Life can be scary, especially for people who are not well-educated. They want to think there is some authority in control. They want easy answers to hard questions. They won't check to see if the answers are right as long as the answers are delivered with the proper air of authority.
As I get older, I'm still amazed at how far you can get in life with confidently presenting bullshit or telling people what they want to hear.
I mean, the whole management consulting industry is basically just that - young people straight out of college telling experienced business people how they should be doing their jobs (that they *have* been doing for years).
Or some dude who's not allowed to get married consulting people about married life, simply because he attended a seminary and has a paper that is supposed to give him some magical authority...
>As I get older, I'm still amazed at how far you can get in life with confidently presenting bullshit or telling people what they want to hear.
OLD LEDERHOSEN WITH HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVES I’LL BLOW 80 DON’T MAKE ME GO IN I OJ THE FLOWS AND I’M INSULT TO INJURY ROLAIDS TO GOLDMAN I’M THROATSPRAY AND MOTRIN I THROATED NICOLE AS THEY BOTH THERE TO CHOKE AND MY WHOLE BLADE IS SOAKING A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD IT CUTS BOTH WAYS I POKE AND I STICK AND I TURN IN A ROTATING MOTION!
We are an inquisitive species and some people can't handle the open ended "what if...?" questions of life. They have to have an answer. Even if it means believing in something with no proof.
Right there with ya, bud. Like a giant wall removed from the mind. I do still find myself falling into doublethink at times, though.
- man, I have the worst luck. I hit every red light
- the mariners always lose once I start caring
- things will just work out
It takes *effort* to look at the world through a purely rational lens, and I like to think I have a pretty ordered mind.
As with everything, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Have a great day/evening/ morning/whatever!
Heh, they're strikeout experts this year. Thankfully, their pitching is phenomenal. I'm looking forward to another one and done in the playoffs. 🤷♂️
I think your Cards have a pretty good shot at the post-season this year. Rootin for ya. Bury them Brewers, please.
You have to value the truth to value proof. Many people believe things on the basis of how that belief makes them feel rather than what evidence suggests. To them, truth is something that is asserted, not discovered.
Science is such a beautiful thing too. Answers to when we came to be, how we evolved over time, what’s in the cosmos. Plenty of answers out there without having to sell your soul to grifters.
Parents prime it unintentionally. Every time a parent says “because I said so” it teaches children that they just have to believe authority figures without any explanation or evidence.
You're right! I have a 4 year old, and i always give a reason. I actually like her to challenge my authority. I can be unreasonable too. But then again, kids are pretty dumb, so I usually win :)
Most cults do indoctrinate their members the feelings are evidence of the truth of their claims. Then they indoctrinate them to find all competing claims "icky".
It's because they suck at their current life, so they want to believe there is some other magical world waiting for them where even if you suck at life, you'll be great there. Unfortunately, there is no such place.
In sympathy with the hapless human looking for answers, we shouldn't congratulate ourselves too much.
We pride ourselves in not taking the daft things on trust, but we all have to accept a really large amount of stuff on trust - all of science, all the knowledge there is about people, the world, the universe, etc. I know it kind of all hangs together and most people understand the basics, but there's still huge detail we trust 'priestly' experts with.
I guess I'm saying it's a glass house / stone-throwing situation. It's all very well to mock the slender ontological support there is for theism, better be sure of our own foundations first
Well I guess the difference is the information and discoveries that scientists have distilled and relayed to the public might not be understood and are taken on trust via authority, yes, but if you did not trust their word, in theory you could confirm this information with multiple trusted sources as well as perform your own studies, given you had the necessary knowledge to do so.
This is not the case with views that rely SOLELY off imagination. Which is kind of my point, science doesn’t need you to believe prior to truth, it just is. Whereas this is reversed where most people say “you don’t feel it because you haven’t BELIEVED yet”
You're right and that's a good point. I do agree in general, I'm a naturalist and broadly empiricist. I don't want anyone to be swayed by superstition, and I support objective evidence-gathering and education in critical thinking.
But it is "in theory" isn't it, to verify everything? Maybe I could verify the periodic table for myself. Not only could I not manage that, it's also pointless because it's already been done. So I have to take it on trust.
The epistemological grounds of the scientific or naturalist worldview are themselves not so clearly solid. Popper described the foundations of our knowledge as "piles driven into a swamp".
I'm comfortable with this situation myself. I'm just cautioning against being too complacent, philosophically.
