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8.0.4.3 Grounds for Hope Aren’t SupernaturalVersion 1.1 August 2014                              (Previous Version) Religious promotion of hope for something better in the afterlife is not reasonable. The history of religion is littered with promises and prediction made by religions. As we show in Part 4 (Religion) these promises and predictions have not been fulfilled. Even for a believer, there are too many uncertainties about what the after life could be like, and too much fear regarding how we could be judged and treated after our death. Belief in God and faithfully following God does not of itself provide hope. There are numerous stories of the most devout believers who are so overwhelmed with multiple, arbitrary religious obligations (such as not eating various foods and ritual washing), and so overwhelmed by guilt (especially about sex) and doubt (about god), that they fear they are destined for an eternity of terrible suffering in hell, can never be happy, and live in despair. Jesus talked of faith, hope and charity, and suggested that the greatest of these is charity. But we despair of putting in the charitable effort if there is no beneficial outcome. There is no point bashing one’s head against a brick wall – suffering for nothing. For charity to be worth while, we must be able to hope that the outcome will be positive. Without hope, there is no charity. In this sense Jesus was wrong: hope is our greatest driver. As we outline here, there are reasonable natural and rational grounds for hope. 8.0.4.3 Reasonable Hope for Natural Solutions It is reasonable to hope that realistic, natural, solutions to our current crises can be found. ●        Traditional religions don’t provide realistic solutions to the current global crises, and the rise of fundamentalism and fanaticism only makes matters worse. ●        These global beliefs provide a sound basis for universal values, rather than the parochial demands of patriotism or the unreal basis of traditional religious beliefs. ●        The spread of liberal theologies, atheism and secular government also provide grounds for hope that supernatural explanations and cures will be put aside. ●        The convergence of beliefs and values, which we see this Reasonable Global Way to be a part of, leads us to realize that concerted, natural and rational action is required to address these crises. more (later)
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