Why do People Believe?

Really, why do they? Why is it that they cast their trust in a god that may or may not exist? It must be tough for Christians specifically, because they have to deal with more than a few major problems. For one, our current "Word of God" has been edited; it's not the same book from 2,000 years ago. There could have been numerous little mistranslations. That, and there could have been many additions and subtractions throughout the centuries. Lastly, there are over 20 sects of Christianity alone. Someone must have made a mistake somewhere, and if only one path leads to salvation people aren't gonna be lonely in Hell. How do we know religion isn't truly a tool used to manipulate and control others?

Simply put, religion is a symptom of irrational hope and groundless faith. Another thing I don't understand is why there are religious people in Academia. It makes no sense. In any sort of job that requires a functioning brain you rely on facts, logic, and reason to do it well. As Dean of Medicine you don't have your staff prescribe 3 sessions of prayer every day until the patients are cured. Praying doesn't heal sarcoidoma or neuropathy, etc. There's always an underlining reason(s) for a problem. The part I don't get is why a person with a job that requires rationality... decides to cling to an irrational faith.

Why do they believe? You wouldn't believe that 2 + 2 = 5, so why believe in a God?

wake ,does god claim 2 + 2 = 5?

Medusa said:

wake ,does god claim 2 + 2 = 5?

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God hasn't claimed anything, last I heard from him. It's irrational to believe that 2 + 2 = 5.

In just a few words: Fear of mortality for the most part. For some people, religion offers some meaningfulness in their lives. For others, religion and belief is a way to satisfy the creative impulse. For most of us who do either believe in God, or have non-mainstream religious beliefs or practices, it's a way to perceive and view the world, which facilitates not getting a really crappy attitude towards our imperfections, and those of our fellow man.

Wake said:

God hasn't claimed anything, last I heard from him. It's irrational to believe that 2 + 2 = 5.

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what does it have to do god ?

i had thought you were a believer .so what is your belief now ? in my opinion you get a bit confused with the concept of god

lizzie said:

In just a few words: Fear of mortality.

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I was going to go off on a rant about why people believe, but you managed to sum it up perfectly with three words.

People believe for 1 reason...because they CHOOSE to. It doesnt matter if it is religion, theory, or even love.

RabidAlpaca said:

I was going to go off on a rant about why people believe, but you managed to sum it up perfectly with three words.

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In the interest of honesty and full disclosure- I did add to my post, lol. I believe that the primary motivation is fear, but I also believe that it's a little more complicated in many cases.

Wake said:

God hasn't claimed anything, last I heard from him. It's irrational to believe that 2 + 2 = 5.

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nowadays i find you a bit confused with the concept of god

what does math have to do with god?


............

many deists dont believe in other life but still believe in god.

For a lot of reasons, most of them bad. Vance's post above ^^ hits on the best one, but expands it in ways that are potentially loaded (e.g. conlflating "belief" in a theory with belief in God is faintly ridiculous). That's a sort of kierkegaardian look at faith (i.e. I recognize that God is unprovable, but choose personally to believe anyhow as a matter of personal conviction/choice). People also believe because they really really like the idea of a non-material world beyond our own, because they're desperate for something to provide meaning or hope in their lives, because they've been told that their religion is true by authority figures in their lives, etc. There are probably other reasons, but that's what I've got off the top of my head.

Wake said:

Really, why do they? Why is it that they cast their trust in a god that may or may not exist? It must be tough for Christians specifically, because they have to deal with more than a few major problems. For one, our current "Word of God" has been edited; it's not the same book from 2,000 years ago. There could have been numerous little mistranslations. That, and there could have been many additions and subtractions throughout the centuries. Lastly, there are over 20 sects of Christianity alone. Someone must have made a mistake somewhere, and if only one path leads to salvation people aren't gonna be lonely in Hell. How do we know religion isn't truly a tool used to manipulate and control others?

Simply put, religion is a symptom of irrational hope and groundless faith. Another thing I don't understand is why there are religious people in Academia. It makes no sense. In any sort of job that requires a functioning brain you rely on facts, logic, and reason to do it well. As Dean of Medicine you don't have your staff prescribe 3 sessions of prayer every day until the patients are cured. Praying doesn't heal sarcoidoma or neuropathy, etc. There's always an underlining reason(s) for a problem. The part I don't get is why a person with a job that requires rationality... decides to cling to an irrational faith.

Why do they believe? You wouldn't believe that 2 + 2 = 5, so why believe in a God?

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1. Fear of death can be a strong incentive. Personal experience can be a big factor for some. Maybe some of them just look at it differently than atheists do. They see God as the only logical and posible answer to "how did we get here" and I see the answer of God as only creating more problems. Depends on how you look at it.

2. If you believe the bible is god inspired it would be easy to believe that the translations, or the specific translation you like, was inspired. It doesn't make sense to me but I could see the reasoning.

