Jon Loftus Show

Just Arrived Joined: Oct 31, 2008 Posts: 1

In response to some of the condescending "discussion" towards the end of the show: How is the "psychological boost" which Christians receive from hearing something which confirms their predispositions any different than the boost an atheist might obtain by seeking out purely materialistic evidentiary facts (and "confirming" said facts with others)? I find it peculiar that as one patters to one another over a Christian who seeks "quick fixes" in order to bolster his psychological disposition, he is in fact partaking in the same ritualistic tendency - that is, strengthening his preconceived notions by finding others who share his world view. Is it really that hard to see the underlying, unifying characteristic of said activity?

Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:07 pm

yippee wrote:

How is the "psychological boost" which Christians receive from hearing something which confirms their predispositions any different than the boost an atheist might obtain by seeking out purely materialistic evidentiary facts (and "confirming" said facts with others)?

As a materialist/naturalist, the material exists as fact and needn't be used to gain "psychological boosts". While I may gain some boosts/vindications from understanding how nature operates (especially when said knowledge disproves superstition), it doesn't change the fact that my worldview is self-evident; the material/natural exists.

Conversely, a supernatural worldview is not self-evident and is constantly in need of emotionally driven boosts to maintain its nebulous, culturally-driven, non-self-reinforcing state. As far as I can tell it only resides in the shadowy world of the human imagination; a conceptual mechanism that clouds our natural reality.


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