common sense?

Question

why does common sense seem to go out the window, where religion is concerned? I know that you have faith, but why does faith supercede common sense?

I ask this with respect to you as a person, I am curious of what you perceive as common sense?

I will not be rating answers because the answer is one of a personal choice.

ME! Hogie has answered in an intelligent way, he has made some valid points, you however are the kind of christian that just follows like a sheep

is that common sense

Iron Serpant, I have read the Bible, I have found that to believe this word of MAN, you first have to rid yourself of common sense! I make no mention of God, that is a different matter, you have to take that journey alone. My question relates to religion! there is a difference if you look

Slayer; What was your miracle? you don't allow e-mail, but plse contact me to tell of why you percieved it as a miracle!!

Sarah Ve' keep up the good work, you are truly a free spirit!

Answer 1

I believe common sense relates to things dealing with reality,dealing with things that actually happen ( unlike most things in religious books and unlike most things religious people claim to have experienced i.e. god talking to them, signs, gift of prophecy and so on) and making actual sense of your surroundings and what goes on around you... therefore the idea of religion and god totally cancels out common sense.

The idea of faith is a great idea and sounds wonderful but in reality the only thing you can believe in is yourself and ultimately I believe the only thing you can depend is yourself. Faith is simply something that makes you feel better about a bad situation you may be in, or a trying time in your life.

Answer 2

I think that in a lot of cases religion supercedes common sense simply because tradition coupled with confusion and fear, nowadays religion and a lot of its questions can be answered through science, society put forth a series of questions that could not be answered through any means 1000 years ago, and sought answers to these questions, in a world of confusion and fear society turned to religion as a means of comfort and to have solace in the fact that there is something better after this life, to the average person this promise seemed to give them hope to live their life better and lifted the cloud of fear and confusion that plagued most people, so I think that common sense goes out the window for most people because the prospect of an afterlife a divine kingdom and never having to cease to exist is just too good not to believe in, people just can't accept the fact that this life is it, and why should they people have been following the worlds dominant religions for at least the last thousand years, their mothers and fathers their grandparents, aunts and uncles, the list goes on, I guess it's just to late now to go back on generations of thinking a certain way to just all of a sudden having a totally different mindset than your predecessors, some people could even see it as disrespect to your deceased loved ones, all that being said they just can't see the logic in science where everything can be proven, they want to believe what the think is the truth because they see the numbers and the history, so in short common sense goes out the window because they think it's truth, and the truth cannot be surpassed by anything 'made of man'.

Answer 3

Because people listen to the opinions of others instead of using their Own sense of reason or thinking ability. Common sense called common because everyone has it, albeit not everyone uses it, Always supersedes religious dogma and at times even scientific interpretation.

Faith is nothing more than hope and not the Realistic Sense of things as they have been, as they are and as they will be.

The world would be infinitely happier and more peaceful if people used their Common Sense.

For Common Sense In Action visit http://wwunited.org

Answer 4

Common sense is what tells us the Earth is flat and the Sun goes around it right? They thought that was common sense back then but was proven to be wrong by an up and coming scientist and philosopher. Common sense is just that.. What is common among a group of people who think the same thing and believe what is true. in other words common sense is seeing things as they are and doing things as they should be done. Everyone has their own common sense. But what is common sense to you might not be common sense to others..

Answer 5

Christians believe that the bible is the inspired infallable Word of God. We believe God is not in time and created everything. If something is read in the bible (assuming it is in context) and it goes against your natural feelings or common sense then I would go with the Word of God every time as He is of a higher order of intelligence the we are. If a being who does see going into the future or past as a problem because He created it, even common sense would tell you that He was the better option to go for.

Answer 6

It's not a case of common sense, it's all about presuppostions. I look at the world from the world view of a Christian, and have studied all the evidence for God and the truth of Jesus from that standpoint. Some start from the presupposition that there is no God, and look at the same data as a Christian, and interpret it in a different way. I can look at how the world started and say that it was created by God, a scientist would say it was a big bang. Neither view can be proved, so it's only our faith in one theory or another that makes the difference. It's the same with miracles. Science will say there must be an explantion for them that they haven't scientifically worked out yet. I don't need it to be worked out as I can see miracles as the work of God, who made the laws of the universe and can interfere with them as he pleases. Christians are aware of the laws and don't ever worry about scientific research done properly. I have seen God do miracles and I have had a personal experience of meeting him, which is why I believe the Christian worldview.
Common sense by the way is a good thing. Jesus claimed to be the way to heaven and if this is true, it's of paramount importance to everyone on earth. Is it not common sense to find out if He was telling the truth?

Answer 7

I think common sense is a bit of a misnomer, although we all use the expression.

I'm not a believer and think religious faith is bonkers, but to be fair to the believers (did I really say that?) it may not be entirely their fault.