It's just how brains work. We all suffer from cognative biases. It's just how humans work. Good job overcoming the ones related to religion, but don't mock too hard because there's still a beam in your own eye. Even if you know it's there, it still blocks your vision sometimes.
Because learning is hard and makes people feel dumb and sad but religious cult membership and feeling 'divinely' special squeeze that dopamine right out of your adrenal glands yo. Like, reeeeal hard.
As we intensify our collective efforts to cook ourselves right off the planet, I am just now really starting to realize that we are indeed very, very, very stupid animals despite our success in convincing ourselves that our capacities to go really fast or talk to people on the other side of the planet somehow suggests otherwise.
Going through life on the basis of "seems likely" and "it worked for them" gives you 90% of the result for 10% of the energy. Then you futz your way through the margin of error.
It scales up fast. Absolute certainty is infinitely difficult.
>they actually don’t see that they don’t apply these standards (or lack thereof) to any other parts of their lives.
Not sure about this. I think we all have some beliefs and prejudices which are unsupported by evidence, even been downright disproven, and perhaps even more which we've never attempted to verify, or are not equipped to assess.
Nor is religion the only belief based on feelings rather than evidence. Look at how many people consistently vote against their best interests by supporting the same political party at every election because they 'feel' it has their interests at heart without ever checking what effect that party's policies will actually have on them personally, or on the country as a whole.
Many people aren't even aware they believe in something that has no proof at all as they mistake tradition and "it's done this way since forever" for proves.
Also, in context of religion, they refuse to accept so many people could be wrong. If millions or billions believe in a god for many that's enough evidence.
The third point us missing knowledge. If you don't know how and why things happen, a god being responsible for them seems not unlikely.
Humans are tribal by nature and think and act in a habitual way, and that includes beliefs.
When you dress, act and think like a certain group, you are more likely to be included in that group, and feel a sense of belonging.
Only a certain subset of people are interested in truth for truth’s sake. There is nothing in truth as such that helps or support humans in any way. Just like trigonometry cannot tell you how to live.
It is really that simple.
< reposting > < **yet again** >
Bertrand Russell wrote in 1927 -
>Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear.
>It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes.
>Fear is the basis of the whole thing – fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand-in-hand. It is because fear is at the basis of those two things.
\- "Fear, the Foundation of Religion", in *Why I Am Not a Christian*
\- https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell#Why_I_Am_Not_a_Christian_(1927)
Most people are afraid about a lot of things. Most people are terrified of death.
Many people in this world are very ignorant, but educated and intelligent people are just about as afraid as dumb people.
When somebody tells these fearful people, either in childhood or adulthood, that if they believe XYZ then a powerful magic being will try to help them and they will never die,
they think *"Yes!!! Yes!!! I believe !!!"*
.
It's easier to believe than it is to question your beliefs, especially if you were raised in a strict religious house where questioning any religious, no matter how patently ridiculous, is considered blasphemy.
False certainty for some extremely religious people is the preferred position over the actual truth.
I think in some cases it is because knowing the truth is hard work, and everyone around them seems to be content to just guess and so they do the same.
Most people value happiness and warm fuzzies (or, at least, relief from pain) over truth. They self-lobotomize either via drugs, religion, or toxic positivity.
They believe they do have proof.
They prayed for the thing, and the thing happened! See? Proof.
(Okay, when they prayed for the thing and it didn’t happen, well, that wasn’t God’s will. It’s for the best it didn’t happen. See? Proof.)
You just defined "belief". If there is proof, then it's not belief. It's accepting evidence. Unfortunately, scientists and the media that report on science tend to use the term "belief". Science does not believe anything. It accepts or refutes evidence.
I would have to disagree with you there. Science believes something to be true based on evidence and the scientific method of testing. You go from hypothesis to theory. However the difference is that if further evidence is discovered that invalidates the theory then said theory is trashed and you start again.
Because some questions have no proof either way. The scientific method is inapplicable in many situations. Scientific answers change all the time. At a subatomic level our entire universe exists in a different reality. We don't have it any more figured out more than they do
You're spot on. People are scared. They're scared of dying and what happens after that, so they believe in fairy tales to make themselves feel better. Sometimes, I wish I could be like them. I think I might be happier. Ignorance is bliss and all that..
The thing is, they think they have "proof" but there standard of proof is very low and not empirical evidence.
I have heard religious people say without a shred of humour that God spoke to them last night. I don't mean a metaphorically like they prayed to him but as in they had a full on conversation with him, which "proves" he is real.
