If Religion is the Opiate of the Masses, I Just Got High

[cbayer]

http://www.policymic.com/articles/27134/if-religion-is-the-opiate-of-the-masses-i-just-got-high


Mike Cooperin Culture,Religion 21 hours ago



Yesterday I darted out of work to attend the funeral of a 17-year-old girl. She died Sunday morning of liver cancer, which had pretty much taken over her young body and killed her within 6 months of being diagnosed. They buried her just down the road from my house. I'm not absolutely sure her family can afford a stone for her.

It's been sort of a bad week. For Brit, it was a bad six months. For her family, including her 14-year-old sister (my daughter's best friend) the bad continues.

The preacher at the funeral spoke about the importance of God and prayer in getting through this. As he spoke, I couldn't help noticing the comforting effect of the preacher's words. They didn't need to be historically accurate or scientifically "proven" to work their magic.

I doubt that a single person in that chapel doubted for even an instant that every word that preacher said was literal fact. That Jesus himself had personally welcomed Brit into heaven and shown her to a private room in God's house, an actual house somewhere in the heavens ... Except me. I believe in prayer and God, but I was having a little trouble accepting all of this at face value. This wasn't the first person I'd seen laid to rest, just the youngest. I'm not quite sure about reuniting in Heaven and all that.

more at link

[dballance]

1. I Find the Article at the Link to be a Further Example...

of what is wrong with religion and with the people who say it's okay to just let people be comforted by the fables and myths of religion.

Notice how the author appeals to the supernatural:

The preacher at the funeral spoke about the importance of God and prayer in getting through this. As he spoke, I couldn't help noticing the comforting effect of the preacher's words. They didn't need to be historically accurate or scientifically "proven" to work their magic.

Why don't the preacher's words need to be historically accurate or scientifically "proven?" If they are neither, then isn't it just a case of one human lying to another human to make them feel better - magic smoke and mirrors? Much the same way people lie every day with those little lies like "no, you're not interrupting me, come on in..." when, clearly, you are interrupting. Or, "no, you look just fine." When you actually look like something a cat drug out of the trash bin. So it is apparently okay for the clergy to lie to people so they can "get through" certain times. Might it not be better to face things head on rather than delaying the facing of reality?

He admits:
I doubt that a single person in that chapel doubted for even an instant that every word that preacher said was literal fact. That Jesus himself had personally welcomed Brit into heaven and shown her to a private room in God's house, an actual house somewhere in the heavens ... Except me. I believe in prayer and God, but I was having a little trouble accepting all of this at face value.

I'm glad the author is so much more enlightened than his fellow attendees at the service. Of course, it's somewhat rude and perhaps narcissistic of him to believe he's the only one there who might not accept everything the preacher says at face value. However, he believes in prayer and God. Though he does have his limits. He's happy to believe in prayer, a practice that has never been proven to work by any objective standard. He's also happy to believe in an omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving magic man in the sky who watches over all the universe and is intimately interested in every single person on earth, their faith, and their behaviors. Of course the magic sky-man is not interested enough to prevent hunger, famine, pestilence, disease, murder, war, etc. I could go on, but you get the idea.

But, when it comes to believing the magic sky-man's "only begotten son" actually might have greeted the deceased and welcomed her into heaven and helped her to her place in the magic sky-man's house where she was promised she would find eternal joy and happiness he balks at the validity of that.

Just what exactly are the author's core beliefs and stance that so easily allow him to accept one set of myths but not another? A "true believer" might suggest his faith isn't strong enough if he can't accept both.

Got high on religion did he? Guess he forgot that with every "high" there is the eventual coming down from the high and possibly an associated hangover or withdrawal from whatever drug one uses. Whether that drug is alcohol, opiates, amphetamines, street drugs like cocaine or meth or the widely used and abused drug known as religion there is always a price to pay for the temporary high. The author's positioning of the preacher as a drug dealer, whether intentional or not, seems an apt analogy to the same sort of function as a street dealer of drugs. Just another huckster providing a product that for a few minutes or few hours allows one escape from real life and its troubles (or joys too) in exchange for selling one's soul.

[cbayer]

2. You are conflating that which can't be proven with a lie.

If I say I love you, neither of us can prove nor disprove it. But that doesn't make it a lie. You can choose to believe it or have faith that it is true, but you can't tell me it's a lie.

Since you do not know what reality is in this case, you can't claim that people are denying it.

Prayer is not always about "working". Sometimes it is about reflection or listening for guidance.

Although he says he believes in god, he does not describe the god he believes in. Your description of that god is an assumption and reflects only your POV, not that of his.

Not all "highs" result in hangovers or lows. Some people experience sex or food or climbing a mountain as highs. Some drugs have virtually no hangover or associated lows.

Overall, your arguments are full of your own fables and myths.

[trotsky]

5. Well, you can't prove god DOESN'T hate gay people....

So I guess we have to allow for the fact that Fred Phelps and his crew could be right.

You can choose to believe or have faith that god loves gays, but you can't tell me it's a lie.

Since you do not know what reality is in this case, you can't claim people are denying it.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. at least the author admits to believing in banal nonsense.

And does so in order to escape the harsh realities of a 17 year old girl killed by cancer. I went to the funeral of a SIDs victim, at least the Franciscan monk who spoke said straight out that this tiny child was not taken by god to a better place, that it is not "gods plan" that the innocent die for no good reason. Unexpected but there it was.

