No, really. What is he point of claiming that religious people have lower incidence of suicide? We already know that placebos are statistically efficacious. Such statistics are completely irelevant to the question of whether any particular religion has it right.
Ability to know what is true, is not always relevant to knowing or identifying what is the right kind of beliefs for a productive positive healthy life and society. Some beliefs, in respect of living and creating a positive life, are more practical to accept then others. If one cannot comprehend or principally know empirically whether or not God exists, then, principally, one cannot be held to the standard of empirical knowledge in respect of promoting or choosing which thing is best to believe about the ultimate reality of things. If the human need demands that one believe in God, then one is not being unreasonable in placing ones hope in some revealed truth that cannot be known through others means. Neither is one with out reason or experience. The world looks incredibly ordered and particular. It evidently achieves various ends that seem meaningful, reasonable, and appear purposeful. More importantly,
people, with
personal needs, exist. That we have
emotion and a sense of
wrong coupled with a sense of self, personal need and comprehension, one can only wonder what truly lies at the root of such a reality; and one ought not to be scorned as stupid if they come to realize that an impersonal physical cause does not ultimately or sufficiently make sense of, or identify with, our nature as personal beings, and as a result decides that God is the most reasonable conclusion based what we know of our selves and our experiences. The nature of the personal, is completely alien to the nature of the impersonal. They are complete opposites; and so, the idea that the impersonal is the cause of the personal, that more should
ultimately come from less, makes no sense.
The fact is, the metaphysical and theological concept of God does ultimately identify with us, fulfills us, gives us purpose and more importantly, makes the best sense in relation to our personal nature. And so, it is a baseless prejudice to complain that it is unreasonable to believe in God. Its the most natural thing in the world to believe in a higher power; and its up to each individual to admit to themselves that they need God in their lives, thats if they want their lives to be fulfilled and desire their existence to mean something. Or they can just resign themselves to the possible despair and the inevitable mortality of their being.
But then, what is the point of things, and what glory do we have in just being a thing? What rational reason do we have for believing that we are just things, rather then creations of a higher and personal reality filled with purpose, identity and personal fulfillment? I can think of some. Power, self glory, insecurity, social popularity and sex . In some cases, allot more these days, they have been brainwashed with the propaganda that belief in God and the following of any religion is what insane people do, or only stupid people believe it. And so people, sheep of a social hierarchy, fall in line. It seems to me that some people are shortsighted enough that they would be irrational enough to sacrifice hope. If life is just the fleeting meaningless pleasure hunt that naturalism reduces it to, then it is no wonder that people commit suicide. God represents hope for all people. How dare one attempt to ridicule, mock or take for granted a personal hope such as this? A person would not mock a sick person if they desired a cure, and believed that one was possible, and therefore lived there lives in conjunction with that belief. God is the ultimate cure for the insanity of a pointless existence. The question of God is something that people need to take more seriously, and need to be looking at in a more positive light, as it concerns their very being.
If you take your personal existence seriously, then it stands to reason that you would put your hope in God. Atheism makes no sense.
Thats all i have to say. Bye.
