As a non-believer, do you ever feel inclined to offer sympathy for people who believe there's really a god

Question

Gosh... the absurdity of some beliefs is overwhelming. Life after death...??? Prayer...? Personal relationships with spirits and invisable gods...?

Yo believers.... Have you considered yourselves lately... have you thought about how you appear to others..?

Muslims believe that if they die defending god, they go straight to 7th heaven and recieve special rewards. It's nuts, isn't it..?

Answer 1

Sympathy? Maybe.

I think pity more accurately describes how I feel about them, though.

Answer 2

During 1800s, Anthropologists had a problem as to
how to classify human beings. One researcher
proposed the expression "intelligent animal".
After advanced studies on monkeys, it was dropped.
Another researcher proposed "tool using animal".
After observing some animals making wooden tools
and sharpening them with knife like stones, it was
dropped. Another researcher proposed "weapon using
animal". A decade ago, a rare film was shot by an
amateur in an African forest. One short monkey was
hit very badly by a big monkey. The short monkey
prepared a wooden knife using stones and hid it on
the top of a tree. After some days, when the big
monkey came to attack the short monkey, it ran up
to the tree for the weapon it has hid and killed
the big monkey. The one thing that the
anthropologists found with any group of human
beings, even if they did not have contacts with
the out side world for thousands of years, has
spirituality with some form of religion. So, man
is a "spiritual animal" if you want to call him
that way.

The Upanishads say that "Manush" (human) was so
named because he has "Manas" a mind higher than
that of the animals which realizes the divinity in
creation. It was present since the creation of
human beings. Religion is the characteristic
feature of most of the human beings. It was not
attained through reasoning using mind. Illiterate
tribes located in inaccessible forests also have
religion. It is as eternal and and as unchanging
as the Almighty. Disbelief by a few will not
affect it.

"The percentage of atheists in the world is less
than 5%"

http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/s1990c48a.htm

"Atheists are all scientists" ?

http://www.non-religious.com/statistics.html

Religion is not a blind following. It is a sub-consciously driven
group ritual. It calms the 'collective unconscious' mind. The
religious culture brings unity and belongedness among the followers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious

" Are Atheists More Depressed than Religious People?

In recent years, the view that religious belief and
participation in religious acts of worship has a positive
effect upon the well-being of man..."

http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php

"Is a Belief in God Beneficial? Or, What's an Atheist to Do?

1) Religious attendance is correlated with longevity.
2) Religious belief has been associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms.
3) Religious beliefs may help with addiction.
4) Religious attendance is correlated with lower blood pressure.

http://jewishatheist.blogspot.com/2006/01/is-belief-in-god-beneficial-or-whats.html

Religion is the charcteristic feature of humans.
Animals and other living beings do not have it.

Answer 3

Everybody has to believe something, it is part of being human. Even being a "non-believer" means you have made a choice. As long the the faith they choose doesn't cause you harm, why give someone a hard time? On the other hand, religions that teach that their faith is the only faith and that those who don't share it deserve to die/be killed/be enslaved are indeed crazy, I think the proper word is "fanatical" or sometimes "extremist". At any rate, the majority of the world, statistically, believes in some form of higher power, and if it makes a person happier, brings them comfort, or guides them toward being a better person, then I'm all for it.

Answer 4

Some people never out grow fairy tales.○
It is impossible to reason with unreasonable premises.
Faith is like being drunk. I feel no sympathy for people who would insult and belittle anyone who does not believe as they do. They are arrogant and full of themselves.

Answer 5

As a believer, I feel sorry for the non-believer. The non-believer has no future to look foreword to. I have thought how I appear to others, and I like it.

Answer 6

well, its wrong to assume that other people less intelligent than you. u would never get why they believe so unless u walk in their shoes. there's always a possinlity that ure the one who's wrong, accepting that is truly being open-minded.

Answer 7

Answer: There is no answer for a non believer. The bible is intended for believers.

Answer 8

That sounds a bit arrogant to me.

Answer 9

i sympathize when it actually does harm to one or their life.

Answer 10

Will you be my friend? Id like a dumb one.