[SEQ RERUN] Can Humanism Match Religion's Output?

MinibearRex

Today's post, Can Humanism Match Religion's Output? was originally published on 27 March 2009. A summary (taken from the LW wiki):

Anyone with a simple and obvious charitable project - responding with food and shelter to a tidal wave in Thailand, say - would be better off by far pleading with the Pope to mobilize the Catholics, rather than with Richard Dawkins to mobilize the atheists. For so long as this is true, any increase in atheism at the expense of Catholicism will be something of a hollow victory, regardless of all other benefits. Can no rationalist match the motivation that comes from the irrational fear of Hell? Or does the real story have more to do with the motivating power of physically meeting others who share your cause, and group norms of participating?

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Today's post, Can Humanism Match Religion's Output? was originally published on 27 March 2009. A summary (taken from the LW wiki):

Anyone with a simple and obvious charitable project - responding with food and shelter to a tidal wave in Thailand, say - would be better off by far pleading with the Pope to mobilize the Catholics, rather than with Richard Dawkins to mobilize the atheists. For so long as this is true, any increase in atheism at the expense of Catholicism will be something of a hollow victory, regardless of all other benefits. Can no rationalist match the motivation that comes from the irrational fear of Hell? Or does the real story have more to do with the motivating power of physically meeting others who share your cause, and group norms of participating?

I'm not sure what you mean about religious groups' aid being secular. It seems like you are saying medicine and food are "secular" things, while prayer is a "religious" thing. Sure you can't pray money into existence, so it's sort of a "secular thing", but the useful question is really who is giving the thing, not how it came to be.

The issue at hand is what organization is at the source of the charitable donations - a secular organization or a religious one. That's a question that is worth asking. Whether or not the aid they are giving has been originally created by a god, magic or science isn't really important for this question.

I didn't downvote you, but I suspect whoever did shared this reasoning.

It seems like you are saying medicine and food are "secular" things, while prayer is a "religious" thing.

Yes, that is what I am saying.

The issue at hand is what organization is at the source of the charitable donations - a secular organization or a religious one. That's a question that is worth asking. Whether or not the aid they are giving has been originally created by a god, magic or science isn't really important for this question.

First, you say both that the source or origin does matter and that the source or origin does not... (read more)

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