[cbayer]

4. I don't think he escaped the harsh reality at all.

If anything, I think the comfort supplied by his beliefs and the minister helped him accept the harsh reality of it all.

It may not help everyone, but what is the harm for those that it does comfort?

[trotsky]

7. What's the harm?

I'm sure it comforts Fred Phelps a lot to know that he's fighting what he believes is very offensive to god, so therefore by your logic it's just fine.

[Warren Stupidity]

8. Sure he did, and he admits as much in the title.

The author just needed to escape into what the author admits is nonsense. The whole point of the article is that the opiate offered by religion is a comfort to us in times of grief.

[skepticscott]

9. The point and the harm

are that people do really fucking stupid things under the influence of that same opiate. People who are convinced that it's a magic pill for everything are the ones who pray for their child to be cured of a serious infection rather than taking them to a doctor.

[Meshuga]

20. However, that is a non sequitur

It is true (and I agree with you) that people do really harmful and stupid things in the name of religion. Especially the ones that refuse treatment in favor of prayer as you pointed out.

However, the article does not make a case for a way of coping that is a magic pill for everything. The author is merely pointing out that this way of coping is a prescription for people sharing that world view and that it might be useful to him even when he obviously has trouble with the idea.

[skepticscott]

21. The point is that believing in things

that are not true has real and sometimes damaging consequences, and that you can't just separate the thinking that allows what the author apparently considers to be harmless, or even helpful delusions, from the dangerous kind.

[cbayer]

10. Opiates are legitimately used for pain relief as well.

Nothing wrong with that, is there?

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Yes they are used to escape the reality of severe pain.

I don't think he escaped the harsh reality at all.

So now you agree with me. Good, we are making some progress.

[cbayer]

17. Lol, you mean I could get all edumacated and stuff if I hang out with you?

[Warren Stupidity]

18. No I mean you start out arguing "a" and then end up arguing "not a" and you do so

Without even the slightest acknowledgement of what ought to be rather embarrassing to you. But carry on.

[cbayer]

19. Oh, yes I am horribly embarrassed. Thank god it's only you!

[dballance]

6. The Franciscans Have a History and Reputation of Being Willing to Not Always

toe blindly to all the Catholic Church dogma. I would suggest this willingness to speak frankly, as the monk you mention did, has kept a lot of people in the Catholic Church because they feel they're getting more realistic messages with which they can identify and see as part of what they experience in their day-to-day lives. I commend the Franciscans and their work.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. Not unexpected: I heard the same type of thing at the funeral of a 23-year-old

in an Episcopal church just a couple of years ago.

[Meshuga]

15. I didn't see the author as appealing "to the supernatural"

The author is merely saying that he personally sees a use for religion in seeking comfort from the reality of death and suffering. And that (to a group that shares a similar world view and set of beliefs) it is okay to stay within that world view to seek meaning and comfort in these situations. In addition, the author points out that he has difficulties with certain beliefs but sees usefulness in the "opiate of religion" (for him personally) when it comes to grieving and facing these situations. People choose to grieve as they see fit. If the author states that he "believes in God and prayer" we don't know much of what that means in this article since it is besides the point.

The author has to assume that the preacher literally believes in what he is preaching otherwise the preacher would be in the wrong place and being dishonest. And assuming that the preacher literally believes in what he himself is preaching, what the preacher prescribes in this situation is the appropriate prescriptions for the people who follow his world view.

For example, if I were to go to the funeral for this 17-year-old, it would be wrong and out of line for me (in my personal opinion) to be honest about my own views on what happens after death since it goes totally against the grieving family's world view. In other words, honesty is not always a virtue in my opinion. Expressing how ugly someone truly is or looks or making someone feel bad because he/she interrupted me with the "I am making you feel bad for the sake of honesty" justification are not virtues in my personal opinion. I see honesty in this case as justification to hurt other people and I see that as harmful.

And I don't think the author was trying to say he was more enlightened than the people attending the funeral and I can see he was just assuming that everyone attending the funeral believed literally in what the preacher was prescribing since he said that he doubts "that a single person in that chapel doubted for even an instant that every word that preacher said was literal fact." But again, he is stating this in support to his main point (that the opiate is perhaps the best prescription for people holding this world view and that the opiate may be useful to himself for self help) and not that he was more enlightened and (even less) that he was trying to be rude by seeing these people as inferior in any way.

[2ndAmForComputers]

13. ...

[edhopper]

14. Fake psychics make people

feel better all the time by telling people they are talking to their dead loved ones.
What's the harm of scamming money from people if it makes them feel better? Right?

[cbayer]

16. What does this have to do with money. It was a funeral?

[Ligyron]

22. This reminds me of a story

wherein a woman took out an ad in a local newspaper offering to help the hopelessly unemployed and people who had lost their jobs find work. She was an expert at this she said, and only charged a reasonable fee to cover expenses.

All the people had to do was travel to her residence, which was quite a ways off and rather inconvenient to get to, and then spend 8 to 10 hours filling out a questionnaire and preparing a resume for their prospective employers.

One this was accomplished, and the people left filled with hope anew, the woman would throw the all the paperwork into the garbage. When confronted about this -- she justified her behavior by saying that although she couldn't really help anyone find employment, at least she made them feel better about their situation.

In what world would this woman be considered anything but evil?

Oh wait, I know ....

[cbayer]

23. Is this a true story? And how does it apply to the article?

[cleanhippie]

24. How obtuse can you really be?

The connection is simple. Too bad admitting you see it undermines your entire premise.