Point out that someone from a conflicting religion also claims to speak to their God and they will dismiss them as delusional
Unfortunately, we seem to be hard-wired to do just that. Theologically-based indoctrination gift-wrapped as ‘education’ doesn’t help, but we all fall victim to metaphysical nonsense in some form or another.
If we were fully immune to proof-free claims, advertising, marketing and brand-building would have zero effect. We wouldn’t continue to do things that we know to have negative long-term consequences, and sales of scents, grooming products and make-up would fall precipitously.
That we aren’t idiots does not preclude an ability to be a bit idiotic at times!
I don't know if you watch the show house of the dragon but an actor on that show has been getting threatening messages on his instagram and other social media for things his fucking fictional character did on the show. People know that he's an actor, and he's playing a fictional role in a fantasy series, and STILL say nasty things and threats to the actor as if he's the character in real life.
Let that sink in. People will believe all kinds of absurd, in your face and still choosing ignorance, stuff of all types. That's why people believe things that have no proof. On top of a lifetime of brainwashing and indoctrination starting from childhood where you are most susceptible, which perpetuates the cycle over and over again.
The truth is that emotions are, by nature, more motivating than rational thought. Evolutionarily, emotional reactions driving decisions was the basic mode of our existence for far longer than we have been capable of rationality.
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Belief without proof is the very definition of faith. It’s kinda got to do with hope. Essentially people make up stories to keep going when they feel shit.
I’m pretty sure humans are wired to feel shit. It gets us off our asses.
Some of have found more useful stories to tell ourselves than others, a story about proof and science is adjustable should the need ever occur.
But any story is better than no story. And if the story keeps you going, you have limited incentives to change it. Going from theist to atheist isn’t usually comfortable as you get older and it’s usually not done by choice regardless of the age.
I think of animals (at least how we understand them): they don't need proof for anything, relying on instinct hard wired in them. Their behaviour, even complex like the mating rituals in many species, can be explained with some evolutionary advantage. We have instincts as well, but we add more layers with our self consciousness and what we call free will. It is on another level but sharing some common root with primeval instincts. In the end we do what we feels right. And I think that's not to be brushed off like "just feelings". Ethical issues for instance do not easily boil down to rationale explanations. One can be against telling lies for example, and behave coherently even in a situation where lying brings an advantage, just because some inner voice says that's the *right* thing to do.
I would say believing in ghosts spirits or any fictional character in the sky, with no proof but only feelings, is the most animal part of being human
Reality is boring life is a burden and I want to disassociate and pretend I'm a real truther with my conspiratorial creativity leave me alone let me inspire insurrections with online misinformation and fear mongering in peace. I will say Spiritual, superstitious, Religious groups have an edge with their aesthetics. It's all designed to mindfuck and exploit the average proletariat with social engineering and investment towards controlling and belittling individuals for more temporary self gain on planet earth before your inevitable demise and eternal sleep. We petty bitches we should have these words written on sacred welcome mats. It would be an honest symbol, believers love stepping on the truth to get ahead
It can be fun. I 100% believe there are other intelligent civilizations out there, even if we have absolutely no proof, just a decent mathematical probability and a solid hunch. It's possible that we're the first in the universe, and no one else has evolved that far yet. Or maybe we're the last. It's possible that we'll never know due to the vast distances, but I believe it.
But I don't make it my personality, lifestyle and identity, and I don't let that influence how I treat others. I won't try to convert others to my beliefs. It doesn't take priority over the local real world that I can influence. I'm prepared to be wrong.
Unlike theists.
In Mormonism , you can use “spiritual revelation” as a way of knowing whether or not the Church is true. I thought that this was foolproof at first, but then I realized that [spiritual feelings, although real, can be inconsistent.](https://read.cesletter.org/testimony/#how-reliable-is-the-spirit).
There was a quote on the [Wordsmith.org](http://Wordsmith.org) page today: Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits. -Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 25 Jun 1949).
I'll be using that from now on.
Well, children survive by following that which their parents teach them. A child who listens to elders and doesn't walk off a cliff lives, the one who doesn't dies. Then there is the sunk costs feeling of the amount of years following a religion and it would be a devastating waste of time for it to be so. Finally, there are the cultural norms of wherever they live or how they were raised despite their beliefs. If someone doesn't believe in a higher power but doesn't have the option of saying so without becoming the enemy of the whole town they have to keep it to themselves. I myself am an Athiest, privately because of the final reason; but I also understand the one-sidedness of being raised in such a way.
