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Isn't religion really just an opinion? (self.atheism)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by illectrility to c/[email protected]

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So, recently I was talking to a friend and somehow we got to talking about religion and stuff. When I complained that religion is often put on a huge pedestal and that it's really just a glorified opinion and should be subject to the same criticism as any other opinion, they told me that that was a really hot take.

According to them, belief and religion is more than just an opinion since it's such a big part of people's lives. I countered that opinions are also big parts of people's lives and personalities. I mean, a huge chunk of your personality is based on your opinions, right?

We agreed to disagree but I kept thinking about it. I don't get why religion shouldn't just be treated like any other opinion just because people tend to cling to it. I get that ~~it~~ people are emotionally invested but that's not just the case with religion but other opinions too. I would appreciate your thoughts to help me understand better, is it really a hot take?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I don't think opinions and beliefs are the same thing, beliefs just have a strong influence on our opinions. Beliefs are how you think the world works, opinions are which decisions you think are right or wrong.

But this doesn't mean that beliefs should be exempt from criticism.

[–] illectrility 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

This does make sense but my brain isn't satisfied. If you think the world works as suggested by science, that's your opinion, isn't it?

According to Cambridge, an opinion is a belief. Now, saying a belief is an opinion based on this would be a logical fallacy, right? So, are beliefs opinions?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

The fallacy you've got there is called "equivocation" and it's on you.

Belief, faith, opinion, all words have multiple meanings and context-dependent implications. My belief that the Phillies will have a good year might be based on their off-season moves, or it could just be an ardent hope. It's not at all the same as the belief that a suicide bomber has that his sacrifice will earn him eternal reward and strike a significant blow against the great Satan.

Belief can be an opinion, implying that it is based on experience and potentially flexible. Belief can be faith, implying it is based on hope and is inflexible. It is not a contradiction for both to exist at the same time, and it's disingenuous to dismiss a person's faith as an opinion by the transitive property of the word "belief." That's not how language works.

[–] illectrility 1 points 8 months ago

I know that the fallacy would be on me. Who else would it be on? Besides, I specifically didn't conclude that belief is an opinion based on an opinion being a belief according to the definiton.

It surely can seem to be dismissive when I tell someone that their belief isn't as valuable as they think it is. The sad reality is, beliefs are practically immune to criticism and scrutiny since it is universally frowned upon to criticize someone's beliefs. I think that's stupid. Why would religious beliefs deserve this kind of immunity when there is a whole bunch to rightfully critizice? I want to find a nice way of phrasing that a belief really should be criticized, just like opinions. The closest I've come by reading these comments is delusion.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Even things you are certain to be true can turn out to be false. Does that make all knowledge opinion?

There's a reason it's seen as cowardly to say "Well that's just my opinion" when one says something generally disturbing. Opinions are meant to be flexible and malleable. Values and beliefs, less so.

So for one example, let's say "women belong in the home and shouldn't be working or voting." If you believe that, you think that's how society would function better, the family unit, etc... by strictly limiting what others are able or meant to achieve in life.

Thats why that strawman 'opinion' would get pushback. It isn't a passing thought. It's more than that and has become a belief or a value, something that is harder to challenge.

I gotta say that this was actually a fantastic question. I enjoyed thinking this out.

[–] illectrility 1 points 8 months ago

I don't think it's cowardly to say that something is your opinion. It's just unnecessary, of course it's your opinion.

Everything you know and think is your brain processing information it gathered. You see everything through a kind of opinion filter. That's also what makes it practically impossible to not fall victim to logical fallacies and cognitive biases. Our brains are built to interpret the world, form opinions and whatnot, not to be fact-machines.

So yeah, what you know is an opinion based on info you gathered