An Eureka Moment: A Reality That Can Challenge Fear & Guilt

"Sometimes, after years of reading, research, and reflection on the origins of religion, something profound suddenly clicks into place. Here's one such realization I’d like to share with you.

"Each of us is entirely unique—no two people have the same fingerprints or DNA. That uniqueness begins at the very moment a random sperm meets a random egg. This genetic combination has never existed before and will never exist again. It is the singular event that brought you into existence.

"This scientific fact alone undermines the notion of reincarnation. If your individual self didn’t exist before this unique genetic event, and cannot reoccur after your body dies and decomposes, then the idea of coming back in another form falls apart—unless, of course, one chooses to believe in magic over reality.

"Whether a god or higher intelligence exists becomes a moot point. Why? Because you—your conscious, individual self—won’t be around to ever know. That might sound bleak, but it’s actually a wonderfully liberating realization.

"If we can spread this truth—this freeing, evidence-based message—to those who live in fear of divine punishment or cling to false hopes of eternal rewards, we can help them live more joyfully in the present. No more fear. No more guilt. Just deep appreciation for this one, incredible chance to experience the universe." (link)

The Underlying Problem With MAGA: Childish/Magical Thinking

One major trait of Trumpers/MAGA is childish/magical thinking. Everything is black and white. There is no room for understanding that reality can be much more than good or bad/right or wrong in many serious topics/circumstances. Unsupported certainty can be the enemy of nuance, humility, and understanding

There is a reason why fear works so well on them: they are easily blocked from considering that they may be incorrect in their opinions. The majority probably were raised within a religion and that religion poisoned their brains from challenging the dogma to which they were exposed.

Below is an emblematic of this problem: 

• "I am afraid of the 'other' that I was taught to hate. Those immigrants will harm me and take my job. I must support deporting them as fast as we can, to Hell with due process/the Rule of Law."

Fear: What Keeps Republicans Going

There is no question that the main tool used by today's Republican Party is fear. Click on the links below for an in-depth look at this phenomenon: 

Can brain differences explain conservatives' fear-driven political stances?

How did fear come to loom so large in Republican rhetoric?

Still in the thrall of Trump, party continues on toxic turn away from truth

We Have Nothing To Fear But Fearmongers

Fear is destroying the GOP from inside out

Why the GOP's political message to white voters promotes fear over freedom

Terrorism, Statistics And Fear

" - - - although the probability of an attack may be low, it may get higher. If you think of car accidents or the background rate of murder in the U.S. as a chronic disease, you can think of terrorism as the Ebola virus. Yes, the chances such a virus will infect any of us in the U.S. are small, but if it gets established, things could get very bad. When someone with Ebola manages to get to the U.S., we don’t dismiss it by saying, “Look, a lot more people die of cancer!” The alarms go off and stringent health measures are taken."

 https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/lawrence-krauss-on-terrorism-and-statistics/

Fear Is The Root Of All Superstition

Empathy and cooperation from evolution and socialization, combined with reason and science-based thinking, are the antidotes.

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/we-got-scared-a-paean-to-science-and-rationality/