• deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    39
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    2 days ago

    That’s the whole schtick with faith: it’s belief without evidence, by definition.

    Anyone prepared to have faith in anything is ripe for exploitation, by anyone.

    Churchies self-select for exploitation.

    • Dragonstaff@leminal.space
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      23 hours ago

      You know 45% of Christians vote for Democrats, right? I think that was last election, I haven’t checked the recent one, but it’s a large fraction.

      I know Christians have done a lot of damage, and the evil ones are incredibly loud. It’s still weird how some atheists think that only blithering idiots exist in religions.

      • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        23 hours ago

        … And the other 55%? The majority?

        And you’re taking a national ratio which is meaningless with a system like the electoral college.

        It’s still weird how some atheists think that only blithering idiots exist in religions.

        Look! We found one!

      • Fushuan [he/him]@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        18 hours ago

        Why would it be weird that some people from any group have a stupid idea? The average human is pretty stupid.

    • Dragon Rider (drag)@lemmy.nz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      22
      ·
      2 days ago

      Belief without evidence is a powerful tool when used correctly.

      When drag first met drag’s dragon several years ago, it suffered from crippling depression. Couldn’t work a job, couldn’t clean its house. Couldn’t even maintain most of its friendships because it had no motivation to do anything. All the evidence it had available said that things would keep on getting worse until it killed itself. It didn’t have any good reason to believe it could ever be healthy.

      Drag told it, fuck the evidence. Every day we spend hours together. We read books, watch movies, play games, and discuss politics, philosophy, and the arts. Drag tries to push it a little further than it’s comfortable with each day. Drag tells it not to give in to despair, no matter how likely its fears seem.

      Belief without evidence saved its life.

      • AlexanderTheDead@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        24 hours ago

        Well, the problem with this line of thinking is that we do have empirical evidence that depressed people DO get better by making a huge effort to get better.

        Drag had anecdotal evidence, which is incredibly weak evidence.

        Drag may have had baseless belief in something and it worked out, but my point is, the evidence WAS available to support that point.

        • Dragon Rider (drag)@lemmy.nz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          20 hours ago

          Yes, it was, but evidence doesn’t work on most people with severe depression. The disease impairs the part of your brain that processes good news. Drag understood the evidence, but drag’s dragon couldn’t, because it was sick. That’s what depression is.

          • AlexanderTheDead@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            14 hours ago

            Drag doesn’t have to explain depression to me.

            If Drag understood the evidence, then it sounds like the conclusion Drag should come to is not to baselessly believe in things without evidence, but rather to make a better use of context to rid dragself of blindness caused by anecdotal evidence.

              • AlexanderTheDead@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 hour ago

                No? I’m depressed, too.

                Let me do the same stupid shit drag just did.

                Is that your advice to depressed people who think life is hopeless? Belief in things without having real evidence?

                My point is that drag came to the wrong conclusion.

      • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 day ago

        I gotta ask if changing all the pronouns to 3rd person requires mental effort for you? Cause I would play hell trying to do all that.

        I’m not trying to insult you either I’m just genuinely curious. Also do you prefer others referring to you only by name or is using the 2nd person “you” acceptable?

      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 day ago

        Republicans spent the most money, and performed the best on, anti-trans ads targeted at white, college-educated mothers (“Kamala is with the they/thems”). Kinda says it all really.