I mean…many great thinkers in history (Locke, Newton, Rosseau, Voltaire, Smith, PS even Darwin was agnostic, but still theist) did believe in god (maybe it was just a cultural thing, since they could not disprove it), but that did not cloud their judgement of what is true and what is moral…so even they advocated for freedom of religion.
This could also have been because the memory of the european wars of religion (30 years war) was fresh in public memory, like the world wars are in ours.
Of course god has been big throughout history. Half the population (or more) of any country at any time in history are ignorant - incapable of reading (and comprehension), writing or simple math (JUST like America right now). “God” loves him some ignorant human monkeys because they do what they’re told - usually to give god money or godlike places to live.
Religion and gods are crutches used by people who do not take responsibility for what they do… it’s much easier to say “god told me to do this” than it is to intelligently justify murdering people for god, or stealing land for god, or even just being a general asshole “as long as god is okay with it”.
The people running the world right now ALL know there is no god - and yet… notice how they profess and use “their god” to shape the minds of the idiots.
Yes, it is used an instrument of control by callous leaders and to enforce conformity…I was just saying that even intelligent people can believe in it (like they can in modern conspiracy theories), even if it is just a basic requisite of belonging to your community. Unlike Spinoza and Galileo, who got excommunicated for being too public with their free thinking.
PS: same for Mu’tazilism, it failed because it forced rationalism on people…whereas St. Augustine tried a more conciliatory approach.
I mean…many great thinkers in history (Locke, Newton, Rosseau, Voltaire, Smith, PS even Darwin was agnostic, but still theist) did believe in god (maybe it was just a cultural thing, since they could not disprove it), but that did not cloud their judgement of what is true and what is moral…so even they advocated for freedom of religion.
This could also have been because the memory of the european wars of religion (30 years war) was fresh in public memory, like the world wars are in ours.
Of course god has been big throughout history. Half the population (or more) of any country at any time in history are ignorant - incapable of reading (and comprehension), writing or simple math (JUST like America right now). “God” loves him some ignorant human monkeys because they do what they’re told - usually to give god money or godlike places to live.
Religion and gods are crutches used by people who do not take responsibility for what they do… it’s much easier to say “god told me to do this” than it is to intelligently justify murdering people for god, or stealing land for god, or even just being a general asshole “as long as god is okay with it”.
The people running the world right now ALL know there is no god - and yet… notice how they profess and use “their god” to shape the minds of the idiots.
Yes, it is used an instrument of control by callous leaders and to enforce conformity…I was just saying that even intelligent people can believe in it (like they can in modern conspiracy theories), even if it is just a basic requisite of belonging to your community. Unlike Spinoza and Galileo, who got excommunicated for being too public with their free thinking.
PS: same for Mu’tazilism, it failed because it forced rationalism on people…whereas St. Augustine tried a more conciliatory approach.