3. There aren't very many in academia. Atheism has an extremely strong correlation with advanced degrees.

Wake said:

Really, why do they? Why is it that they cast their trust in a god that may or may not exist? It must be tough for Christians specifically, because they have to deal with more than a few major problems. For one, our current "Word of God" has been edited; it's not the same book from 2,000 years ago. There could have been numerous little mistranslations. That, and there could have been many additions and subtractions throughout the centuries. Lastly, there are over 20 sects of Christianity alone. Someone must have made a mistake somewhere, and if only one path leads to salvation people aren't gonna be lonely in Hell. How do we know religion isn't truly a tool used to manipulate and control others?

Simply put, religion is a symptom of irrational hope and groundless faith. Another thing I don't understand is why there are religious people in Academia. It makes no sense. In any sort of job that requires a functioning brain you rely on facts, logic, and reason to do it well. As Dean of Medicine you don't have your staff prescribe 3 sessions of prayer every day until the patients are cured. Praying doesn't heal sarcoidoma or neuropathy, etc. There's always an underlining reason(s) for a problem. The part I don't get is why a person with a job that requires rationality... decides to cling to an irrational faith.

Why do they believe? You wouldn't believe that 2 + 2 = 5, so why believe in a God?

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• People believe because their faith gives them hope for an afterlife.
• Their faith helps them in the darkest hours of their lives...losing a child immediately coming to mind...their own dying...
• It provides a blueprint for living that helps them navigate their way through a sometimes chaotic world.

It does no harm. Living one's life by, "What would Jesus do?" can hardly be called a bad thing. I just don't know why so many people go out of their way to disprove it. You will never shake the faithful. Why, on EARTH! would one want to??

MaggieD said:

[
It does no harm. Living one's life by, "What would Jesus do?" can hardly be called a bad thing. I just don't know why so many people go out of their way to disprove it. You will never shake the faithful. Why, on EARTH! would one want to??

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Because they can't relate, and they don't want to think that they may be wrong. For many people, there is a sense of safety in numbers, and the more others agree with you (no matter what your belief is- or not), the more secure you feel with it.

lizzie said:

In just a few words: Fear of mortality for the most part. For some people, religion offers some meaningfulness in their lives. For others, religion and belief is a way to satisfy the creative impulse. For most of us who do either believe in God, or have non-mainstream religious beliefs or practices, it's a way to perceive and view the world, which facilitates not getting a really crappy attitude towards our imperfections, and those of our fellow man.

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Wouldnt it be more appropriate (not picking a fight) but to say instead "fear of immortality"? If life is all about the time we are here, then we cease to exist completely, then where is the rationale for fear? We do what we do, we live, we die, no more. No rules, screw over any and everyone you want, he who dies with the most toys wins. However...if there is an eternal consequence.....

This reminds me of an event that happened a few years back. It was the end of my fourth tour and I was catching a flight home from Iraq. People frequently waited outside the fence at the airport with shoulder fired rockets to shoot at planes, which is why they normally took off and landed under the cover of darkness. On this day they wasted too much time and it was starting to turn light when we took off. We hadn't been off the ground but a few seconds when we got hit twice blowing up two of the engines. We thought we were all going to die. Amazingly they were able to make an emergency landing back on the runway, escorted everyone off the plane and over to a building for a debriefing.

When I was talking to people during/after that debriefing nearly everyone said they prayed, even people that don't go to church and didn't consider themselves religious. So what was it that made them believe/want to believe? Fear, Hope, maybe all of the above.

VanceMack said:

Wouldnt it be more appropriate (not picking a fight) but to say instead "fear of immortality"? If life is all about the time we are here, then we cease to exist completely, then where is the rationale for fear? We do what we do, we live, we die, no more. No rules, screw over any and everyone you want, he who dies with the most toys wins. However...if there is an eternal consequence.....

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Maybe for some people, but I tend to think that most people fear mortality more than they fear the idea of living forever. They can't stand the thought that this life is all there is, because it can be filled with such pain and sorrow.

This is probably not going to make any sense to some, but I believe because not only do I believe but science tells me that everything must have some type of beginning. The force that created the universe, osilating or otherwise is greater than anything man can concieve of. Dumbing down alittle bit, it was this force that created the laws of nature and set the wheels spinning. you can call this force whatever you want. I call it GOD.

As to the faith part well thats personal.

roughdraft274 said:

1. Fear of death can be a strong incentive. Personal experience can be a big factor for some. Maybe some of them just look at it differently than atheists do. They see God as the only logical and posible answer to "how did we get here" and I see the answer of God as only creating more problems. Depends on how you look at it.

2. If you believe the bible is god inspired it would be easy to believe that the translations, or the specific translation you like, was inspired. It doesn't make sense to me but I could see the reasoning.

3. There aren't very many in academia. Atheism has an extremely strong correlation with advanced degrees.

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Oh, I think you're going to have to be far more specific than this. Is there a correlation between particular disciplines and atheists?

And how do you define "advanced degrees"? Isn't a J.D. an advanced degree? Or MFA?

