this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.
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If you're asking me for data to show that it's a one-sided relationship with nobody on the receiving side of the worship and praise being directed at the idea of a god, I can't help you with that. The existence of a god has yet to be proven but more and more of what has historically been answered with "god did it" is being explained by scientific inquiry. If somebody comes forward with high-quality evidence of a god, I'd be very interested in seeing it.
If you're asking about data showing the benefits of having a daily routine and social interaction within your community, that's something I believe I can find along with data that demonstrates a link between drinking an appropriate amount of water and not being dead. Making it a religious practice (daily prayer, regular church attendance) is unnecessary and adds nothing but an open door for manipulators and scam artists.
If you'd like to understand how receiving churchgoers' money benefits the clergy selling the idea of a god, that one's pretty obvious so I can't say whether it's been studied or what kind of data there is to present here.
Can you please clarify your question so I'll have a better chance of addressing it if I haven't already?
It’s a pretty straightforward question. Do you have any data that backs up what you claimed? I don’t see what other way there is to interpret that question.
Okay, please see my reply above where I've identified the parts of my statement I think you're asking about. I'm asking you to specify because there are a few different (though related) ideas involved. I'll restate them here so you can select one or more and, if you wish, refer to them by the letter before each sentence.
a.) A relationship with one or more gods is one-sided.
b.) Spending any amount of time, effort, focus (or other resources like money, for that matter) on religious endeavors is a waste of those things.
c.) A person who gives their resources mentioned above (in part b) to a religious organization or in the process of worship receives no benefit unless they're working with the ones fleecing the other believers.
Let me know which of these you are interested in or if there's something else you had in mind.