Atheists more compassionate than believers, study finds

[wynn]

Just read scriptures, from pretty much any religion.
They often contain graphic analyses of aging, illness and death.

And? So do most books, fictional and non-fictional.

It is only in religious scriptures that the discussion of aging, illness and death is contextualized by ideas of the ultimate liberation from suffering.

Aging is a part of life, as is illness and death. To claim that religious people are more in tune with those facts is a bit strange considering that it is something that everyone witnesses and experiences.

Of course on principle, everyone has to deal with aging, illness and death.
But people differ very much in how effectively they deal with them.

By "dealing with aging, illness and death" I do not mean 'avoiding or preventing aging, illness and death', but I am referring to the attitudes a person has toward them and whether these attitudes are conducive to finding happiness in life or not.

Secular sources are not famous for such analyses.

Possibly because we live it and see it daily. We see ourselves age as we look at our parents and other older family members and when we look in the mirror each morning.

Rather, secular sources are notorius for being unable to provide any real solutions to the problems of aging, illness and death - this is one reason why they are secular.

 

[Balerion]

You can't even spell his name right ...

You are in no position to question another's intelligence.

You also owe him an apology for ascribing to him a stance he does not have -

His (are you sure Yaz is male?) stance is very much up for debate. I believe he claims to be an agnostic, but he spends an awful lot of time arguing against atheists in defense of religion. Even if he is in fact an agnostic, he certainly comes off as a theist, so it's understandable that someone would mistake him for one. Just like you are often mistaken for a theist because of your insistence on referring to a supreme being by the name given to the Christian god, God, and insisting on monotheistic qualities for said creator.

 

[Balerion]

It is only in religious scriptures that the discussion of aging, illness and death is contextualized by ideas of the ultimate liberation from suffering.

That's not true at all. Have you read fiction before? And anyway, death is liberation from from suffering. What you're talking about is an afterlife, which is not exclusively a religious concept.

Of course, only religious texts also promise ultimate suffering, in the form of torment in everlasting fire.

Of course on principle, everyone has to deal with aging, illness and death.
But people differ very much in how effectively they deal with them.

By "dealing with aging, illness and death" I do not mean 'avoiding or preventing aging, illness and death', but I am referring to the attitudes a person has toward them and whether these attitudes are conducive to finding happiness in life or not.

And it does not take a religious person to be at ease with their own mortality.

I get the feeling that you project your own insecurities and weaknesses on others. Just because you're frightened of a godless existence and the prospect of nothingness after death doesn't mean everyone else is.

Rather, secular sources are notorius for being unable to provide any real solutions to the problems of aging, illness and death - this is one reason why they are secular.

Are you kidding? Where do you think medicine comes from? Did people simply pray away smallpox? Who is working to eradicate malaria right now? (related question: who do you think is working against it[?) When a cancer goes into remission, do you think the Bible had a hand in that? Perhaps a prayer session? When you get old and haggard (if you aren't already) and want to do something about those crow's feet, are you simply going to wish yourself smooth skin, or are you going to go to the cosmetics section in your local drug store and buy some wrinkle cream? Hell, the fact that you'll live long enough to even have crow's feet--what do you think made that possible? Did God simply decide to double the average life expectancy?

But even if none of this were true, and secularism had done nothing against death, aging, or illness, the best faith could say was that the score was even at zero, because there is absolutely nothing religion has ever done to answer those questions.