godlikemadman
God Among Men
Speaking from my own personal experience, the dogmatic religions of the West, namely Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, are all very much closed-environment religions: they exist apart from the rest of humanity, the only group claiming to be saved, with the only correct book and the only correct beliefs about God. Everyone else is either damned to hell or nonexistence, regardless of their righteous actions or traits. Each religions has set rituals one must complete on a regular basis in order to stack up enough kudos with God to achieve Paradise. Each believes they are the chosen people, those God has rightly guided to attain salvation and paradise in the next life.
That's all fine and dandy. I've got no problem with these beliefs. My problem arises when people of these beliefs look at everything in the world through that belief system's lens. In effect, everything is tainted by that lens. Depending on what what has been taught to the individual, reality MUST align with the beliefs, and not vice versa. Everything this person sees, in effect, is corrupted with confirmation bias, a psychological term used to describe people who accept only facts which align with their beliefs, and all other facts are null and void, or blasphemous, or heretical, or flawed in some way. Everything good that happens is a result of God's grace on them, and everything bad is simply God testing them. It's circular logic. Of course, not all theists are like this, and not all Abrahamic believers are like this either. But for what seems to be a majority, thinking outside the box of religion is looked down upon and even demonized. Either facts seem to fit the puzzle and are joyfully accepted, or they are unexplainable by religion and are therefore "mysteries" or hoaxes of some sort.
At least, this is what I have perceived.
That's all fine and dandy. I've got no problem with these beliefs. My problem arises when people of these beliefs look at everything in the world through that belief system's lens. In effect, everything is tainted by that lens. Depending on what what has been taught to the individual, reality MUST align with the beliefs, and not vice versa. Everything this person sees, in effect, is corrupted with confirmation bias, a psychological term used to describe people who accept only facts which align with their beliefs, and all other facts are null and void, or blasphemous, or heretical, or flawed in some way. Everything good that happens is a result of God's grace on them, and everything bad is simply God testing them. It's circular logic. Of course, not all theists are like this, and not all Abrahamic believers are like this either. But for what seems to be a majority, thinking outside the box of religion is looked down upon and even demonized. Either facts seem to fit the puzzle and are joyfully accepted, or they are unexplainable by religion and are therefore "mysteries" or hoaxes of some sort.
At least, this is what I have perceived.