religion and effects on happiness from freedom of thought

[salko7]

i have always been found this forum and the amazing thoughts that are posted. unfortunately, i have not been able to contribute my thoughts and opinions. although, i have a post somewhere in this forum talking about who i am, i will include some relevant information.

currently im studying in the Netherlands under the scholarship program that was made by king Abullah (KASP). A program that allows Saudi students to study abroad in many countries. this is a great choice for me since i needed to get out of a country field with prejudice to a secular county, where i no longer need to keep my thoughts hidden from fear of being isolated.
However, changes were not fast, as i had to keep my thoughts hidden a bit longer since i will still study with some Saudi students.
overtime i have tried announcing my thoughts and ideas in areas that were less sensitive to the religion. luckily i was born and raised in a Shia'a society a less harsh "Mad'dhab" than that of Sunnei, this allows me to speak slightly freely, even though the ideas were not generally accepted. Moreover, this helped me seek friends who i could speak to without fear of prejudice, who acknowledge the fact that im an Atheist.

through this i found my self speaking to one of the students about religion, science and the society. completely uncensored, nothing is unfair, even silly jokes that many might find offensive. this made us really close friends, to quote him: "some might find this silly but i like hanging out with an Atheist rather than other Muslims". i have also noticed some changes to my own personality, i was Depressed back in Saudi Arabia.Continued so but after what is almost a year here in the Netherlands, after becoming able to share my thoughts, after seeing how out spoken a person can be and after expressing even more of my thoughts, i have started to feel a bit overwhelmed at how my depression has completely Faded.
i can also say even thought it made some uncomfortable and tried to avoid me at first, over time things seemed to "get better", they feel fine when im there and are quite happy to invite me with them for any thing they might be doing at that time.

so the point of this topic is....

it seems that religion's power to keep people from sharing diverse thoughts highly effects how we treat , think about people and personal well-being.

my hypothesis:
Many ,if not ALL, religious individuals have doubts that they probably keep inside from the fear of prejudice. not really sure if the other person has the same doubts from the lack of communication about them, an individual might feel caged. (a path many apostates face)
However, a less doubtful individual might develop prejudice against his kin, hence a person can positively assume that their kin do not share the exact thoughts and the deprivation from this information might make some vigilant around others. this can allow feelings of discomfort and hate between people that divides them.

Your thoughts?

 

[Noth]

Re: religion and effects on happiness from freedom of though

First of all, welcome to the Netherlands
I'm glad you've found it to be accepting and free. I sometimes feel that in with current political situation it's become far less welcoming than it used to be.

Even within our country I've found my old religion, with hindsight, slightly oppressive. Even though I don't think I can compare my Christian past with your Muslim one I know what you mean when you say it's hard to just speak to someone about losing your religion. I've had to come loose from my religious circles and actually meet non-believers before I was able to force myself to question my faith. After all, all I had known before were my religious associates.

I know doubt must plague the minds of many more who at first glance seem to be as pious as you can get, but I think fear and prejudice keeps many of them from making the first step and really start questioning. You will often come across people debating the religious side of an argument stating that they've been through religious struggles and they doubted but "god showed them the way". I just don't buy that.
The point is that the 'great monotheistic religions' have all got their own ways of threatening free thought. What I've learned from Islam is that the fear of being named Apostate is enough to keep nigh on everyone in check. Judaism and Christianity are a liiiitle more lenient, but the fear of hell teamed up with warnings against 'false prophets' and such ensure that making that first step towards true free thought a big one.

 

[Demojen]

Re: religion and effects on happiness from freedom of though

Being an apostate in an Islamic state, you might as well shout "Kill me!" in the streets. It's more then being worried about being judged, when you decide against "standing out". There is a real risk to your safety and security, sharing your opinion in a country ruled by the opinions of a pedophile that is most famous for pillaging and murder.

That isn't to say you're safe anywhere, because you're not, but waving around a red flag in a room full of bulls is more likely to draw their attention then say, not.

I don't advocate fear, but at the same time, you can't draw a line in the sand and say "I will only defend myself" when dealing with these religions. They don't only defend themselves. It is a part of the Quran, that they spread the word of Muhammad and conquer the entire planet in his name. It is a part of Christianity to spread the word of Christ and "save" everyone in his name.

The three primary religions on this planet survive on their exploitation of fear and lust. Secularism is the only way to protect us from the psychosis of this lynch mob mind numbing factory. At some point people are going to start taking the threat that secularism poses to religion seriously.

Truth be told, Secularism poses no threat to religion. Secularism is a natural sociological evolutionary response to the threat of religion in a world growing beyond the need for superstition. You can be spiritual, practice spirituality and live spiritually without believing in god(s). What humans strive for is deeper understanding...

We don't need/want answers to the greatest questions we can muster.
We just seek more questions to ask.

 

[lrkun]

Re: religion and effects on happiness from freedom of though

You are free to think what you will; but sharing the thought is another case, such as when you are in a place where a certain line of thinking, like atheism for example is unwelcome, then you will be ostracised. So, I think the real issue here is not freedom of thought; but freedom to communicate one's thoughts. As a consequence, the best solution is to seek people who think like you. ^-^