Dear Phanto,

«It is just too good to choose to end it without any guarantee that there is any better future.»

What you call "good" is an irrational, emotional judgement.

«Staying alive is the most reasonable thing of all to do.»

It is not due to reason, but due to instinct. Animals too do what they can to stay alive, but reasonable people do not attribute them with reason.

«Not everyone feels good all of the time»

In fact, the best we can hope for is to feel good half of the time.

«but they know if they do not feel good then there must be a reason and they search for the reason until they find it and feel good again.»

This search was in fact carried out thousands of years ago and the conclusive result is that we do not feel good because we have expectations that are not met. Trying to make things match our expectations can at best produce temporary results, but then we quickly get used to having things come out the way we want them, so once things no longer come our way, we suffer even more.

«They rely on reason to solve their problem of feeling bad.»

Reason tells us that the problem is within us, so in order to stop feeling bad we should eliminate our expectations - yet very few follow its advice.

«One of the most prominent methods is to resort to religion where you create in your imagination an alternate reality that numbs the bad feelings you have in the present reality.»

What's wrong with imagination? Anything that works to reduce one's dependency, hence expectations of the world (and the bad feelings that follow), is both welcome and reasonable.

We, religious people, take refuge in God: our refuge is unshakeable. The alternative is to take refuge in the things of the world, which at best can support you only temporarily: this doesn't stand up to reason!

[continued...]

[...continued]

«The sad part is that you never actually solve the problems of feeling bad»

The sad part is that you are impatient. How can one expect to break and overcome their lifetime(s) of worldly habits so quickly and easily? Nothing, including religion, offers such a quick fix - it takes time and conscious effort to break those habits. Islam calls this struggle 'Jihad', but the enemy is your own bad habits and addictions - not other people.

«What you and the author of this article are appealing for is to be left unfettered in your quest for your drug.»

Myself, perhaps, I am happy with my medicine, but the author? I think that she is still very interested in social matters and for now at least, may not be content to just be left alone.

«Anything that threatens that drug must be challenged and that is why Islam is so aggressive.»

SOME Islamic groups are aggressive - but those Arab tribes in question were at least as aggressive even before accepting [their version of] Islam.

«the western world rightly prioritises reason to solve human problems.»

But it doesn't! It may claim to, it may place reason on pedestals and worship it in its halls of academy, but in practice reason is used only when it conveniently fits one's emotions, habits and addictions.

I think that Graham might have gone a little over the top with his “vicious”.

There is nothing more vicious than Islam, and taqiyya is real. This lady might very well be as reasonable and pleasant as she seems. I hope she is. But, she could very well be practising taqiyya, and really pulling the wool over our eyes. I believe that I was very conciliatory to her, and hope that she is all she claims to be. However, we must not lose sight of the truth about Islam.

Yuyutsu:

"Myself, perhaps, I am happy with my medicine"

But that wasn't one of the questions. Why do you need to tell us that? Are you trying to convince yourself.

In fact your whole post seems like a rationalisation of your own misery. Not everyone feels like you but you seem to want them to. Why can't you just accept that there are people in the world who are happy? Why should that be such a threat to you or to any religious person?

If you want to be miserable then there is not a lot others can do but your miserableness drags society down and we all have to do so much more because of your refusal to be happy.

All of religion does that. There is not one redeemable quality about any of it.

Banjo Patterson

you ask

I have been wondering, for many years now, what you mean by “secularism”, which you so often decry on this forum. Would you be so kind as to let me have your definition please ?

Secularism essentially says that man does not need God. It teaches their is no objective truth or absolutes.

you write
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines it as follows :

[ The principle of separation of the state from religious institutions. ‘ he believes that secularism means no discrimination against anybody in the name of religion’]

it is a total nonsense to speak of not discriminating against people in the name of religion. The Christian hating abc does it daily. It also begs the question as to who says discrimation is a bad thing anyway. YOu are not suggesting that we have a moral conscience are you. If so where did it come from.

you write

Perhaps you could explain exactly what it is that you find so abhorrent about “not discriminating against anybody in the name of religion”. I obviously can’t imagine that you think that religious people, such as yourself, should be discriminated against.

I take it would would be happy to have someone from ISIS in charge of our airport. Of course supporters of this religous cult should be discrimated against. The US secular courts had no problem discriminating against a baker who refuses to bake a cake for 'gay' wedding. Discriminating can be a very positive thing especially when used against idiotic ideologies of which secularist are by no means exempt.

Continued for runner after an 18hr wait:

The first three Laws of the 10 Commandments are Religious Law.

1.a. You shall worship no God but me.

But he didn't say which God. So how does anyone know which God is the right God. Humans have given God many different names according to their own Customs & Language. It’s Impossible to know which humans have the right God. They all claim to have exclusive rights to the right one.

b. Do not make images of God in the likeness of anything on earth That's fair enough seeing that no one knows exactly who God is or what God looks like how could you make an image.

c. Don't bow down or worship to any images that you think is what God looks like or "I'll" punish you.

So the order here is not to bow down to any one or thing because we don't know what God looks like. We know God is not human or a thing.

Notice God says that God will do the punishing, not humans.

2. Don't use Gods name for evil purposes. God doesn't tolerate the misuse of his name to do evil. "I" will punish anyone who does this.

Now that's straight forward, not like the first Commandment.

Notice here that God says that God will mete out the punishment, not human.

3.Keep holy the Sabbath Day. You have six days to work & one day off to reflect on God.

God knows that, "All work & no play makes Jack a dull boy." So God gives everybody a day off to enjoy everything that God gave us in whichever way we like.

Notice God doesn't mention any punishment here. It's a sort of forceful recommendation.

The next seven are Secular Laws to be enforced by the Secular Authorities.

Runner: babies slaughtered in their mother's womb.

See runner, you are getting Religious Law & Secular Law mixed up. Abortion is Secular Law. Religion should keep out of it.