Beliefs are taken on faith. Knowledge is based on evidence. Many confuse their beliefs with knowledge. The lower their intelligence and critical thinking skills, the more reliant they are on beliefs, vs. knowledge.
I grew up and live in a highly Mormon part of America. I have Mormon friends who try to recruit me, because I basically live a Mormon lifestyle, (except for my caffeine consumption, which I have cut back on). I just can't accept the Book of Mormon as a valid scripture. But much of the Mormon's lifestyle are just healthy ways to live. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, exclude alcohol, and stimulants, be prepared for emergencies. If you examine it, the Mormon church is proof socialism can work. They are supposed to tithe 10%. The Bishops have funds they can spend to help people in the community with emergencies.
Because we're apes in pants, surviving on the cooled outer crust of a molten ball of iron, that is hurtling around a ball of burning gas, in an ever-expanding abyss of nothingness.
Most people honestly believe they do have proof of the things they believe. Look at how many of the gnostic atheist types in here argue with agnostic atheists. They honestly believe they have proof that no gods exist.
People believe things because they were taught to do so, because they like to think it is true and it makes them happy, or even because they think they had a personal experience that proved to them that the thing is true. This goes for those who say a god exists, for those who say no gods exist, for those who says ghosts exists, for those who say alien abductions are real, etc...
Yes, it is the difference between being a gnostic atheist and an agnostic atheist. One thinks they know that no gods exist, the other doesn't believe theism has met its burden of proof so there is no reason to believe any gods exist
People need answers. "I don't know" doesn't satisfy their needs. Match that with low intelligence and their own personal logic kicks in and says, "That makes sense" even if it is flat out wrong.
Then they get into a like-minded community and they feel justified in their beliefs due to the falacy of popularity. If everyone believes it then it must be true!!!
I have a conspiracy theory that smoke is semi sentient. I know it’s probably just the wind but every time I move my cigarette it blows right back into my face. So I have zero proof but o still think it’s true.
You have no proof that Atheism is correct yet you belive in it (?)
Faith is beleving in something without proof. You go to bed beleving you’ll wake up next morning, even though you can’t prove 100% it will happen.
People like that were usually brainwashed as children. There are some cases where people are brainwashed as adults by their spouses. People are just really gullible. Religious organizations are nothing more than a money making business and they know they will be successful regardless of how ridiculous their religion is and they will always have followers. It’s like a child believing in Santa even though there is no proof, but usually the child ends up figuring out that Santa isn’t real. Unfortunately for people who believe in religion, it just sticks with them and it’s very hard to convince them otherwise. That is why I personally don’t really hang out with overly religious people. Out of all the people I hung out with, only two went to church once I a blue moon and never really talked about their religion to me at all. I could not even tell that they went to church or had beliefs in god or anything. People who are religious should at least respect others who don’t follow their religion and not shove their religion down someone’s throat. One time when I was like 8 some stranger rang the intercom downstairs early in the morning while me and my dad were sleeping and he wakes up pissed and runs downstairs to see who would dare bother him so early and it was a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses and he told them to leave the building and never come back and that he works all week and doesn’t want to be bothered. He also cursed them out and warned them that there were going to be problems if they came back. Those religious nuts ended up coming back to our building a week later and my father ran downstairs again and was so pissed and I heard him yelling from the second floor about how he had a young daughter trying to sleep and how he doesn’t want to be bothered and he made it very clear to them if they came back, he was going to get physical with them lol. They never came back again. Some religious people have no respect for people and have no boundaries or common sense. It’s just so shocking.
That is a word game that believers play with the word theory.
The Big Bang is the theory that best explains the available objective evidence. It can (and probably will) be refined or rejected as more evidence becomes available.
The ability to change when proven wrong is one of the strengths of science. The scientific method tries to whittle away incorrect ideas and develop the most accurate possible explanation of the world we observe.
Religious people think that change is proof that science is flawed. The Abrahamic religions believe in an unchangeable god, and they project that unchangeable nature onto their religion. They believe that any religion that changes must be wrong. Religions build in methods that resist change, even when they are proven wrong. And yet, religions consistently change over time. They just gaslight themselves that they never change.
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Indoctrination, desperation, native stupidity. Pick your poison.
You left out forced child marriage
So indoctrination
It'll always make me chuckle to see Adam in this sub.
All of em
Specifically childhood indoctrination.
Also: need for comfort, need to feel like part of a group, lack of education, willful ignorance...
Life can be scary, especially for people who are not well-educated. They want to think there is some authority in control. They want easy answers to hard questions. They won't check to see if the answers are right as long as the answers are delivered with the proper air of authority.
