Why?

[BeansBrother]

Well, supposedly it has an advantage in the afterlife.

[zeroguy]

But why believe before death? It's not gonna do you any good, right?

I haven't been paying too close attention to your whining^Warguments in the past, but why do you think it does no good? Or how does it possibly hinder you?

[suminonA]

so then where the hell does religion come from? If we can agree on what BB said, then we have to acknowledge that religion is arbitrary.

The need to have something intelligible to come out of something unintelligible.

BeansBrother, I have to say that I like your contribution to this discussion so far. My compliments.

If I were to answer eriador’s question, I’d say something clumsy like this:

There is a great probability that my poor opinion about the religious beliefs comes from the way I believe they came about: from ignorance. The most credible scenario is that prehistoric people, not knowing or understanding what the Sun was, or what lightning was, or floods and such, they attributed them supernatural powers (maybe superhuman would be better!). They tried to “control” them, to make friends with them by offerings and prayers and such. FFW a bunch of millennia and I get to see the religious beliefs today.

Don’t get me wrong, the fact that I dislike the current religious beliefs of the world doesn’t give me any right, or intention, to attack those who like/use/need them. I just need some other basis for my beliefs, and that’s where my admiration for the Scientific Method comes in. So, in a perfect world, where one’s beliefs don’t affect the others, everybody could (and should) be happy. But, there is an inherent problem with arbitrary and un-falsifiable beliefs (where have I seen that before, earlier in this thread?) The problem is that they affect other people, by justifying the application of those arbitrary “rules” to everybody (because the rules themselves say so). And I get full circle to the ignorance bit. Any belief that justifies that ignorance is desirable, is (for me) the most despicable kind of belief. Any religion that is based on “don’t ask, just believe” is something I won’t be affiliated with.

It is never fun, not even when one is a child and gets that answer form the grownups. In that case, the grownups are supposed to “know better” (and prove it) so the child should get used to it. But being treated like that when one grows up, by some “chosen representatives” of a higher power impossible to prove (that is, un-falsifiable), that goes beyond any justification. That’s my problem with all religious beliefs that arose from ignorance.

End of rant.

A.

[BeansBrother]

sumimonA, I wouldn't say that's clumsy in the least. But thanks.

[Slim]

... assuming that there's a life after death. Where do you get that?

Uhmm... from your post, remember? "How does the missionary reconcile his stated purpose from his method."
But to address the question more seriously...

Now, Slim, your thought process is circular. Please read the following example.

I believe those who do not hear the gospel and have a chance to accept/reject the gospel will be taught and given the choice after death, before the Final Judgment.

Now, you are clearly implying that to move onward to "heaven," you must accept the gospel (which, by the way, is obviously an opinion-based statement). But, believing that the only way to go to "heaven" is to believe the gospel is stated inside the gospel, if I am correct.

My statement was summarizing my statements in a previous post. It is not circular, because the reason I believe the gospel is not "because it says so." But even if it is circular, that doesn't matter, because I was stating what I believe, not making an argument. Now, if The Game is what you believe that's fine, believe what you want. As an argument, however, it needs some work.

And yes, besides the 3 options I gave previously, there is a #4 option: that there is no afterlife. Although it would hardly be the answer the missionary would give to the yearning Eskimo, I guess you could bring it up as a valid argument. But, again, I'm just stating what I believe, not trying to prove anything.

EL did good representing what I believe, but I don't know if you understood this part:

Because there are certain benefits to having believed while still in an earthly body.

Aren't those benefits only applicable if there is an afterlife to be awarded in?

I mentioned in my post that believing in mortality will give you an advantage after death, but I want to add that I believe we can have blessings now, not just after we die.

[BeansBrother]

Ah... well, thanks for clearing that up.

I'm sorry if I offended you and your beliefs.

[Slim]

Thanks.
And don't worry, you didn't offend me much at all.
Nothing compared to many instances when I was a missionary.