Why Do YOU Think People Believe in God?

[Miles]

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.... Any god!

"Why do people believe in God? For most people in the world, the answer seems obvious: Because it’s self-evident that God exists. From the point of view of the believer, the really puzzling question is how anyone could not believe.

And yet, as University of California at Irvine psychologist Brett Mercier and his colleagues point out in a recent article, there was once a time in the prehistory of our species when nobody believed in a god of any sort. Our evolutionary ancestors were all atheists, but somewhere along the way they found religion. So we’re back to our original question: Why do people believe in God?"
source

So, why do you think people believe in god?


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[Miles]

Yes, I would like text books to give both sides of the story---evolution and creation by God.

And what class would you like this taught in, Fact and Fantasy 101?

People are intelligent enough to be able to weigh both points of view and make up their own minds as to which makes more sense.

Obviously, it's done every day, but the question is; can they do it sensibly, rationally, reasonably, logically, and fairly? Something even intelligent people sometimes find impossible to do.

There is much more than the Flood story that causes me to believe in Intelligent Design.

Are you implying that the Flood Story causes you to believe in Intelligent Design? Please say No.

When you look at the complexity of even a single cell, I marvel at the work of God.

NO, when I look at the complexity of even a single cell, I sometimes delight in its detail. A fictional god has zippity doo dah to do with my reaction.

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[TRANSPONDER]

We strongly suspect that what is intended by 'teaching both sides in class 'is, where this is done, Creationist teachers and textbooks would lie about, misrepresent and denigrate evolution and pretty much dispose of that in the first half class. From then on it would be Creationism with the Bible as the basic science book. It would be interesting to allow this to be done just to see just how 'teaching both sides' actually looks.Yes, when we goddless look at the complexity of nature, we marvel, but we do not belittle and demean it by saying 'natural forces could not have done that = it must be a big invisible human'. The funny thing is that, even if we conceded the Intelligent Creator, we still have to decide which one.

I recall the vid No 38 was it? where the ID case is presented in almost insultingly skimpy terms and the 'which God' is leaped over straight to Jesusfaith. It is almost ludicrous how clumsy it was, but it really is common for the leap of faith from Creator to Jesus, with a leap of Faith we are supposed to ignore. I sorta get that they only ever have one god in mind, but to jump straight into Jesus is our Lord and Savior is a huge amount of claim and discussion simply sidelined.

[myth-one.com]

We are taught to believe in a particular god, created and re -created in our own image and we are taught the apologetics to trot out to support it, which were the ones our primitive ancestors used to invent it in the first place:

Yes, we not typically reach a certain age, perform a wide study of all religions, and then decide which religious affiliation we would join, if any. If I had been born into a Jewish family, I would probably be Jewish. Or if I had been born into a Muslim family I would probably be a Muslim.

Most of us were born into our religion and our God.

But what about the original people who had no one to teach them about their God? Why did they "create" gods to believe in.

I'll go with fear of the unknown and lack of knowledge and understanding about particular things - such as fire, the moon, existence, thoughts, and consciousness.

[TRANSPONDER]

We are taught to believe in a particular god, created and re -created in our own image and we are taught the apologetics to trot out to support it, which were the ones our primitive ancestors used to invent it in the first place:

Yes, we not typically reach a certain age, perform a wide study of all religions, and then decide which religious affiliation we would join, if any. If I had been born into a Jewish family, I would probably be Jewish. Or if I had been born into a Muslim family I would probably be a Muslim.

Most of us were born into our religion and our God.

But what about the original people who had no one to teach them about their God? Why did they "create" gods to believe in.

I'll go with fear of the unknown and lack of knowledge and understanding about particular things - such as fire, the moon, existence, thoughts, and consciousness.

I think the evolution of religion can be guessed from history and archaeology. There are a lot of factors but I see the two main ones as the fear of death and the bewildering questions of how the world worked and how to get it to work to suit us. Supposing a big invisible human did it all you find ways of getting this being to manipulate factors to get it doing right by you, your family and your tribe, is an obvious and evidence process.

The next being control, either by placating or bribing the gods with sacrifices but by trying to do prophecy.This is a bit harder to interpret how someone got the idea of reading the stars, goats' entrails or tea-leaves, but the illusion of patterns might have something to do with it Anyway, this is how I see religious beliefs and gods evolving, without getting into the role of power and authority in these beliefs.

[Tcg]

[Replying to Miles in post #1]

Comfort. Folks like to believe that death is not final. There is of course no evidence to support that it isn't, but belief in the god of their imagination helps them pretend it isn't.


Tcg

[TRANSPONDER]

[Replying to Miles in post #1]

Comfort. Folks like to believe that death is not final. There is of course no evidence to support that it isn't, but belief in the god of their imagination helps them pretend it isn't.


Tcg

That's a big part, but there is the use as answers to various puzzles; why is life sometimes unjust? How can we control thinks that seem beyond our control? We invent stories that seem probable to us, which is what we can expect for the time. The problem is when we find out how volcanoes work, but there is a powerful church of Vulcan who put their money and influence into suppressing the information and keeping the profitable myth going.

[myth-one.com]

The problem is when we find out how volcanoes work, but there is a powerful church of Vulcan who put their money and influence into suppressing the information and keeping the profitable myth going.

Also, people tend to hold on to what they have always been taught and seemingly enjoy defending it. It's difficult to break away.

This might be the same as the "comfort" bond mentioned by Tcg.

[TRANSPONDER]

The problem is when we find out how volcanoes work, but there is a powerful church of Vulcan who put their money and influence into suppressing the information and keeping the profitable myth going.

Also, people tend to hold on to what they have always been taught and seemingly enjoy defending it. It's difficult to break away.

This might be the same as the "comfort" bond mentioned by Tcg.

Yes. While I suggest how were invented gods and myths any why, the transmission of those stories as a thing we hold to and resist rethinking is a significant aspect. I am particularly thinking of the old ASEAN histories and how the demographics of various religions changed. How quickly the Philippines were converted to Christianity. In fact, had it not been for that, the Islands would have all gone Muslim (as in the south, and problematically) they still are. Muslims protest that the conversion of Java was peaceful. In the gradual assimilation of the first Muslim state (Acheh), yes, but then the wars with the other states (which they had done as Hindo- buddhist states, it must be noted) spread the religion, and the conquest never stopped until the Dutch took over. And despite their efforts, Christianity never succeeded against the entrenched Islam. I think the people are easier to convert when the religion is not believed but just done. Like animism (in the Philippines) it was easily superseded. But in places where Buddhism was part of people's daily life, Christianity and Islam made little progress. (e.g Burma, Siam and Cambodia). Where the cult is mainly about kingship, it may not be strong in the populace which I think is why Islam did so well in Malaya and Java.

This is a clue why Christianity did well in Rome, because the state cult of the Emperor had little appeal to the people, and rather exclusive cults like Mithras and Isis were not part of daily life. The appeal of Christianity may explain why it took off like wildfire and would have become the state religion even without Constantine.