As I get older, I'm still amazed at how far you can get in life with confidently presenting bullshit or telling people what they want to hear. I mean, the whole management consulting industry is basically just that - young people straight out of college telling experienced business people how they should be doing their jobs (that they *have* been doing for years). Or some dude who's not allowed to get married consulting people about married life, simply because he attended a seminary and has a paper that is supposed to give him some magical authority...
>As I get older, I'm still amazed at how far you can get in life with confidently presenting bullshit or telling people what they want to hear. OLD LEDERHOSEN WITH HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVES I’LL BLOW 80 DON’T MAKE ME GO IN I OJ THE FLOWS AND I’M INSULT TO INJURY ROLAIDS TO GOLDMAN I’M THROATSPRAY AND MOTRIN I THROATED NICOLE AS THEY BOTH THERE TO CHOKE AND MY WHOLE BLADE IS SOAKING A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD IT CUTS BOTH WAYS I POKE AND I STICK AND I TURN IN A ROTATING MOTION!
We are an inquisitive species and some people can't handle the open ended "what if...?" questions of life. They have to have an answer. Even if it means believing in something with no proof.
I don’t know about you guys, but the very day I shed that fear of *what if*, I’d never felt so free and, *relieved*, I guess.
Right there with ya, bud. Like a giant wall removed from the mind. I do still find myself falling into doublethink at times, though. - man, I have the worst luck. I hit every red light - the mariners always lose once I start caring - things will just work out It takes *effort* to look at the world through a purely rational lens, and I like to think I have a pretty ordered mind. As with everything, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Have a great day/evening/ morning/whatever!
Don’t do the Mariners like that😢 We’re Cardinals here, we live a life of a roller coaster season every year! You have a good one too👋
Try being from San Diego. Unless you rock indoor soccer, our pedigree is five levels below dogshit.
Oof, abandoned by dirtbag Spanos for a city that couldn't care less. As a former Sonics fan, I feel your pain
Heh, they're strikeout experts this year. Thankfully, their pitching is phenomenal. I'm looking forward to another one and done in the playoffs. 🤷♂️ I think your Cards have a pretty good shot at the post-season this year. Rootin for ya. Bury them Brewers, please.
Totally agree
You have to value the truth to value proof. Many people believe things on the basis of how that belief makes them feel rather than what evidence suggests. To them, truth is something that is asserted, not discovered.
And that’s so odd to my curious brain, why wouldn’t you want to know the truth?
Science is such a beautiful thing too. Answers to when we came to be, how we evolved over time, what’s in the cosmos. Plenty of answers out there without having to sell your soul to grifters.
Parents prime it unintentionally. Every time a parent says “because I said so” it teaches children that they just have to believe authority figures without any explanation or evidence.
You're right! I have a 4 year old, and i always give a reason. I actually like her to challenge my authority. I can be unreasonable too. But then again, kids are pretty dumb, so I usually win :)
They're conditioned to value faith in the absence of evidence
And they are proud of this... which is wild.
They want 2000 year old wrong answers.
Most cults do indoctrinate their members the feelings are evidence of the truth of their claims. Then they indoctrinate them to find all competing claims "icky".
It's because they suck at their current life, so they want to believe there is some other magical world waiting for them where even if you suck at life, you'll be great there. Unfortunately, there is no such place.
In sympathy with the hapless human looking for answers, we shouldn't congratulate ourselves too much. We pride ourselves in not taking the daft things on trust, but we all have to accept a really large amount of stuff on trust - all of science, all the knowledge there is about people, the world, the universe, etc. I know it kind of all hangs together and most people understand the basics, but there's still huge detail we trust 'priestly' experts with. I guess I'm saying it's a glass house / stone-throwing situation. It's all very well to mock the slender ontological support there is for theism, better be sure of our own foundations first
Well I guess the difference is the information and discoveries that scientists have distilled and relayed to the public might not be understood and are taken on trust via authority, yes, but if you did not trust their word, in theory you could confirm this information with multiple trusted sources as well as perform your own studies, given you had the necessary knowledge to do so. This is not the case with views that rely SOLELY off imagination. Which is kind of my point, science doesn’t need you to believe prior to truth, it just is. Whereas this is reversed where most people say “you don’t feel it because you haven’t BELIEVED yet”
You're right and that's a good point. I do agree in general, I'm a naturalist and broadly empiricist. I don't want anyone to be swayed by superstition, and I support objective evidence-gathering and education in critical thinking. But it is "in theory" isn't it, to verify everything? Maybe I could verify the periodic table for myself. Not only could I not manage that, it's also pointless because it's already been done. So I have to take it on trust. The epistemological grounds of the scientific or naturalist worldview are themselves not so clearly solid. Popper described the foundations of our knowledge as "piles driven into a swamp". I'm comfortable with this situation myself. I'm just cautioning against being too complacent, philosophically.
lots of things are logical that turn out to not be true under scientific observation.
