Is it so bad to believe, even if it may not be "real?"

Question

So, this is my question - there are a lot of people on here who are not sure if they are having paranormal occurrences and there are some who do not believe in it at all. Other than religious reasons, is it so bad to believe in something like the paranormal? I mean, if it doesn't hurt you or anyone else.. what's the issue? Also, what about those that believe that passed family members are with them. Even if it can be proven that they are in fact NOT with them.. what is the harm in believing in it? Particularly with family members that have passed, the person normally senses a feeling of love and comfort around them. They feel like their loved one is still with them. So, why is it so bad to believe this if it is something that comforts them and gets them through bad times.

And now, for the ones that say you shouldn't believe due to religious reasons, God wants us to be happy and comforted. If Jesus Christ, himself, or God, came down and saw someone who was happy and comforted and still believed in Him... do you truly think that he would condemn someone for believing in the afterlife and the spirits that they believe surround them?

Just wondering, because it seems there are a lot of skeptics on here that tend to tell people who do believe in the paranormal that their belief is "wrong" or that they are delusional. But, again, why is it so wrong to believe in something that makes you happy, comforted, and loved when it is not hurting anyone?

Answer 1

I believe 100% in the paranormal. Many people who are "skeptics" haven't had an experience. Some people don't like the idea that disembodied spirits are around them, so they go in a simple denial. Every subject that you bring up, there will always be a disbeliever or someone who disagrees with you. You have to go with your own feeling. If you have an experience, you will know it exists. So like I said, go with what you believe, because out there somewhere, there will also always be someone who agrees with you. I hope this answers your question.

Edit: I forgot to mention, I know where you are coming from. Like I said before, I am a firm believer. My dad also is. However, my mom thinks we are just paranoid. She is a huge skeptic. But I don't get mad because I know what I believe and I have someone who agrees with me.

Edit: It isn't bad to believe anything. If believing makes you happy, believe it. God wants you to be happy.

Answer 2

theres no right or wrong when you believe, however there is a right or wrong when you say you believe but you truly dont, like theres some ppl that go to church every day, though they dont believe in god, why? because they think that ppl will think less of them, bassicly believe what you will, but dont just say it, believe it, experiance your ideas and beliefs and see where it takes you, you never know where youll end up but its better than lying to yourself and others

Answer 3

The harm is that believing in things that are not real (magical thinking) can and does have negative effects on our world and our lives.

Certainly many beliefs are private, and (if not acted upon) might not interfere with anyone else’s life. This is rare. We act on, or because of, our beliefs all the time and some can have severe repercussions. Some of these repercussions can have a beneficial effect on the believer (comforting, etc.) this effect is often short lived, however, when reality comes crashing through the illusion thus making the tragedy all the more difficult.

(Personally, I find greater comfort in attempting to understand a situation but I realize that puts me into a minority)

One fundamental problem of magical thinking arises from the thought process itself and its failure to understand the several ways in which our thinking can go wrong (see first reference). Everyone errors in these ways at one time or another, but those whose beliefs counter the reality of a situation will justify (falsely) their conclusion all the more vehemently and fail to see their error; thereby making it likely they will error in the same way again.

Another, more direct, and serious harm of magical thinking is listed in the second reference. This describes some actual incidents where people (or animals) are killed, or otherwise victimized, because of supernatural beliefs.

That needs repeating:

People are killed because others believe in supernatural, paranormal and pseudoscientific ideas.

Educating people to investigate their reality more thoroughly would eliminate (or at least minimize) such atrocities.

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Answer 4

Skeptics are wrong, people should not allow them any power over themselves. People should be free thinkers and if they want to believe they should.

If the world is left to the skeptics there would be nothing to hope for, nothing to live for, nothing to expect in the afterlife. That is the alternative.. are you going to let them dictate how miserable your life is?

Soon you would sound just like the skeptics, and their miserable lives.

Answer 5

This site will say it best- a collection of stories about thousands of people who have been killed and injured as a result of believing in stuff that isn't true.

http://whatstheharm.net/

If anybody knows any stories of people who have been injured by atheism please feel free to contribute them.

Answer 6

There's a difference between believing in something blindly and believing because of one's experiences. I am a firm believer in some things paranormal, but I have to admit that the jury's out on most of it. Other things, like teleportation, seem to be without basis or evidence.

Blind belief in anything is wrong, including a blind belief in skepticism. Blithe rejections and insults are a poor excuse for sound reasoning and well-formed argumentation. However, I do believe in a "live and let live" concept: if it's not really hurting anyone, why not allow someone their beliefs? I've argued with some fairly brilliant people on things relating to religion, but in the end I don't see a real reason to deny anyone their beliefs--expression of those beliefs which interfere with someone else is another matter altogether.

