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Religion exists only because millions are willing to accept its fantasies at face value . Our government is allowed to stand because of the common myth that it is serving the population , while any objective study of its function will find this to be a total lie .We accept money as having value only because we have all agreed that it does , despite the fact , especially currently , that it is only as good as the worthless promises of our politicians .We accept our relationship with our SO or IO as being central to our lives , when a rigorous and honest questioning of that relationship would probably destroy it . I woke up very early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep . I am probably grumpier than usual .

But you woke up. Congratulations. And Welcome.

...and now you can dance to the music of the James Brown Band!

I'm thinking Sly: Boom shaka laka....(brash, declarative trumpet solo) ...Hey, hey, hey.

Rodney,
I think; therefore I am, I think?
Dave

"Religion exists only because millions are willing to accept its fantasies at face value . "
And, you know this, how? Sorry, RS, but that's just your opinion. You can no more prove it than a believer can prove the validity of that in which he believes.

"Our government is allowed to stand because of the common myth that it is serving the population, while any objective study of its function will find this to be a total lie."
I don't know about you, but I'm rather fond of roads, schools, the EPA, the FDA, Medicare and Social Security, just to name a few of the services my government provides. Could quality and efficiency be better? Sure, but that doesn't mean we throw out the baby with the bathwater.

"We accept money as having value only because we have all agreed that it does,"
This really was true even when we were on the gold standard, but is even more true now. Dems da breaks.

". . . despite the fact , especially currently , that it is only as good as the worthless promises of our politicians."
No, the way money works, it really is all about our confidence in the value of the money--regardless of the promises (worthless or not--another assumption I question) of politicians.

"We accept our relationship with our SO or IO as being central to our lives, when a rigorous and honest questioning of that relationship would probably destroy it."
I disagree. Your relationship is what the two of you want to make it. It may take two to make it work well, but if you can agree on that basic premise, most people can manage satisfying, fulfilling relationships.

"I woke up very early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep . I am probably grumpier than usual."
Yeah--I'm used to your extreme cynicism, but the grumpy part is unusual! Maybe a nap would help?

Grumpy works for me. As does your basic premise that our lives are structured around a network of assumptions. I am not sure I agree with the part about the assumptions all be fallacious. You chose examples which fit your idea of 'falacious assumptions', but I don't think are universal, or at least are not fallacious according to your reasoning, but may be fallacious for other reasons.

Religion - one person's fallacious religion is another's mainstay in life.

Government - I think that example could be effectively argued both ways.

Money - I think you are right on with the money example. There is a group of islanders in the Pacific, (can't remember the name just now) whose currency was huge stones with a hole in the middle, quarried from another island and brought to theirs at great effort. They all agreed and accepted that this was the money. Stones.

The relationship - You have a point, dubious as it may be. Every relationship is a contract and agreement to accept certain realities and certain unrealities. When one or the other partner begins to question the validity of the contract, that's when the relationship begins to crumble.

Now, go get another cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese and lox, and come back in a better mood. We miss the usual cheery cynic we all know and love.

We're emerging from an era where perception is reality. The Bushies believed in "as little government as possible" except when it came to terrorists when looking under every bed was permissible or direct government intervention in the matter of Terry Shivo. (As my wife says, the Bushies called Congress into a Sunday session over Shivo, but they wouldn't lift a finger to respond to Katrina.) Well, beginning in 2005, hard truth began rudely shoving politically manufactured perceptions aside. When the fog cleared, the U.S. found itself broke, friendless, and embarrassed.

Religion: Humans probably have a "God" gene which may explain much of the confusion on the subject. People need to believe. The problem has always been the people's need to reinforce their beliefs by denying the beliefs of their neighbors. That tendency has led to more mischief than just about any other human foible.

Curiously, those who would deny God and religion behave more like spiteful children determined to ruin their parent's morning coffee.

For all this, the question remains: Does God exist? It's a question I'm convinced will never be answered on our tired old planet. The existence of planets orbiting other stars (some three times as old as our own), poly extremophiles that could not have originated here, and the certainty that we will find other civilizations in this century (probably in the next twenty years), turns the whole question upside down and inside out. Trust me. The first question we ask others will be "do you believe in God?"

Government: Winston Churchill said it best. "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the rest."

Money: Mostly, its code bouncing from one server to another. The only people who truly understand money are those who don't have any. For them, money equals survival. For everyone else, it's simply plastic.

Relationships: I've been married for 34 years and I have two daughters. I think I'll punt.

Perp, because the believers cannot prove what they "believe" , that pretty much proves my point about religion .On government , I will call that a stalemate , as Marti says .The Pacific island with the big money was Yap Island , Marti .Each relationship is as unique as the two ( or more, LOL) people in it , virtually every one that I have observed closely enough to obtain some understanding of the dynamics has some " restricted areas" which are restricted because there are buried mines there which can blow the whole relationship to hell .

"Curiously, those who would deny God and religion behave more like spiteful children determined to ruin their parent's morning coffee."

I respect most atheists. There may be some as you describe, as well as believers who exhibit that behavior.

Most atheists live good and loving lives, expecting nothing from a god in return.