With respect karol, you are not following me.Quote from karol88:
stu, thanks for that one kind sentence, but regarding the topic, either I'm not following you, or you're missing the point.
It's your right to call me delusional because of my belief...but I don't think you should call my observation of that happy couple (from my example) delusional. Just because one can live a happy, successful and meaningful life with the help of God, doesn't mean they are delusional, and neither is my observation. Delusional is to think one is smart, successful if they are not. If others see them as smart and successful, and Christian...then how is that delusional? It's not how they describe themselves, it's how others see them. My observation would be only delusional if they came forward and said their life is good only because of xyz and not because of God (and that's not what they say).
If I see a very successful trader, I'm curious what his personality is like as well as his beliefs...if the pattern repeats itself over and over again (like being humble and disciplined for example) then there must be something in it.
Let's say there are 4 physics professors, 2 of them suffer from depression, no family, very hard to deal with, the other two believe in God, little depression, people love them...what does it tell me? it tells me that since we all have problems, it seems to me that people with beliefs can deal with the daily problems much better than people without beliefs...that's my observation, some things add up....but I'm sure I will learn much more along the way, I'm still fairly young.
The people you mention who try to force their beliefs...most of the time it's wrong...but that's another topic
You are incorrect in saying I call your observations of the happy couple delusional. Perhaps you might go back and notice I never did that.
Quite the opposite. Your observation is about those people who are existing in fact. Evidence of a happy couple actual and occurring in reality. In that way your observation cannot be described as illusionary nor delusional.
If they say to you their lives are fulfilled because of God, and therefore you notice that is the reason for their happiness then fine. I would not argue with that . There will be no cause to say they are delusional about their fulfilment and happiness or whatever, so long as what makes them happy harms no one.
Observing people is one thing. To then look for a reason why people are happy, why they cope under duress and for them and you or I to simply attribute it all to something a world of difference away from the reality of those first observations is I suggest, completely insufficient.
The reason for all this well being is something not evidenced nor occurring in fact . The people are . The happiness and wellbeing is. The attribution to the reason is. But a crucial ingredient in all this, the reason itself , is not evidenced as your observations are.
Worse, it is a reason made valid only on an assumption of something that would generally be considered psychosis outside of being made politically correct by the word religion.
The reason of itself is the delusion.
If God is not delusional then you might as well get rid of the word. Nothing is more delusional than a Giant Mystical Elf in the form of an Invisible Friend making some people feel happy content and fulfilled..
