worth it. (Just as I now consider the fact that it is true, to be one of the big benefits I get from believing what I believe. I am willing to be wrong, but only if I don't know I am wrong.) If theists (or rather, religious people, they are not identical groups) are right, the consequences range from eternal damnation, to having to figure it out in the next life where it might be a little harder, to you're getting reincarnated as a cockroach anyways, so what does it matter?

 

[EzInKy]

But anyway. From a religious person point of view, I guess the biggest loss is going to Heaven or the equivalent.
From the atheist pov, since there is no heaven, the loss is not much.

You are born, you live, you die. Your atoms are recycled to reborn again, perhaps in another form, or perhaps become one with the universe. How is that not heaven?

 

[Masquerouge]

You are born, you live, you die, and your atoms are recycled to reborn again, perhaps in another form, or perhaps become one with the universe. How is that not heaven?

Fair enough! I will admit I'm definitely planning on going to THAT heaven

 

[Elrohir]

I gain plenty from not participating in religion, not the least of which is a relaxing Sunday.

Yeah, it's not like Sunday is a day of rest for Christians, or anything kooky like that.

Seriously - I do plenty of relaxing on Sundays. Where do you get the idea that religious people don't relax on Sundays, as a rule?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I guess since he finds church boring, he figures everyone does?

 

[CaptainF]

Yeah, it's not like Sunday is a day of rest for Christians, or anything kooky like that.

Seriously - I do plenty of relaxing on Sundays. Where do you get the idea that religious people don't relax on Sundays, as a rule?

Well, getting up and going to church is something I certainly never want to do...ever.

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

Hey, polygamy jokes never go out of style. But, in fact, we do take our monogmay pretty seriously these days.

Wasn't trying to make a joke, just using Mormonism as an example to show that monogamy isn't necessarily a religious value. Yeah most Mormons are going that way now, but I'm assuming being a tiny minority in a country that outlaws polygamy has alot to do with that trend. No offense intended and I apologize if there was any.

 

[Defiant47]

Seriously - I do plenty of relaxing on Sundays. Where do you get the idea that religious people don't relax on Sundays, as a rule?

As a rule, a day cannot be defined as "relaxing" if you do not have the option to sleep in.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

@Enlightenment: No offense taken, actually Masquerouge had it backwards anyways (just because one can be religious and not monogamous doesn't mean, on its own, that it must be possible to be nonreligious and monogamous. Although of course it is possible.)

@Defiant: I wake up at 9:30 on Sunday, that's as much sleeping in as I need.

 

[mangxema]

If you're not religious, probably nothing. If you were religious, then you may say a variety of things that non-religious people don't care about, because if they did, they'd be religious.

 

[Masquerouge]

@Enlightenment: No offense taken, actually Masquerouge had it backwards anyways (just because one can be religious and not monogamous doesn't mean, on its own, that it must be possible to be nonreligious and monogamous. Although of course it is possible.)

Ooooh sure, blame the French.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, that is my answer to everything.

 

[Murky]

Ummm...how do you see monogamy as an exclusively religious practice? Mormon's for one would disagree. As would the tens of millions married in Christian churches who partake in extramarital affairs or multiple divorces.

Not necessarily, but didn't the social norm come from religious belief?

Last I checked, atheists still get married, are perfectly capable of monogamous relationships, and probably do both at the same rate of more religious couples. Its a social norm and not necessarily a religiously inspired one.

Certainly there are secular couples that are monogamous. If there no religious basis for it what keeps them from cheating?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Love, it might not really exist in any biological sense but if people believe in it, there it is.

 

[Masquerouge]

Certainly there are secular couples that are monogamous. If there no religious basis for it what keeps them from cheating?

As far as I'm concerned: it would hurt my wife, she would be incredibly sad, and I don't want that, because I love her.

Maybe we could have agreed to a non-faithful relationship (in which case we would not be cheating on each other since there would be no hidden stuff), sure. But we chose not to.