Does skepticism help with religion or does it not?
A skeptic is a person who needs clear, observable, undoubtable evidence- based on experience- before accepting any knowledge claim as true. Skepticism from the Greek spkeptestahi, "to consider or examine" is normally having any questioning attitude toward unempirical knowledge or beliefs/opinions stated as facts (Chapter 10 Introduction).
All religions are grounded on faith. Skepticism is having a questioning attitude towards any belief or opinion stated as facts. I was baptized in the Mormon church at the age of 8. At that age I didn't really have a say in what religion I wanted to be in, my parents just thought it was a good idea for themselves so they thought it was a good idea for myself as well. Growing up I didn't let my parents know I was doubting the church, because doubting the church just results in church leaders telling you to pray more, read the scriptures more and having your parents worry that you don't believe in the church. But with praying and scripture study, you can't find the facts of that religion. It wasn't until I was 18 years old when I told my parents I doubted the religion through out my whole life. It wasn't until then that I figured out that it's okay to doubt or question everything. That's what you're supposed to in order to know the truth of things for yourself.
I also experience this with my parents that have been believing in this church for 13 years and not doubting it once or questioning it. I'm sure there are other people like this that have believed in a church that they think is true but have not found the facts of why it is true.
I think skepticism does help religion because it allows the person to question their beliefs and the facts of that religion. Most kids that are baptized into a religion at a young age is not right because it prevents that child to ask questions of that religion before. Even adults, skepticism can really help with religion because before focusing your entire life on something that might or might not be true, they can get the facts down first and see what is true and what is not and making that life long decision.
Why do I think skepticism helps religion?
Because skepticism allows you to question anything and everything, so with religion it is really helpful to know about what is true and what is not, and getting your own knowledge or belief from questioning. Growing up I was never told to question anything and everything. I was just told to believe in a religion I was baptized in when I was 8 years old and if I did question or doubt it was meant as a "weakness". Skepticism helps you know your own knowledge claim of things like religion. Questioning throughout your life is what shapes who you are, what you know and what you believe.
Word count: 500
Dibs
ReplyDeleteTotal number of words in the post: 500 words
ReplyDeleteSpelling errors: The only spelling errors I found were that through out in the second paragraph should be one word as well as life long in the fourth paragraph.
Grammatical errors: The third paragraph should begin “I also experienced this with my parents who have believed in this church for thirteen years and never doubted it or questioned it once”. This sentence “Most kids that are baptized into a religion at a young age is not right because it prevents that child to ask questions of that religion before” reads incorrectly. A better way to state this would have been “The baptism of young children is not right because it prevents the child from being able to question the religion they are being baptized into”. This sentence “ Even adults, skepticism can really help with religion because before focusing your entire life on something that might or might not be true, they can get the facts down first and see what is true and what is not and making that life long decision” is a run on sentence and reads funny. Again, another sentence that just reads incorrectly “Because skepticism allows you to question anything and everything, so with religion it is really helpful to know about what is true and what is not, and getting your own knowledge or belief from questioning”.
Lack of clarity: While the overall post was understandable, the grammatical errors made reading the blog post with a good flow difficult. The sentences mentioned above all needed to be read more than once in order to understand the point the author was trying to get across.
ReplyDeleteOrganization of ideas: I feel like the author had a good organization of ideas.
Did the author answer their question? I feel that the author answered the question.
Did the author provide a concrete example that clearly illustrates their main point? Yes. How does the author’s concrete example illustrate or not illustrate their main point? The author told the audience of an experience in which skepticism helped the author to make a choice in regards to religious beliefs.
Do you agree or disagree with the author’s answer and why? I do agree with the author.
What is a concrete example that clearly illustrates why you agree or disagree with the author? I agree with the author that one cannot just blindly follow a religion without understanding what the religion is all about. Skepticism allows you the mindset to question ideas within the religion to get a better understanding of what you are choosing to believe in before you choose to do so. For example, a person who has never been exposed to any type of religion would benefit from being skeptical when trying to decide which religion, if any, is right for them.
What is your explanation of how your concrete example clearly illustrates your reason for why you agree or disagree with the author? My example shows that I agree with the author because it shows that I also feel that a person should be allowed to question and be skeptical about religion before choosing which religion they wish to participate in.
Yes I do agree with the spelling errors and grammatical errors, I did this post in a rush so I didn't really go back and polish it, I'll make sure to do that in the future. I like that you agree with my answer and also the example you gave to support your agreement. Thank you for giving me good and helpful feedback.
DeleteDoes skepticism help with religion or does it not?
ReplyDeleteA skeptic is a person who needs clear, observable, undoubtable evidence- based on experience- before accepting any knowledge claim as true. Skepticism from the Greek spkeptestahi, "to consider or examine" is normally having any questioning attitude toward unempirical knowledge or beliefs/opinions stated as facts (Chapter 10 Introduction).
All religions are grounded on faith. Skepticism is having a questioning attitude towards any belief or opinion stated as facts. <--[I'm not sure why these passages are placed here, specifically.]
I was baptized in the Mormon church at the age of 8. At that age I didn't really have a say in what religion I wanted to be in, my parents just thought it was a good idea for themselves so they thought it was a good idea for myself as well. Growing up I didn't let my parents know I was doubting the church, because doubting the church just results in church leaders telling you to pray more, read the scriptures more and having your parents worry that you don't believe in the church. But with praying and scripture study, you can't find the facts of that religion. It wasn't until I was 18 years old when I told my parents I doubted the religion through out my whole life. It wasn't until then that I figured out that it's okay to doubt or question everything. That's what you're supposed to [do] in order to know the truth [about] things for yourself.
I also experience[d] this with my parents[, who] have been believing in this church for 13 years and not doubting it once or questioning it. I'm sure there are other people like this that have believed in a church that they think is true but have not found the facts of why it is true.
I think skepticism does help religion because it allows the person to question their beliefs and the facts of that religion. Most kids that are baptized into a religion at a young age is not right because it prevents that child to ask questions of that religion before. Even [for] adults, skepticism can really help with religion because before focusing your entire life on something that might or might not be true, they can get the facts down first and see what is true and what is not and making that life long decision.
[I agree a healthy does of skepticism regarding many aspects of our lives, including the spiritual aspects, is a good thing; but I'm wondering if you are being very fair to your parents. Perhaps, they do have reasons and some facts that they have not told you about for why they are religious. Maybe their reasons are very personal and difficult to convey to their child, or maybe they don't think you would understand because you have yet to experience various aspects of what life has to offer, or maybe they want you to ultimately decide for yourself?]
Why do I think skepticism helps religion?
ReplyDeleteBecause skepticism allows you to question anything and everything, so with religion it is really helpful to know about what is true and what is not, and getting your own knowledge or belief from questioning. Growing up I was never told to question anything and everything. <--[Perhaps, another thing your parents wanted to leave for you to figure out on your own? Who knows, maybe they figured that you would start asking when the time is right. Although you might not think so, parents and those who have experienced a lot more of life than your actually do know a lot of things. Just like those who have experienced a lot more than I have do know a lot more than I do about various aspects of life. They are human, we're human, and as human beings we have a pretty typical pattern of development. So, what you are going through, or have been through, are most likely also things that your parents have gone through. They may not be the same, but most likely, they are similar in very important ways.]
I was just told to believe in a religion I was baptized in when I was 8 years old and if I did question or doubt [it, ] it was [a sign of] "weakness". Skepticism helps you know your own knowledge claim of things like religion. Questioning throughout your life is what shapes who you are, what you know and what you believe.
Overall, besides the few grammatical errors, this was a very well written post.]
Best wishes,
Dr. Mun