For me, a historical fiction that put norse and chriatianity on similar footing was the push that got me from “ugh this religious stuff is annoying” to “oh, it’s probably bullshit, too”. In hindsight, it’s pretty telling that christianity puts the most emphasis on having faith no matter what evidence or lack thereof is presented, to the point where that alone determines whether one is punished, ignored, or rewarded in a way that is completely unverifiable to anyone living.
I’ve been saying for years this is literal training for anti-intellectualism and ultimately fascism and hate. As soon as you can convince yourself to believe something just because someone said to without any evidence or even contrary evidence, you’re primed to start doing that in other areas of your life. Grifters and fascists will absolutely take advantage of people like that without a second thought, and they scream their propaganda all over Fox news. Religion is more than just some stupid bullshit people believe, it’s a threat to democracy and freedom.
For me, a historical fiction that put norse and chriatianity on similar footing was the push that got me from “ugh this religious stuff is annoying” to “oh, it’s probably bullshit, too”. In hindsight, it’s pretty telling that christianity puts the most emphasis on having faith no matter what evidence or lack thereof is presented, to the point where that alone determines whether one is punished, ignored, or rewarded in a way that is completely unverifiable to anyone living.
I’ve been saying for years this is literal training for anti-intellectualism and ultimately fascism and hate. As soon as you can convince yourself to believe something just because someone said to without any evidence or even contrary evidence, you’re primed to start doing that in other areas of your life. Grifters and fascists will absolutely take advantage of people like that without a second thought, and they scream their propaganda all over Fox news. Religion is more than just some stupid bullshit people believe, it’s a threat to democracy and freedom.
Absolutely.
Blind faith is an incredibly dangerous habit.
It’s crazy that we accept it as a normal human variation.