[Reiwa]

Originally Posted by unsunghero [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I wouldn’t call incorrect belief in God wasted time or effort

Past studies have demonstrated that people who considered themself religious scored higher in happiness categories than those that didn’t

If a belief, even an incorrect belief, gave someone a sense of comfort, it would not be wasted. For example, let’s say we’re in a plane and the sky is very turbulent and dark. I am an expert in aviation, and I know with 100% certainty that the plane is going to crash. You no nothing about aviation, so I spend the entire plane trip explaining to you how safe the plane is, and how as an aviation expert I am 100% certain the plane will not crash. And let’s say I convince you completely

You were content up until the moment of the crash (crashes don’t happen that fast but for sake of argument let’s say they do). Even though it was a false sense of security, you had a benefit from it. If we expand that plane trip timeline to your life, it ended the same way, with you suddenly dying, but in one scenario you had hope and in another you wouldn’t

What if belief in 'god' makes you fear your eternal damnation or being nagged while you're watching the game?