I think one of the huge problems in the discussion of religion is when Party A attributes motivations to Party B that Party B doesn't actually have, and then uses these assumed motivations to debunk Party B's point of view. (sigh)
It's my unlucky habit to try to examine human behaviour in terms of psychological motivation. I don't believe that either debunks these motivations, or pathologises them. Saying that I'm interested in understanding the psychological reasons for an individual's religious belief says nothing about the truth or otherwise of these beliefs, about which I'm qualified to say nothing.
ETA: If anything, it's me trying to say: I want to understand this person better, and translate what they're saying into terms that I can understand. But I imagine it can be irritating.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 06:33 am (UTC)It's my unlucky habit to try to examine human behaviour in terms of psychological motivation. I don't believe that either debunks these motivations, or pathologises them. Saying that I'm interested in understanding the psychological reasons for an individual's religious belief says nothing about the truth or otherwise of these beliefs, about which I'm qualified to say nothing.
ETA: If anything, it's me trying to say: I want to understand this person better, and translate what they're saying into terms that I can understand. But I imagine it can be irritating.