Why Are The Religious So Insecure In Their Beliefs?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28686998
Ok I realise I'm probably not the best person to be asking this but really if your belief is rock solid why will it not stand competition? Or indeed doubt/debate? Must everyone unquestioningly fall into line? Why has the human race not graduated beyond these ancient fairy tales?

[ganesh]

Because their gods have told them that theirs is the one true god and other people are wrong, so it seems they either have to convert or destroy them. I know, its insanity!

[Milvus]

The religious insecure in their belief?
It seems to me that it is the atheists on here that are continually asking questions to confirm their own lack of belief. There seems to be no questions (perhaps with one odd exception) from believers asking you to justify their lack of belief.

[ganesh]

I think you have to justify your belief in something rather than justify not believing in something. And I think Tora means why cant the religious be happy with their faith and leave other faiths and non-believers alone.

[joko]

milvus, its not to confirm a lack of belief!
what a bizarre notion ... atheists are not desperately wanting to believe and struggling not to start believing - and therefore trying to find stuff to stop them ... they ask questions because religion and all its effects are so annoying and universally harmful to everyone - religious or not - that almost our entire planet is largely ruled by fairy stories and desperately want it to disappear

we ask questions to challenge, not affirm

[ganesh]

Agreed Joko, and then when religion becomes political its disastrous for us all.

[ToraToraTora]

what I don't get is that they apparently have unswerving belief in their own brand of fairy tale that they are quite willing to murder anyone who does not believe. Good job we don;t apply the same to politics! The thing is milvus if these morons did not cause so much trouble when they discover someone who does not agree then we would not be having this discussion.

[ToraToraTora]

I do have a lot of sympathy for these poor sods:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28616115

[New Judge]

The trouble is, 3Ts, you are approaching the question in an entirely logical manner. But you cannot apply logic to any question involving religion of any persuasion. Religion, by its nature, is completely illogical. All power to those that believe in whatever it is they believe in. But they should leave the rest of us alone.

[naomi24]

Milvus, Do you really not know why believers don't ask questions and atheists do?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28687329

[youngmafbog]

Yes, TTT the good old US of A is full of religious nutters and not just in the tea party !

Religion is a powerful tool to control people, get them to follow you,fight for you die for you and make you rich (just look at the wealth of the CofE). I suspect many of these 'leaders' know damn well their preachings do not stand up to scrutiny and that the best way to hang on to their flock is attack the opposition. Bit like socialists.

[Khandro]

TTT; Religion is not the perpetuation of "ancient fairy tales", it is of deep spiritual significance to a follower's existence. Mock if you like, but it seems to me that it is the people outside of religious practice who are the insecure. It is a fact that the majority of questions posed on AB are of this nature, people upholding a religious belief really have no cause to question those without one, it's actually of little importance to them.
If you want a demonstration of how "insecure" you think religious people are. I suggest you go to a service at any Church, Mosque, Synagogue or Shrine room, of any denomination, and see just how "insecure" those gathered there are.
It might surprise you.

[pixie373]

Milvus and khandro, i think you're deliberately misinterpreting it. You are right, khandro, in saying believers don't question, but that is the problem.
The actual reason believers don't ask each other questions, is because they know they won't get any answers (or do they think they know everything?)
I can't speak for all atheists, but i ask questions partly because psychology interests me and religion is the most illogical thing humans do and partly because there are so many contradictions and nonsense, i would quite like to understand why so many believe.
Unfortunately, believers seem to dislike questions and rarely answer in a straightforward way, so my conclusion is, they don't understand it either.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //it seems to me that it is the people outside of religious practice who are the insecure.//

If you’d really thought about that, you wouldn’t have said it, and neither would Milvus. An atheist, if he’s insecure, has the option to adopt religion which I assume you think would give him a sense of security. He doesn’t, so he can’t be as insecure as you think he is. Apart from that, the prospect of wholesale slaughter for the ‘crime’ of non-belief in their particular brand of dogma by a bunch of mad, marauding, religious fanatics is enough to make anyone feel insecure!! As blights on this planet go, religion is way up there - but Islam is in the lead.

[ToraToraTora]

the reason we ask khandro/Milvus is because it is incomprehensible to us, we therefore seek clarification, potentially hoping, possibly, to pick up something previously missed, something that will help us understand. To understand how a supposedy "Intellegent" species can be so derailed by irrationality based on very little scientific principle. I am not insecure in my unbelief I am fearful of what religion does to the mind generally and I struggle to see how anyone intellegent cannot have arrived at a similar conclusion to my own. I therefore theorise that many "religiious" people know it's rubbish but it suits their path to indoctrinate others to further their own aims.

[atalanta]

Recently someone of a religious presuasion tried to convert me. I told him I'd be more likely to convert him to atheism. He vanished immediately. Now who's insecure ?
The trouble with trying to convert an atheist to religion, is - which religion ? If I think all religion is superstition designed by men in order to control women, how on earth are you going to make any religion whatsoever appear so attractive to me that I give up my independent thinking ?
No chance.

[Khandro]

pixie; // religion is the most illogical thing humans do//
What about ballroom dancing?

[mibn2cweus]

What about the belief that ballroom dancing is bound to land you a spot in hell?

[pixie373]

Well. And that, khandro. Although i would have said line-dancing:-)