A brief follow up to this article.
This blog author stopped in to support her premise that gratitude doesn’t require religion.
I appreciate her earnest, polite, and articulate arguments.
I’m not accustomed to well-mannered atheist writers.
It’s great having a conversation that doesn’t end with, “You shouldn’t be allowed near children!”
But in the spirit of robust debate…
…with trepidation…
…I need to disagree again.
Not because I’m trying to be a jerk.
I never have to TRY to be a jerk.
But I have to point out flawed reasoning.
It’s not personal.
The rebuttal doesn’t work:
Actually, there IS scientific research that proves the benefit of feeling grateful…
Here’s a link to a scientific study on gratitude, sans mention of “God.”
https://www.today.com/health/be-thankful-science-says-gratitude-good-your-health-t58256
First: We weren’t discussing the benefits of feeling grateful.
We were discussing the need for some kind of religious framework in order to express thankfulness.
There is no scientific law of gratitude.
Which brings us to the posted article at Today.com.
It lists a bunch of health benefits that are derived from ‘being thankful’.
And, as promised, it doesn’t mention “God”.
The problem is: It doesn’t mention atheism either.
Wanna bet there were a few theists in the testing group?
We don’t know.
There are no specific details about how the study was conducted.
We have no idea who participated.
I’m skeptical about how a study can isolate ‘gratitude’ as the primary cause of any physical condition.
I could easily link to half a dozen articles on the health benefits of prayer.
That wouldn’t prove God exists.
Neither would it prove the health benefits of prayer!
What about the other variables that lead to good health?
Like eating vegetables?
Like watching comedies?
Like owning a cat?
(That’s a stretch.)
Prayer, like gratitude, is a religious concept.
Religious concepts are understood by faith…
…not science.
32 Responses
It’s tough to thank the random,meaningless void of nothingness for having blessed me. Worse yet, absent trust in the Lord and faith in His goodness, it be comes virtually impossible to be grateful when you’re at the bottom of a pit and life is not going so well. Hard to be grateful for bad luck, for the randomness of having been dealt a lousy set of cards.
We’re having a local protest here, people are actually planning to “yell at the sky.” Be rather funny if the sky yelled back at them. We people should probably not be yelling at God Himself, but just the same,I’m rather grateful I can.
Interesting. Which god do actually thank?
You’re a one note song, Doug.
Unlike the gods – there are thousands of them, right?
No.
We’ve been through this many times.
You seem to think you’ve stumbled upon some profound question that we cannot answer.
You’re wrong.
Repeating your error just proves you cannot learn.
And what makes your assertion right while those who believe in any of the myriad other gods wrong, JB, especially as Yahweh is a work of fiction?
It’s explained on the most recent blog post, Genius.
https://johnbranyan.com/when-to-quit-believing-in-new-york-city/
I wrote it just for you! I’m sure you won’t understand it so you should ask another heathen to explain it to you.
Yes, wonderful. Now explain how your god – the fictitious Yahweh – is the only and only god without any metaphor or analogy if you are able.
LOL!
You’re certainly proving that it doesn’t take much brain power to post your thoughts!
I am fortunate that it takes almost no exertion to reply to yours …
So, please explain how the fictitious Yahweh is the one and only god.
Come on JB, a clever feller like you should have an answer down pat by now.
Doug.
Clever fellow like me answered this stupid question in the other blog post.
Go over there and repeat yourself so we can keep all your stupidity in the proper context.
I’d rather not extend myself too much… it gives me a headache.
If you are worried the answer might be too difficult for me, just dumb it down.
But let’s keep it on this thread, please.
How do you know that your god, the fictitious Yahweh, is the only god?
https://johnbranyan.com/when-to-quit-believing-in-new-york-city/
Ark,
Read my lips: THE God.
Just like THE Donald.
There can only be one.
Really? If you Google ”gods” you’ll find there are thousands, SOM.
Tell us how grateful the void makes you feel, Ark.
Okay. But only if you tell how me how being grateful to a make-believe man-made deity makes you feel, Jasmine.
You’ve decided there is no deity, therefore there is no conversation to be had here. You can only attack my belief because you have nothing to defend.
Actually no.I have decided that the evidence put forward does not warrant belief, and a great many of the Jews, if not most of them, already acknowledge that your god, Yahweh is a work of fiction, and they should know, right?
Ark is demonstrating his boundless ignorance.
The last blog post was just for him.
Make him go there and repeat himself. https://johnbranyan.com/when-to-quit-believing-in-new-york-city/
Perfect question, Jasmine.
Smart atheists would ignore it. So, of course, Ark replied.
I really doesn’t take that much brain power to outsmart any believer on this blog, so even I don’t have to work hard at all.
You’ve yet to outsmart anyone, ever.
I’ve demonstrated the dumbness of your “which God” question right here: https://johnbranyan.com/when-to-quit-believing-in-new-york-city/
Guess you’re gonna have to work a little harder, Douglas!
Again, I wonder if you are able to demonstrate your point without silly metaphor….
Come in, JB. Should be easy. Let’s see the evidence.
Go here: https://johnbranyan.com/when-to-quit-believing-in-new-york-city/
You’re toast.
Bye!
Oh dear …. you cannot even come up with an answer for one as ignorant as me.
Oh well.
In cases such as this, one is left to wonder just how dumb one has to be to believe in a make-believe god if even you can’t answer the question.
Oh dear…you cannot bring yourself to go to the other post because it so thoroughly demolishes your question that even one as ignorant as yourself understands!
Oh well.
In cases such as this, we’ve proven again the futility atheism. Denial of truth is the foundation of your worldview.
You lose, Doug.
You always do!
https://johnbranyan.com/when-to-quit-believing-in-new-york-city/
But we are here….
Surely your ego can withstand a little lateral commenting?
Come now, JB… let’s see just a bit of evidence for Yahweh.
And you’re a coward too.
My ego isn’t the problem. You know the “which god” question is dead.
You lose, Doug.
Chiding me with your dead question doesn’t make you seem smart. It makes you seem desperate, petulant and weak. If you had any confidence, you’d jump at the chance decimate my point.
Every comment you place in this thread proves you’re afraid. Any response from this point forward will be interpreted as, “You’ve beaten me, John. I can’t argue with your point.”
You’ve beaten me, John. I can’t argue with your point.
You’ve beaten me, John. I can’t argue with your point.
I am truly grateful for this thread. I would say that for me, gratitude is not necessarily derivative of religion, however, for me, grattude is derived from an active dynamic relationship with something metaphysical which I personally acknowledge and seek closer contact with. I refrain from casting aspersions upon other’s perspectives, they may just not have stopped to figure out the true source