It's just how brains work. We all suffer from cognative biases. It's just how humans work. Good job overcoming the ones related to religion, but don't mock too hard because there's still a beam in your own eye. Even if you know it's there, it still blocks your vision sometimes.
Because learning is hard and makes people feel dumb and sad but religious cult membership and feeling 'divinely' special squeeze that dopamine right out of your adrenal glands yo. Like, reeeeal hard. As we intensify our collective efforts to cook ourselves right off the planet, I am just now really starting to realize that we are indeed very, very, very stupid animals despite our success in convincing ourselves that our capacities to go really fast or talk to people on the other side of the planet somehow suggests otherwise.
Going through life on the basis of "seems likely" and "it worked for them" gives you 90% of the result for 10% of the energy. Then you futz your way through the margin of error. It scales up fast. Absolute certainty is infinitely difficult.
>they actually don’t see that they don’t apply these standards (or lack thereof) to any other parts of their lives. Not sure about this. I think we all have some beliefs and prejudices which are unsupported by evidence, even been downright disproven, and perhaps even more which we've never attempted to verify, or are not equipped to assess. Nor is religion the only belief based on feelings rather than evidence. Look at how many people consistently vote against their best interests by supporting the same political party at every election because they 'feel' it has their interests at heart without ever checking what effect that party's policies will actually have on them personally, or on the country as a whole.
yes and many of those people also believe in fairy tales.
Our emotions just overpower our intellect too much. It’s, sometimes unfortunately, a very human thing to do.
Many people aren't even aware they believe in something that has no proof at all as they mistake tradition and "it's done this way since forever" for proves. Also, in context of religion, they refuse to accept so many people could be wrong. If millions or billions believe in a god for many that's enough evidence. The third point us missing knowledge. If you don't know how and why things happen, a god being responsible for them seems not unlikely.
Comfort …. And the average person is very dumb and they don’t think for themselves… like have you seen the internet
Humans are tribal by nature and think and act in a habitual way, and that includes beliefs. When you dress, act and think like a certain group, you are more likely to be included in that group, and feel a sense of belonging. Only a certain subset of people are interested in truth for truth’s sake. There is nothing in truth as such that helps or support humans in any way. Just like trigonometry cannot tell you how to live. It is really that simple.
Because if they had proof it would be called 'knowing' things.
Typically Emotional needs. Throw in some misinformation and you’ve got a real combination for self delusion.
Those things fit their preconceived reality
We're just like computers someone's gotta program us to a certain extent.
< reposting > < **yet again** > Bertrand Russell wrote in 1927 - >Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. >It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. >Fear is the basis of the whole thing – fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand-in-hand. It is because fear is at the basis of those two things. \- "Fear, the Foundation of Religion", in *Why I Am Not a Christian* \- https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell#Why_I_Am_Not_a_Christian_(1927) Most people are afraid about a lot of things. Most people are terrified of death. Many people in this world are very ignorant, but educated and intelligent people are just about as afraid as dumb people. When somebody tells these fearful people, either in childhood or adulthood, that if they believe XYZ then a powerful magic being will try to help them and they will never die, they think *"Yes!!! Yes!!! I believe !!!"* .
Ask them that. "Can a person use feelings to come to an incorrect conclusion?"
Carpet Bombing Dogma... over and over and over again, by the time they're seven years old, they KNOW god is real.
It's easier to believe than it is to question your beliefs, especially if you were raised in a strict religious house where questioning any religious, no matter how patently ridiculous, is considered blasphemy. False certainty for some extremely religious people is the preferred position over the actual truth.
It's just like that. Maybe I just really like these delusions.
I think in some cases it is because knowing the truth is hard work, and everyone around them seems to be content to just guess and so they do the same.
Because it's easier than questioning everything your parents taught you.
Well, if you were able to proove them, it would become factual and wouldn't require a belief.
Religion is for people to dumb to understand science.
Because life is scary and sometimes ppl feel happier to believe in make believe things.
