How can sensible, educated people be religious?

[Anonymous]

How can people who understand basic science also believe that there is a god in heaven protecting them and that they will live there forever after they die here on earth?

[Anonymous]

Not all religious people believe that

[Anonymous]

How can an educated person look at the universe and think they know all there is to know? How can you not be humbled and realize what a tiny speck we are, tumbling through the universe on a very tiny rock, here for but a moment? And to realize there may be more to this world than what our five senses perceive, and maybe, just maybe, there’s something more to it all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can an educated person look at the universe and think they know all there is to know? How can you not be humbled and realize what a tiny speck we are, tumbling through the universe on a very tiny rock, here for but a moment? And to realize there may be more to this world than what our five senses perceive, and maybe, just maybe, there’s something more to it all?

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can an educated person look at the universe and think they know all there is to know? How can you not be humbled and realize what a tiny speck we are, tumbling through the universe on a very tiny rock, here for but a moment? And to realize there may be more to this world than what our five senses perceive, and maybe, just maybe, there’s something more to it all?

Maybe there is something more that we don't know yet, but it's certainly not something people made up over 2,000 years ago before they had an understanding of science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can people who understand basic science also believe that there is a god in heaven protecting them and that they will live there forever after they die here on earth?

What “basic science” rules out God? I suspect your concept of basic science smuggles in a whole host of assumed metaphysical premises that could be disputed if made explicit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can an educated person look at the universe and think they know all there is to know? How can you not be humbled and realize what a tiny speck we are, tumbling through the universe on a very tiny rock, here for but a moment? And to realize there may be more to this world than what our five senses perceive, and maybe, just maybe, there’s something more to it all?

Educated people are learning more every day. Educated people are very humbled, realizing what a tiny speck we are and for that reason are curious about the universe and want to learn more and do not accept old myths about there being a god in the sky, which we now know is not conducive to breathing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can an educated person look at the universe and think they know all there is to know? ?

Who thinks that? Not non-believers, for sure. It's the religious that think they have all the answers.

How can you not be humbled and realize what a tiny speck we are, tumbling through the universe on a very tiny rock, here for but a moment?

Who is not humbled by that? It is only the religious who think our tiny rock is the center of the universe and that there is something greater than the universe and we are his most important hobby.

And to realize there may be more to this world than what our five senses perceive, and maybe, just maybe, there’s something more to it all

What reason do you have to think there is? Why would you believe something without a reason or evidence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can people who understand basic science also believe that there is a god in heaven protecting them and that they will live there forever after they die here on earth?

What “basic science” rules out God? I suspect your concept of basic science smuggles in a whole host of assumed metaphysical premises that could be disputed if made explicit.

The same "basic science" that rules out Leprechauns, Bigfoot, and universe-farting blue elephants. No reason to think any are there until there is evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can people who understand basic science also believe that there is a god in heaven protecting them and that they will live there forever after they die here on earth?

What “basic science” rules out God? I suspect your concept of basic science smuggles in a whole host of assumed metaphysical premises that could be disputed if made explicit.

OP didn't say that basic science rules out God. They asked specifically about the stories of God protection and of eternal life.

[Anonymous]

I'm a non believer myself but I find this rhetoric unhelpful and counter productive.

Because it's just like that John Mulaney skit "Who'd believe in a man in the sky?" "My mommy, that's who".

Yeah, my mom and dad do. Both highly educated people who raised me to think critically and love science. My Dad's a retired doctor who'd come back from shifts where he treated kids who'd received head injuries from abuse or violence. He's seen the worst of humanity and if belief in God got him through that I’m not going to oppose that.

Do I think this rherotic plays into the worst stereotypes of atheists such that I suspect this is trolling? You bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can people who understand basic science also believe that there is a god in heaven protecting them and that they will live there forever after they die here on earth?

What “basic science” rules out God? I suspect your concept of basic science smuggles in a whole host of assumed metaphysical premises that could be disputed if made explicit.

The same "basic science" that rules out Leprechauns, Bigfoot, and universe-farting blue elephants. No reason to think any are there until there is evidence.

What would constitute evidence in your view? I suspect that most believers would take the position that the existence of the universe provides some evidence for a creator, so presumably you have some sort of unstated premise that rules that out. It would be a more interesting conversation if you made that premise explicit. Of course, we also all believe lots of things we don’t have *direct* evidence for, which bears on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a non believer myself but I find this rhetoric unhelpful and counter productive.

Because it's just like that John Mulaney skit "Who'd believe in a man in the sky?" "My mommy, that's who".

Yeah, my mom and dad do. Both highly educated people who raised me to think critically and love science. My Dad's a retired doctor who'd come back from shifts where he treated kids who'd received head injuries from abuse or violence. He's seen the worst of humanity and if belief in God got him through that I’m not going to oppose that.

Do I think this rherotic plays into the worst stereotypes of atheists such that I suspect this is trolling? You bet.

This poster is everywhere. You really think they're just a troll? What could they possibly get out of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can people who understand basic science also believe that there is a god in heaven protecting them and that they will live there forever after they die here on earth?

What “basic science” rules out God? I suspect your concept of basic science smuggles in a whole host of assumed metaphysical premises that could be disputed if made explicit.

The same "basic science" that rules out Leprechauns, Bigfoot, and universe-farting blue elephants. No reason to think any are there until there is evidence.

What would constitute evidence in your view? I suspect that most believers would take the position that the existence of the universe provides some evidence for a creator, so presumably you have some sort of unstated premise that rules that out. It would be a more interesting conversation if you made that premise explicit. Of course, we also all believe lots of things we don’t have *direct* evidence for, which bears on this.

No I do not rule it out, and it is not my burden to do so. I don't agree the existence of the universe is evidence for anything other than the universe, and despite hearing hundreds of cosmological arguments never heard one that wasn't flawed from the premises onward. And certainly not one that had an iota of evidence for any specific god. More than welcome to listen to another, if you have it.

What are other things we believe that we don't have evidence for, "direct" or otherwise?

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of people just think of God as goodness