The Secular Keep Me Religious

Dennis Prager
Mon, 21 Oct 2024 20:39:34 -0700
Opinion

I have never accepted irrational religious beliefs. If something in my — or any — religion doesn't make sense, I don't accept it. That's why my five-volume commentary on the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is titled "The Rational Bible."

This strikes more than a few religious people as problematic, since many religious people thrive on irrational beliefs. There is a famous Latin phrase, Credo quia absurdum, "I believe because it is absurd," which has long been attributed to the Church theologian Tertullian (early third century). Tertullian did not in fact say that. But he said something somewhat analogous: "The Son of God died; it is credible, because it is (foolish, absurd, unfitting); and he was buried and rose again; it is certain, because it is impossible."

I do not mention this desire to believe in the irrational as a criticism. Reason may be my road to God and religion, but I respect the fact that it is not everyone's.
Updated: Tue Oct 22, 2024

I have never accepted irrational religious beliefs. If something in my — or any — religion doesn't make sense, I don't accept it. That's why my five-volume commentary on the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is titled "The Rational Bible."

This strikes more than a few religious people as problematic, since many religious people thrive on irrational beliefs. There is a famous Latin phrase, Credo quia absurdum, "I believe because it is absurd," which has long been attributed to the Church theologian Tertullian (early third century). Tertullian did not in fact say that. But he said something somewhat analogous: "The Son of God died; it is credible, because it is (foolish, absurd, unfitting); and he was buried and rose again; it is certain, because it is impossible."

I do not mention this desire to believe in the irrational as a criticism. Reason may be my road to God and religion, but I respect the fact that it is not everyone's.

I mention it solely to explain my religiosity. Because reason is my road to faith, I am religious. It is, for example, far more rational to believe in a Creator than to believe that everything came about by itself.

Which brings me to secularism.

The moral and logical absurdities the secular world advocates help sustain my faith.

I have come to understand the truth in the statement attributed to the British thinker G.K. Chesterton but probably said by someone else: "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing; they believe in anything."

It is, overwhelmingly, secular people who say that "men give birth." Not all secular people say this, but just about everyone who does is secular. And I don't know any religious Jews or Christians who say it.

In a previous column, "Who's more irrational — the religious or the irreligious?" I provided a long list of absurd, and dangerous, beliefs held almost exclusively by secular people. So, I will only list a few here.

It is, overwhelmingly, secular people who believe that males who say they are females should be allowed to compete in women's sports.

It is, overwhelmingly, secular people who believe that a young girl who says she is a boy or a young boy who says he is a girl should be given puberty-blocking hormones.

Who was more likely to support keeping children out of schools for two years; forcibly masking 2-year-olds on airplanes; and firing unvaccinated police officers, airplane pilots and members of the military — secular or religious Americans?

How many Western supporters of Josef Stalin — the tyrant who murdered about 30 million people — were irreligious, and how many were religious?

I will add here that secularism not only breeds foolish and dangerous positions, it also breeds foolish and dangerous behavior.

It is widely believed that the primary reason people in the West are choosing not to have children is affluence. That is demonstrably incorrect. Affluence is a factor, but it is a small one compared to a much bigger factor: secularism. Affluent religious people have many children — far more than affluent secular people. If you meet a couple that has four or more children, whether you are religious or secular, you will immediately assume that the couple is either Catholic, Evangelical (Protestant), Mormon or Orthodox Jewish.

The same holds true for marriage. The marriage rate in America is the lowest it has ever been. There are more Americans 40 years of age who have never been married than ever in American history.

This, too, is related to religion. Yes, most secular people still get married — though that number is in decline — but virtually all religious people get married.

Religious people are also happier than secular people.

All these secular beliefs and behaviors argue strongly for a Judeo-Christian worldview. If doctrine A produces far more nonsense, unhappiness and support for evil than does doctrine B, the only rational response is to adopt doctrine B.

And perhaps the greatest argument for Bible-based religion and against secularism is the university. The most foolish institutions in America happen to be the most secular institutions in America — the universities. In fact, there are no wise secular institutions. There are wise secular individuals and there are foolish religious individuals, but there are no wise secular institutions. Our schools, starting in kindergarten, are radically secular and mostly teach nonsense.

It is no wonder that there is more support for Hamas than for Israel at most universities. The secular moral compass is broken.

These are all strong arguments for taking religion seriously, or, as in my case, remaining religious. I want wisdom, a community, happiness, a family life and, most important, to know the difference between men and women and between good and evil.