As clergy, my primary duty is to the truth, wherever that leads. That truth can be personal truth, universal truth, and even religious truth. But there can be no truth without questioning what is true. It's when this questioning does not occur, and becomes outright and blind rejection or acceptance, that it becomes harmful.

As such, I consider both die-hard skeptics and hard-core true-believers to be equally detrimental to the search for truth. In many cases, the truth can't be known because there is something we're missing. Without questioning what that something is, we can never discover it. Rejecting belief on the basis that it has not been examined is fine; rejecting belief because you yourself don't believe it is also fine, but not at the expense of another. Rejection of a belief in the face of evidence to the contrary is simply stupid.

Logic is also no substitute for evidence. Where evidence exists, it must be examined and accepted, rejected, or suspended. Suspension means that one decides that no rational decision can be made. And not everyone will agree--nor are they required to.

People need to relax and accept that the answers (and the basis for many of the questions) here are opinions, which we are all entitled to--skeptic and believer alike. Personal attacks, insulting verbiage, and irrational acceptance or rejection are all counterproductive to the purpose of science, which is to discover the truth of all things, wherever it might lead. Rationality requires that we admit when we don't know, and accept that others are sometimes going to be flatly irrational.

So, is it wrong? No. Absolutely not. I support it wholeheartedly, so long as it's not treated like some kind of a game of superstitions. When someone is melodramatic, I tend to have a tough time believing them. It's when they can calm down enough to be rational that I start really listening.

And that includes both skeptics and true-believers.

EDIT: Geez, whatistheharm.net (see reply below) is a site that fear-mongers in the name of skepticism. I notice that "atheism" isn't on that list, but there are plenty of lawsuits and other nonsense against believers in that philosophy to qualify it for a place; additionally, "skepticism" is nowhere to be found on that list, as I seem to remember a man being skeptical about a gun being loaded in a gun store and putting the barrel into his mouth. Seriously, people should stop trying to use fear tactics to justify their positions.

Answer 7

Belief is faith. Without faith, what else is there? How lonely and scary life would be without faith!

We have faith everyday. We believe the stranger in the park won't come over and sodomize our children and then cut our throats. We have faith the driver in the oncoming lane won't swerve toward us on a suicide mission. We believe airline pilots want to get to our destinations and land the planes safely.

We believe in the goodness of humanity. We have faith in technology and science. There is no harm in believing!

Answer 8

Taking your premise, that what is believed is not real, I would say that the greatest harm would be that your belief would stop you from exploring for real answers, actual truth as opposed to perceived, because you think you have already found truth.  If you believe something that isn't true, there is also the likelyhood, especially on a site like this, that you will pass on your false beliefs to others, with the conviction they are true even when they are not.  Thus, the false beliefs get perpetuated and more people quit looking for real answers.  Please note, that I am using your original premise, of a false belief, and not personally casting doubt on anything in particular.

Edit: I meant the premise of your question:  Is it so bad to believe, even if it may not be "real?"

Answer 9

No, I really don't think it is bad, though the word bad can have many connotations. For example, faith-based belief has been beneficial to many, if you ask them, while on the flip side one can say that it is had led to massive wars, misery and death.  I don't think your paranormal belief is going to cause any wars though :)  But paranormal belief can (but not necessarily) lead to unrealistic expectations, incorrect actions based on bad reasoning, and gullibility, and I think those are bad things. So that's something to watch out for.

You said that skeptics tell people their paranormal beliefs are wrong, but wrong in what sense? It's not "wrong" in the moral sense but may be in the logical sense, and I often see logical errors when people try to defend paranormal beliefs.

Answer 10

I think it's okay to believe whatever you like. A 'healthy' interest in the paranormal doesn't hurt anyone. If people share their beliefs when asked and don't command other people's beliefs, where's the harm?

Some people spend all the money they get on parasitic psychics and 'secret' books. That's 'unhealthy' interests. A couple of posters around here have very vivid inner lives, they've got signs, ghosts, spirits jumping out of things all the time. It's their lives and it's up to them! It's not for me though, no thanks!

If you have Faith in God, why shouldn't you believe in all the rest of it? If another Christian questions your Faith, they've no right. Belief and fear of ghosts is as old as humanity. Angels and Gods are all paranormal by any definition...

Answer 11

Believing in stuff that isn't real is what causes a lot of the problems in our world today and blind faith is idiotic.  Rejecting facts and following an ideology is doing a disservice to the reasoning power of the human mind, and rejecting your mind is equivalent to commiting suicide.

Answer 12

Belief is a good thing.