As for the Academy itself, you might be surprised by how many observant Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and others there are.

wolfman24 said:

This is probably not going to make any sense to some, but I believe because not only do I believe but science tells me that everything must have some type of beginning. The force that created the universe, osilating or otherwise is greater than anything man can concieve of. Dumbing down alittle bit, it was this force that created the laws of nature and set the wheels spinning. you can call this force whatever you want. I call it GOD.

As to the faith part well thats personal.

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That's about where I'm at right now... but who knows what else I may learn as I venture through the rest of my life?

Wake said:

The part I don't get is why a person with a job that requires rationality... decides to cling to an irrational faith.

Why do they believe? You wouldn't believe that 2 + 2 = 5, so why believe in a God?

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Because life can be so ****ing cruel and heartless that an irrational faith can provide some comfort to some people.

And I don't really begrudge them that.

samsmart said:

Because life can be so ****ing cruel and heartless that an irrational faith can provide some comfort to some people.

And I don't really begrudge them that.

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I do. One of the major components of the maturation process is coming to grips with reality as it actually is, no matter how it makes you feel. No one said life was going to be roses and cupcakes. It is what it is, whether one likes it or not. In fact, religion often gets in the way of people bettering their own lives because religion teaches people not to be responsible for their own lives, but to leave it in the hands of an imaginary friend in the sky.

Religion is dangerous and destructive.

Cephus said:

I do. One of the major components of the maturation process is coming to grips with reality as it actually is, no matter how it makes you feel. No one said life was going to be roses and cupcakes. It is what it is, whether one likes it or not. In fact, religion often gets in the way of people bettering their own lives because religion teaches people not to be responsible for their own lives, but to leave it in the hands of an imaginary friend in the sky.

Religion is dangerous and destructive.

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everybody is responsible for their own lives.but there is something called fate which can be simply defined as a fact that you cant control everything in this life..

Wake said:

Really, why do they? Why is it that they cast their trust in a god that may or may not exist? It must be tough for Christians specifically, because they have to deal with more than a few major problems. For one, our current "Word of God" has been edited; it's not the same book from 2,000 years ago. There could have been numerous little mistranslations. That, and there could have been many additions and subtractions throughout the centuries. Lastly, there are over 20 sects of Christianity alone. Someone must have made a mistake somewhere, and if only one path leads to salvation people aren't gonna be lonely in Hell. How do we know religion isn't truly a tool used to manipulate and control others?

Simply put, religion is a symptom of irrational hope and groundless faith. Another thing I don't understand is why there are religious people in Academia. It makes no sense. In any sort of job that requires a functioning brain you rely on facts, logic, and reason to do it well. As Dean of Medicine you don't have your staff prescribe 3 sessions of prayer every day until the patients are cured. Praying doesn't heal sarcoidoma or neuropathy, etc. There's always an underlining reason(s) for a problem. The part I don't get is why a person with a job that requires rationality... decides to cling to an irrational faith.

Why do they believe? You wouldn't believe that 2 + 2 = 5, so why believe in a God?

Click to expand...

I think that religion is a natural side effect of intelligence and curiosity. It is as Vonnegut said:

Tiger got to hunt, Bird got to fly
Man have to sit and wonder why why why
Tiger got to sleep, Bird got to land
Man got to tell himself he understand

The natural inclination of humans is to question and search for answers. When no answers are available, we still have to tell ourselves we understand why something is occurring (“we don’t know” is not a very satisfying answer for humans). Very early on in human evolution, our aggregated knowledge was rather sparse. As a result, we have invented the answers. Religion also fulfilled a roll for society at large. Societies coalesce, and as they aggregate to larger numbers, they begin to “agree” on certain standards, practices, and morality. Religion became a way to codify a particular society’s morals and to give a form of enforcement to it. And in many ways, it still serves that purpose; and that is why religion and specific morality differs from culture to culture.

Once created, you have the circle set up. Indoctrination at young ages brings people up in a culture where they accept the religion and the gods. After some time, it’s not even really questioned anymore, but rather taken as a base premise. Religion is solidified, we start to take it as the base level, over time it dominates and we get “stuck” in particular ways of thinking. But overall, religion has continually evolved and will continue to evolve as humans do so as well. Religion is a reflection of a society, and societies change over time. This is also why no one religion is infinitely stable.

nota bene said:

Oh, I think you're going to have to be far more specific than this. Is there a correlation between particular disciplines and atheists?

And how do you define "advanced degrees"? Isn't a J.D. an advanced degree? Or MFA?

As for the Academy itself, you might be surprised by how many observant Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and others there are.

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I'm no saying there's none, but to argue that there isn't a strong correlation would just be crazy. That's why you have conservatives always bitching about that damn secular acedemia. The more prestigious you are in your field the more likely you are to be non-religious, with an even higher number of those non religious in the sciences. There's studies on the subject, and here's just one from Nature magazine as an example.

Nature, "Leading scientists still reject God"  July 23, 1998

Medusa said:

everybody is responsible for their own lives.but there is something called fate which can be simply defined as a fact that you cant control everything in this life..

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Oh brother, there's no such thing as fate. :roll: