Regarding Atheism, Agnosticism, Humanism, Rational Skepticism, etc...

[Reenk Roink]

We can't evolve or progress further until we throw off the last vestiges of the mental chains of religion and other superstitions we thought up before we figured out how to reason.

I've always wondered at the proposition that one should base their beliefs on reason. After all, this is a belief in itself. A meta-belief perhaps, but a belief nonetheless. How would one go justifying such a belief? Well, we could use reason, but that would be circular and beg the question, wouldn't it? We could call reason a self-evident truth, reason is reasonable perhaps, if one likes tautologies. Or we could just assume reason without a reason. After all, an irrational acceptance of epistemically basic/foundational propositions is necessary for any rational colloquy and reflection. It's all built on irrational foundations.

I like option three best. After all, I'm human. I'm irrational. Yes, I understand reason. I have studied basic logic, and think I have the capacity to understand more advanced forms of the stuff. It's a good tool this logic. But frankly, many of my decisions and beliefs are based on irrational impulse, instinct, and intuition and even though I am quite capable of examining them with reason and rational reflection, I will give way to the former because I feel it to be the better...

Anyway, back to the topic, personally, I remain firmly convinced of the existence of God. It is not due to any argument or evidence, as I have found all three arguments for God's existence to be lacking in someway and I don't like reformed epistemology. It's due to some undeniable...thing...I can't put my finger on. I don't want to say mystical experience, but it is certainly an extremely powerful intuitive phenomena. I find myself being able to deny the existence of material objects much easier than deny God (which is quite amazing, because I am barely able to do the former to begin with).

That being said, the biggest problem lies in which religion to choose...