Guilt at Removing Faith

If I had a chance to completely demolish someone’s faith, would I take it? I think religious belief is wrong. But would I change someone if I had the chance? I don’t know. Would you? Watch this video for more thoughts on this topic, and please leave your feedback.

Why do I feel a slight pang of guilt when considering potentially removing someone’s faith?

Somehow, for me, there is a slightly emotional response when I think of destroying someone’s faith.

Sometimes I think that people of faith have a need for that perceived comfort, and if their religion isn’t causing too much conflict within them, then I wonder if they aren’t better off with the level of comfort that they feel they receive.

I am talking about my own, and maybe others’, inner feeling of doubt – about the value of stripping someone of their religious beliefs.

I think maybe I doubt my own ability to know enough about a religious person’s perspective to fully understand what function the religion is serving in their life.

Since I am an agnostic atheist, and have never believed in any god or supernatural being my entire life… I fully realize that I don’t have the same outlook, background, or emotional needs that believers clearly do.

Believing in religion makes NO more sense to me than believing in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy… it’s a made up story completely fabricated.

I feel a person’s religious belief is in error, but the origin of their belief is emotionally stronger than any reason I can give them that they are mistaken.

I do feel that it is my duty to clearly represent my own position on religious questions if asked – but not my place to pass judgement on whether someone else would be better off without their belief.

It is my opinion that religious belief is created by a variety of factors.

Brainwashing, an emotional need for certainty, and anxiety about death and the unknown are among the primary causes of religious belief, from what I can gather.

Beyond the brainwashing aspect of belief, it seems that some emotional and societal needs ARE met by belief, and I don’t know if I can judge whether a person should have that crutch or not…

In fact, I don’t know if I want that RESPONSIBILITY of changing someone’s belief. So I ask myself:

If I had a chance to completely demolish someone’s faith, would I take it?

If I somehow had a circumstance where I would be speaking with or interacting with a person of faith and knew with certainty that I could get them to personally realize that their faith was wrong… would I do it?

Would I make the effort, and take the time to help to convince them they were wrong?

I think religious belief is wrong.

But would I change someone if I had the chance? I don’t know.

Would you?

I hope these questions have raised a few thoughts for atheists… and that you will join in the discussion.

Thanks for listening, and feel free to leave your comments or opinions on this topic.

Please share this video and pass it on, and come back and watch my other videos sometime.

Till next time, this is Alex Aldrin, the Thinker.

Keep thinking and learning, and stay out of trouble!

Guilt at Removing Faith