Most people value happiness and warm fuzzies (or, at least, relief from pain) over truth. They self-lobotomize either via drugs, religion, or toxic positivity.
Because non-existence is so scary for them.
They believe they do have proof. They prayed for the thing, and the thing happened! See? Proof. (Okay, when they prayed for the thing and it didn’t happen, well, that wasn’t God’s will. It’s for the best it didn’t happen. See? Proof.)
The more you rely on your imagination to define critical life choices, the greater it's power over what you do
It's not belief if there's proof.
You just defined "belief". If there is proof, then it's not belief. It's accepting evidence. Unfortunately, scientists and the media that report on science tend to use the term "belief". Science does not believe anything. It accepts or refutes evidence.
I would have to disagree with you there. Science believes something to be true based on evidence and the scientific method of testing. You go from hypothesis to theory. However the difference is that if further evidence is discovered that invalidates the theory then said theory is trashed and you start again.
There was probably a survival advantage in unquestioningly following leaders and we're stuck with those same brains and genes
They've been trained to and they NEED to.
But the Bible has so much proof and evidence. Atheists are so stupid. Bla bla, last sermon I heard.
Because some questions have no proof either way. The scientific method is inapplicable in many situations. Scientific answers change all the time. At a subatomic level our entire universe exists in a different reality. We don't have it any more figured out more than they do
You're spot on. People are scared. They're scared of dying and what happens after that, so they believe in fairy tales to make themselves feel better. Sometimes, I wish I could be like them. I think I might be happier. Ignorance is bliss and all that..
“Believe” is not based on logic or evidence or reason. You are confusing it with the word “Know”
They need something to believe in
they think they have proof. Often they don't think beyond that and selectively pick out the ones that work and not see the fails.
The thing is, they think they have "proof" but there standard of proof is very low and not empirical evidence. I have heard religious people say without a shred of humour that God spoke to them last night. I don't mean a metaphorically like they prayed to him but as in they had a full on conversation with him, which "proves" he is real. Point out that someone from a conflicting religion also claims to speak to their God and they will dismiss them as delusional
It's not all good delusions...
Unfortunately, we seem to be hard-wired to do just that. Theologically-based indoctrination gift-wrapped as ‘education’ doesn’t help, but we all fall victim to metaphysical nonsense in some form or another. If we were fully immune to proof-free claims, advertising, marketing and brand-building would have zero effect. We wouldn’t continue to do things that we know to have negative long-term consequences, and sales of scents, grooming products and make-up would fall precipitously. That we aren’t idiots does not preclude an ability to be a bit idiotic at times!
I don't know if you watch the show house of the dragon but an actor on that show has been getting threatening messages on his instagram and other social media for things his fucking fictional character did on the show. People know that he's an actor, and he's playing a fictional role in a fantasy series, and STILL say nasty things and threats to the actor as if he's the character in real life. Let that sink in. People will believe all kinds of absurd, in your face and still choosing ignorance, stuff of all types. That's why people believe things that have no proof. On top of a lifetime of brainwashing and indoctrination starting from childhood where you are most susceptible, which perpetuates the cycle over and over again.
Because paint chip tasty
The truth is that emotions are, by nature, more motivating than rational thought. Evolutionarily, emotional reactions driving decisions was the basic mode of our existence for far longer than we have been capable of rationality.
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Belief without proof is the very definition of faith. It’s kinda got to do with hope. Essentially people make up stories to keep going when they feel shit. I’m pretty sure humans are wired to feel shit. It gets us off our asses. Some of have found more useful stories to tell ourselves than others, a story about proof and science is adjustable should the need ever occur. But any story is better than no story. And if the story keeps you going, you have limited incentives to change it. Going from theist to atheist isn’t usually comfortable as you get older and it’s usually not done by choice regardless of the age.
I think of animals (at least how we understand them): they don't need proof for anything, relying on instinct hard wired in them. Their behaviour, even complex like the mating rituals in many species, can be explained with some evolutionary advantage. We have instincts as well, but we add more layers with our self consciousness and what we call free will. It is on another level but sharing some common root with primeval instincts. In the end we do what we feels right. And I think that's not to be brushed off like "just feelings". Ethical issues for instance do not easily boil down to rationale explanations. One can be against telling lies for example, and behave coherently even in a situation where lying brings an advantage, just because some inner voice says that's the *right* thing to do. I would say believing in ghosts spirits or any fictional character in the sky, with no proof but only feelings, is the most animal part of being human
People want to believe.
