Do you believe; and why?

[Lucidus]

(05-08-2019, 05:05 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Yes.  They are definitely better off not knowing as long as there are no other bad consequences.

I am not talking about a type of ignorance that can lead to bad consequences.  Does it really hurt a person in this lifetime to believe that they are going to a better place when they die or that they will get to see again their loved ones they have lost?

Maybe it is easy for you because you live a relatively comfortable life.  But what if your daily existence was third world poverty where you work like a slave all day and still had to watch your children die for lack of food or medicine?  Would those people be better off believing that there was no reward in the hereafter?

You honestly believe a person is better off not knowing that their partner is cheating on them? The cheating person is violating a trust and being dishonest among other things. Even worse there could be very real consequences if the cheater contracts an STD and transmits it to the unknowing partner. I see no situation in which the person being cheated on would not be in a better position knowing the truth. Once they know the truth, then they have options other than "ignorance is bliss". Having one's eyes opened to the truth seems to me to be far more empowering and allows the person the opportunity to seek a more fruitful situation.

As to your last paragraph; I'm speaking to those in this forum who have access to information and can discuss the topic with knowledge of the arguments for and against believing. It is those types of people, in general, that I am most perplexed by; those who have had access to education, information and discussions such as this. Why they still choose to believe in what I find intriguing and enjoy discussing.

It's not at all hard to imagine why people in 3rd world countries who are uneducated, downtrodden and suffering daily would believe in almost anything to alleviate the pressures of their existence. In situations where hope in the face of desperation is all one has available to them, then yes my friend, it's understandable why they would cling to the notion of reward after the suffering ends.