Well, the obvious answer from my perspective is that...No, you don't know you are right. No one does.
I know I'm right. This comes from knowing enough about opposing views.
That is why it's called "faith". There will inevitably be people who come here and present "evidence"...but there are a whole lot of scientists and atheists and scholars that have great "evidence" as well.
Which is why you have to examine claims made, and also who makes them.
No one can prove or disprove anything.
Cogito Ergo Sum.
We can't concretely prove there is no Santa Claus.
This is part of a popular internet notion, that we can't prove a negative. Yes we can.
Atheists attempt to do this, when they argue the Problem of Evil. It is an attempt to show that the Judeo-Christian god does not exist. Unfortunately for them, they actually verify his existance.
But somethings are just ridiculous and go against our logic.
I'm glad logic isn't person relative.
That in addition to all the other religions you mentioned...there are so many idea's out there.
This notion that because there are multiple options, therefor all or false, or none can be right, is a ridiculous notion. 2+2=__ I can write anything into the blank, but not all answers will be right.
The Law of Non-Contradiction is your friend.
Once you see that christianity is just another one in the mix...it all starts making sense.
Don't forget, that religions and atheism are from a neutral position, attempts to answer the same questions. What we see here is that the atheist is just being arbitrary and self-referentially incoherent.
Atheism is just as much apart of "the mix" as any other explaination.
This is why I am atheist/Satanist.
If the above is a summary, I sure hope there's better stuff somewhere else.
Religion forces you to suppress cognitive thinking skills.
I don't see how. Maybe speecific religions, or specific indiviuals, but to claim that it is the case for all religions and all people, is a hasty generalization.
Also, I have had my intellect more stimulated by my faith in Christ, than when I was atheist. When I was atheist, I could be lazy in the argument. As a Christian, I have to be well-prepared, and also must be thorough in my presentation. I have read more on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of epistemology, metaphysics, morality, and other minor categories than I ever dreamed I would have. My vocabulary has expanded likely to twice the volume as it was before, simply by learning about philosophy due to my commitment to the one I love, my lord and savior Jesus Christ.
I have had to learn about various things in history I never knew about previously, I've had to learn various facts about archeaology, theology, apologetics, and others.
From the love I have for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I have desired to learn more so people like you could come to love him as well, and I have learned more than I ever imagined I would have learned on these matters.
Please don't make generalizations like that. It simply isn't factual.
Anyone that know's anything about psychology can see how all religion is basically brainwash.
Modern American Pschology is based on a presupposition that is a faulty one, and that is that the mind is identical to the brain.
This can be demonstrated to be false by the fact that mental states often contradict or are not identical to brain states. If something is true for one, but not the other, they are not identical.
Also, there is the fact that physical things do not have intentionality, and the mind does. Thus, the mind cannot be a physical thing. It must be immaterial.
From that, we can demonstrate that because psychology has a faulty presupposition, it then will have faulty conclusions.
However, if you desire to claim that religions are basically brainwashing, keep in mind, what is sauce for the Goose, is sauce for the Gander.
Your parents introduce whatever religion it is that they are to you and they (along with schools and a lot of other forces) work on you until you are one of them.
This is a Genetic Fallacy.
It doesnt work on everyone, but it does on a lot of people.
Statistics show atleast in the United States, it sure doesn't.
Barna Group said:
In fact, the most potent data regarding disengagement is that a majority of twentysomethings - 61% of today’s young adults - had been churched at one point during their teen years but they are now spiritually disengaged (i.e., not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying). Only one-fifth of twentysomethings (20%) have maintained a level of spiritual activity consistent with their high school experiences. Another one-fifth of teens (19%) were never significantly reached by a Christian community of faith during their teens and have remained disconnected from the Christian faith.
The Barna Group - Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years <--- click
