Religion and Responsibility

Delivered by Jordan Peterson, at about the 22:30 mark (paraphrased):

From Matthew 7:7, 8: ask and it shall be given to you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you; for everyone who asks shall receive, everyone who seeks shall find, and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

This seems like nothing but a testament to the magic of prayer; but God is not merely a grantor of wishes.  When tempted by the devil himself, even Christ himself did not call on His Father for favor.

Perhaps it’s not reasonable to ask God to break the laws of physics every time we fall by the wayside, or make a serious error; perhaps you could ask instead what you have to do right now to increase your resolve, buttress your character, and find the strength to go on.  Perhaps you can ask instead to see the truth.

People suffer because they think their lives are meaningless.  People always ask for a meaningful life; but perhaps there is a price to be paid for abandoning meaninglessness.

Imagine asking someone, here are your options: in a million years who the hell cares how you lived, your life was dust in the wind, your pains and triumphs had no genuine lasting significance.  Because of that you can do anything you like, with no responsibility.

Or you take responsibility for what you do because it actually matters.

Now, if you gave people a choice about that – meaninglessness but no responsibility or meaning with ultimate responsibility – which one are they going to pick?  And my suspicion is that it is seldom the second, because the weight of responsibility is too high.

Conclusion

So it’s a funny thing: rather than ignorance being the justification for a belief in God, it is terror and the lack of willingness to accept responsibility that justifies disbelief.

Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.

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