Many of them are brought up in their faith. Some are steeped in it and for some there is just a low level assumption that a god exists. In that context it is sometimes difficult for people to see that what they have always known to be true, is in fact wrong. True, some people come to their faith later in life, but for some reason, I know not what, they wholly accept what they are told.

Then, when the same messages are repeated at you day by day and your friends and family all believe the same thing, it is easy to stay with what you believe and stick with your group.

Most of us, without clear guidance, interpret the natural world in the context of what we know and are familiar with and apply what we think is common sense. In that light it is not surprising that a few hundred years ago people thought the earth was flat. Of course it is! Look at it! Always has been flat, always will be...So it is with (many, not all) believers. To them it is obvious that god created the earth. What else could it be?

Not so many people have that questioning mind necessary to look a little deeper or spot the contradictions and seek a detailed explanation. Scientists do, but rational application of the scientific principle is difficult. Even scientists misinterpret their own data until somebody points out their errors.

So, for many people, the common sense that they apply is the belief they have always had. It fits with their knowledge and the knowledge of their group. They may not have the ability or mindset to examine evidence (in fact, many misinterpret evidence as proof, not realising the difference) and draw conclusions.

Am I generalising? Yes. Am I being patronising? Possibly. Does this explain everybody's wayward application of common sense? No. It is just my suggestion.

Finally, I have to disagree with you about Hogie's answer. It wasn't intelligent, it was dumb. Scientists do not claim that all matter came out of nowhere instantly. They suggest (theorise) that the universe began with a rapid expansion from a singularity. Matter took time to form as energy coalesced. It took time for the first stars to form and then for all the various elements to be cooked in generations of stars.

To put it as Hogie does is either ignorance of the theory, or wilful misrepresentation. Similarly his comments about the origin of life.

They may be common sense questions to him if he forms his view in the light of his belief, rather than the evidence and research, but sensible they are not.

Answer 8

good question, how long is a piece of string?

You see as individuals we a quite rational, but get us humans together in a group, and all 'common sense' goes out the window. Which is a bit of an oxymoron isn't it. Common sense is more about faith than it is about science.

Common, would denote that the sense - or what people in common would agree - their common natural understanding. Now it depends on what group of folks you want to take as your common sample?

This is where it gets subjective, because it is based on beliefs or propositions that in the your opinion they (your selection of the common folk) consider would in most people's experience be prudent and of sound judgment, without dependence upon esoteric knowledge or study or research.

Of course the whole of the Bible fits into this well, but this term is based upon what is believed to be knowledge held by people "in common", so: the knowledge and experience most people have, or are believed to have by the person using the term.

So the goal posts for religious folks are very different to that of say atheists. what changes is not the common sense of the group, you have two very different groups with different perceptions of common sense.

From my vantage point, I see one group (sic) does not have the ability to think outside the Biblical box, so it at a huge disadvantage to the other, but both have a version of common sense. However, the religious folks are at an advantage, because intuition, the force behind common sense requires pure gut instinct, without any research, so they are well practiced in applying gut instinct to situations.

However, Common sense is sometimes regarded as an impediment to abstract and even logical thinking. This is especially the case in mathematics and physics, where human intuition often conflicts with probably correct or experimentally verified results.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." Albert Einstein

Answer 9

Common sense is not a factor to the faithful, to reference one of the answers above me that clames that the big bang is unscientific the argument used is flawed.

Mearly because we do not yet know the answer as to how the universe evolved does not mean that 'All Mighty God' is the first cause.

This style of unsubstantiated or 'First Cause' argument is an example of the lack of common sense answer you find in religion and harkens back to a darker time. 'We don't know what caused it oh it must be God' was a common explanation for everything long ago and no longer viable in a scientific age.

As for the questions 'why?' that you ask, i cannot truly answer, as facts and logic are my god now.

Answer 10

Far too general. Faith is of course essential, but "faith follows the thing heard." (Romans 10:17).

After years of studying the Bible, I feel it is common sense to accept that it is clearly inspired. If someone has read parts of the Bible, or none of it, and made no attempt to understand it, I do not think it is common sense to ignore it.

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I disagree. I told you what I perceived as common sense - an honsest-hearted study of the Bible can only result in belief of a God, which in turn leads to faith in God - in answer to your question.

If you include Christianity under the umbrella of 'religion', then I think it makes sense to mention the Bible since Christianity bases it's teachings on the Bible.

I think it is sad that you equate a religious belief with a lack of common sense. This is a fairly typical opinion among atheists.

But it is also a popular opinion among atheists that the Bible contradicts itself when it does not. Then there are all the Bible prophecies that have come true. If you have read the Bible then that it is commendable, we have just come to different conclusions on it.