I like religion and in particular Christianity from utilitarian point of view, I believe it will make my mental condition more stable and that it leads to stronger marriages and less anxiety and so on, because there is a lot of evidence for that.
Do you guys think it's possible to get these benefits while being, or at least starting off as a larper?
I like religion and in particular Christianity from utilitarian point of view...
Kevin Ward
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Jack Green
Absolutely not. You can only get the benefits once you genuinely become a Christian. That's the whole reason "LARP" is such a stinging insult around here. It's an accusation of being a nominal Christian. An accusation of thinking of yourself a Christian, but in reality being no different from an atheist. However, LARP can eventually turn into true belief, but you have to be open to it.
LARPER -> Real Christian -> Benefits
Brandon Morris
That's not what I want to be, my approach is to consider myself an atheist, but in actions and perhaps even thoughts be no different from a devout Christian. I dislike nominal Christians too, that is to say most Christians in my country, sadly those people probably consider themselves genuine believers, despite never opening a bible or going to a church.
Nolan Richardson
You get no benefit by pretending to be something. Do you think a court would let you argue a case by pretending to be a lawyer? Do you think a hospital would let you treat patients by pretending to be a doctor? Of course not. Your actions are meaningless as God knows what's in your heart. You might be able to fool the priest or the flock, but you will never be able to fool God.
Lucas Williams
This isn't a fake it until you make it situation user, 'devout' Christians who enjoy all those material benefits you listed in your post and more don't grow on tress and you cannot imitate them without at the very least having similiar faith in God.
Without faith all you will get is a weird and cold cult like environment where you will feel like you don't belong.
None of what "devout Christians" do are done for worldly material benefits/side effects like what you're planning to do, with piety these side effects may come but that's it, you simply cannot recreate the benefits while being empty at the core.
Devout Christians also don't fool themselves or lie to themselves in order to believe what they practice, they take it as the truth and a matter fact simply, that's how they become and stay pious Christians, by seeing, realizing and taking that truth to heart for life.
Ethan Davis
You can not get the paramount benefit of eternal life without faith in Jesus, but yes taking any given teaching as true benefits you in the immediate sense, like a proverb.
Matthew Peterson
I don't really think that's true, even Dawkins says he visits Anglican church every now and then and likes the atmosphere. Many atheists enjoy christian chants and such. Another example is how Sam Harris, despite being anti-theistic to the bone, stays at Buddhist monasteries.
I think you could practicing and acting out religion without really believing, kinda like Jordan Peterson does, who probably made a lot of people interested in religion, myself included.
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Ryder Hall
The people you listed merely observe from time to time (key word is time to time while devout Christians are consistent), you or anyone for that matter should not do that.
Sure it can feel nice like once a month for even an Atheist but.
We're talking about being a devout Christian that means not observing but, actively participating and not just once a month but consistently.
If you do this while believing in none of it, it gets old real fast.
What we should be addressing rather is why be an Atheist larper instead of an actual Christian, what's preventing you from embracing the truth like the devout Christians who are being idealized here?
Leo Jenkins
Mountains of rational evidence against God, religion and even Christianity in particular, and not in just scientific field, but just straight up contradictions in the books.
skepticsannotatedbible.com
You do have a point though, if there is evidence for believing being beneficial, then one should at least try to let faith into his heart.
Chase Carter
You can't prove a negative.
Lucas Lewis
that's why they've come up with a Russell's teapot and FSM
Ayden Morris
Alright so you're a complete green new comer to the faith I understand.
While I don't have much time now to write a comprehensive answer I can assure you that Christianity is the truth and despite the list, there are no contradictions in the Bible.
Sounds crazy and zealous yet foolish talk to you right now I imagine, I came to the faith from your position however a few years ago so I think I sort of understand where you coming from.
For now all I can say is that, if your search for the truth is sincere and not just for this larpey secular bs, you will be willing to search for the truth for quite some time to come, get informed about Christianity from the other side of the argument friend and eventually, you'll come to the same conclusion as I have.
The faith is a life long journey that's a lot richer than it first seems to most people today.
Eli Morris
No offense but that list doesn't understand the trinity. The second question implies that Jesus and God the Father are seperate beings. And it glosses over the fact that all 3 persons of the Trinity are present in the creation (God the father who through His Word (Logos aka Jesus) and the Holy spirit hovers above the waters).
Oliver Brown
No. Unless you sincerely try to believe, you won't and if you do try…you will probably believe.
First phases of converting may seem as "larping". However….if you do not believe and you do it for the "utility" you will not gain anything because you stay an atheist.
"larp it till you make it" may be true only in instances where it can feel like you're larping but you're just doing something you considered "stupid" "rudimental" or "backwards".
tl dr: definitely no.
Logan Rivera
You are probably right, because few days ago I've read the bible and I approached it seriously for the first time, I would even pray a little before and after, like addendum said, and because I approached it seriously with an intention to believe I actually felt like I believed, even though I talked myself into this by saying to myself that I'll just play a game of pretend. Actually, the only reason I stopped believing is because there would be something forbidden I wanted to do, like say masturbate or be lazy and when I couldn't resist anymore I would talk myself out of believing, to not compromise my intellectual integrity so to speak. I think I have the capacity to genuinely believe if I were to put myself into environment with committed people.
Carter Sanders
The Bible does that. If you approach it honestly and don't fish through it trying to find something to complain about, God speaks through it. Anyone can sense this. That's the same reason I became a Christian, I felt what you felt. This is what I meant by LARPing turning into true belief.
Gavin Bailey
I think humans still need what the bible give, I mean the moment the intellectual elite, like Freud and Newton, started to be skeptical towards religion they started getting in stuff like alchemy, telepathy and so on, even to this day nearly half of people in Britain believe in stuff like ghosts, talk about embarrassing rudimental beliefs.
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Luke Gonzalez
www.contradictingbiblecontradictions.com
Dylan Miller
Nope. Those "benefits" only come from genuine belief.
Read pic related. I think it will help you a lot.
Leo Barnes
It's because humans have an fundamental need and attraction to the otherworldly, and when they stop believing in God, they start believing in everything.
Robert Ward
Yeah I think the same, the lack of belief in God opens the floodgates to religious-like adherence to ideologues like communism and racial supremacy, to degenerate hedonism like cuckoldry and bug hunting, to really mental shit like body integrity dysphoria(some already consider it just a part of diversity) and assisted suicide for those with chronic depression.
What's scarier is that you have stuff like antinatalism, which is actually perfectly rational and even moral(according to Benatar and he really makes a solid point in his book), and in theory can be used to make something like shooting up a newborn nursery seem rational and moral, because life isn't really worth it unless there is self-interest, and newborns are less conscious and feeling than pigs, so they are not that different from an early stage fetus when it comes to self-interest, therefore you are just doing them a service by putting them back into non-existence, what their parents think doesn't matter either, because having children is always selfish and immoral.
There are some antinatalists who believe that given the opportunity to press a button and terminate all life(including animal) on earth without suffering, you are morally obliged to do so. It's not even nihilism, it's just what happens when you try to be moral on the basis of human rationality alone.
Alexander Reed
That is complete madness..Moreover, in addition to our points, when stop believing specifically in the bible, they start believing in ghosts, the occult, new age, and all sorts of nonsense. Why? Because man has an fundamental craving for the transcendent..and atheism is the worst result of unbelief, because it leads to all of the madness you pointed out in your post.
Juan Cooper
Thanks, didn't knew that something like that would exist.
Joseph Baker
You’d make a good catholic.
David Martinez
lol true