Why are people still religious?

Hasn't everyone figured out it's about trying to separate you from your money?

It's all about fear. If you've been indoctrinated since birth and never leave your hometown and go off and see that the world is a bigger and more diverse place, you don't know what you're missing. It's the same thing with politics. Most people vote based on how their families always voted.

The idea of stepping away from all of that and finding yourself while potentially losing family members, friends, and connections that make life easier and more comfortable is a scary thought for anyone. Those who do that should be applauded for having the guts to go off and think for themselves. I sometimes think that's the bravest thing a person can do in this society.

I'm very thankful I'm a natural cynic. My parents took me to church and Sunday school (not intensely, just because) but I never bought into it. By the time I was 8, I was like...no thank you please.

My dad, a religious scholar, taught me from an early age what bs most of it is--made to control people. He's an avowed atheist and so am I.

Because it gives people great comfort in knowing that there is a greater power above man that will deliver us from this cruel cruel world.

God bless.

I ponder this daily! How can I trust your intelligence if you believe in Fairy Tales?

When I was a kid, my grandmother would often come to visit. She was a devout catholic but was having a difficulty ambulating so she did not physically go to church herself. Whenever she was around on Sunday, we would get dressed and leave the house telling her we were going to church. We'd return a couple of hours later never venturing anywhere near a church.

I was raised religious, and my parents are both religious, but they're not the type who talk about God/Jesus every day.

I used to pray everyday, even before age 12, when it became mandatory, according to my church. It was comforting to think that, after I died, there would be something even better than this life waiting for me: all my dead family members, plus a reward for all my suffering. It made death less scary. Now, as an atheist, I devote some of my therapy sessions to talking about my existential crises.

My parents are fine with me being gay. But I can't tell my mom I'm Atheist. She'd be too upset.

I took a 100-level "Religions of the World" college class. My take, after studying all those different religions: people are scared of dying and what happens afterwards.

Peer pressure has to be a factor too. I'm French. If I say that I am an atheist around here in France, pretty much everyone will be cool with that, including my old school catholic parents. Not so much when I was living in Texas though. How many times have I heard oh so well-meaning comebacks like "Don't say that" "You don't know that" "You cannot be serious" "It's because you haven't met Jesus yet" "Just give Jesus a chance" or "that's because you're French and you're a contrarian!"...

I believe there's something after death. I'm not sure if we become ghosts, go off to heaven, another plane of existence, get reincarnated, or what, but it's too depressing to think we just shut our eyes and our souls evaporate never to be heard of again. That said, I'm scared of the usual organized religion. It's inspired too much greed and violence over the years.

Because they believe the religions are right.

That's just who we are as a species, OP. It's been going on for thousands of years, so it's not like there is any new revelation to had about religion and its abuses. We are intelligent beings. Sufficiently intelligent to know that our lives are fraught with risk. But not intelligent enough to devise a way to insulate ourselves from that risk and the stress that accompanies it. Enter religion. The balm. The salve. The cocktail. The pill. That's its historical role. To soothe the pain, explain the unexplainable, to help us endure the unacceptable.

It's the all purpose ameliorative. After some guys figured out how to how to harness it to make money, there was no way to stop it.

Religious leaders have learned to bilk people because of their fear of death. The leaders claim they know what God wants and you have to pay for them to tell you.

It's a security blanket and a way they have of coping with a world that is cold, harsh, brutal and toxic. "The opiate of the masses." A lady I used to chat with years ago when I took the bus to work once said, "I can't do anything without The Lord."

Dying is actually a comforting thought. Suffering before dying is actually a scary thought. I don't understand why people feel like they want to go on living, experience some type of afterlife. To me, life is hard and, as they say in Buddhism: life is suffering. Dying would be a welcome and deserved end to all of this.

Fuck all religions. Take comfort in your future, long dirt nap.

Its about understanding. Once you realize there are forces at work , it changes everything. . Real religon is great. The gnostics are great.

[quote] life is suffering.

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suf-fer-ing.

In high school I told my Mom I was an atheist, and she teared up. I was shocked.

I had a guy tell me once he was simply playing the odds, since he is religious if he is correct he will go to heaven and if he is wrong, oh well it won't make any difference.

When I asked him why he thought his all knowing God will reward him for just playing the odds he really didn't have an answer.

R22, was the guy’s name Pascal?

I like the idea of assisted suicide centers. No worrying about the end, just go to sleep when you're ready to. If things get unbearable when you're old, just kick off!

The share of evangelicals who say that the Bible should be taken literally word for word is unchanged between 1984 and 2018. ~58%.

Among the general public, the share who take the literal view of the Bible was 37% in 1985. It's 32% today.

A drop of ~5 pts in 34 years.

[quote] Why are people still religious?

Because they aren't as superior as you, OP.

[quote] Why are people still religious?

Because Muhammud said so. He will cut off my hand if I disobey him.

I'm Jewish and the history and tradition are quite beautiful. All the OCD stuff like obeying the sabbath and keeping kosher, as well as the clannishness of the more religious Jews, seems almost cult-like to me at times.

R28 So is that a Yes or a NO?

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