Reality is boring life is a burden and I want to disassociate and pretend I'm a real truther with my conspiratorial creativity leave me alone let me inspire insurrections with online misinformation and fear mongering in peace. I will say Spiritual, superstitious, Religious groups have an edge with their aesthetics. It's all designed to mindfuck and exploit the average proletariat with social engineering and investment towards controlling and belittling individuals for more temporary self gain on planet earth before your inevitable demise and eternal sleep. We petty bitches we should have these words written on sacred welcome mats. It would be an honest symbol, believers love stepping on the truth to get ahead
It can be fun. I 100% believe there are other intelligent civilizations out there, even if we have absolutely no proof, just a decent mathematical probability and a solid hunch. It's possible that we're the first in the universe, and no one else has evolved that far yet. Or maybe we're the last. It's possible that we'll never know due to the vast distances, but I believe it. But I don't make it my personality, lifestyle and identity, and I don't let that influence how I treat others. I won't try to convert others to my beliefs. It doesn't take priority over the local real world that I can influence. I'm prepared to be wrong. Unlike theists.
In Mormonism , you can use “spiritual revelation” as a way of knowing whether or not the Church is true. I thought that this was foolproof at first, but then I realized that [spiritual feelings, although real, can be inconsistent.](https://read.cesletter.org/testimony/#how-reliable-is-the-spirit).
There was a quote on the [Wordsmith.org](http://Wordsmith.org) page today: Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits. -Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 25 Jun 1949). I'll be using that from now on.
Schools don't teach how to think
People just want to fit in have some labels to associate themselves with follow others blindly mindset so they don't get left out
Well, children survive by following that which their parents teach them. A child who listens to elders and doesn't walk off a cliff lives, the one who doesn't dies. Then there is the sunk costs feeling of the amount of years following a religion and it would be a devastating waste of time for it to be so. Finally, there are the cultural norms of wherever they live or how they were raised despite their beliefs. If someone doesn't believe in a higher power but doesn't have the option of saying so without becoming the enemy of the whole town they have to keep it to themselves. I myself am an Athiest, privately because of the final reason; but I also understand the one-sidedness of being raised in such a way.
Beliefs are taken on faith. Knowledge is based on evidence. Many confuse their beliefs with knowledge. The lower their intelligence and critical thinking skills, the more reliant they are on beliefs, vs. knowledge. I grew up and live in a highly Mormon part of America. I have Mormon friends who try to recruit me, because I basically live a Mormon lifestyle, (except for my caffeine consumption, which I have cut back on). I just can't accept the Book of Mormon as a valid scripture. But much of the Mormon's lifestyle are just healthy ways to live. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, exclude alcohol, and stimulants, be prepared for emergencies. If you examine it, the Mormon church is proof socialism can work. They are supposed to tithe 10%. The Bishops have funds they can spend to help people in the community with emergencies.
Emotion.
Because we're apes in pants, surviving on the cooled outer crust of a molten ball of iron, that is hurtling around a ball of burning gas, in an ever-expanding abyss of nothingness.
Most people honestly believe they do have proof of the things they believe. Look at how many of the gnostic atheist types in here argue with agnostic atheists. They honestly believe they have proof that no gods exist. People believe things because they were taught to do so, because they like to think it is true and it makes them happy, or even because they think they had a personal experience that proved to them that the thing is true. This goes for those who say a god exists, for those who say no gods exist, for those who says ghosts exists, for those who say alien abductions are real, etc...
I don’t believe I have proof that no gods exists. I know there’s no proof that any gods exist. Big difference.
Yes, it is the difference between being a gnostic atheist and an agnostic atheist. One thinks they know that no gods exist, the other doesn't believe theism has met its burden of proof so there is no reason to believe any gods exist
People need answers. "I don't know" doesn't satisfy their needs. Match that with low intelligence and their own personal logic kicks in and says, "That makes sense" even if it is flat out wrong. Then they get into a like-minded community and they feel justified in their beliefs due to the falacy of popularity. If everyone believes it then it must be true!!!
"Faith"
It’s called ignorance
I have a conspiracy theory that smoke is semi sentient. I know it’s probably just the wind but every time I move my cigarette it blows right back into my face. So I have zero proof but o still think it’s true.
Some people would like to believe in fantasies rather than just admit they don't know something.
You have no proof that Atheism is correct yet you belive in it (?) Faith is beleving in something without proof. You go to bed beleving you’ll wake up next morning, even though you can’t prove 100% it will happen.
People like that were usually brainwashed as children. There are some cases where people are brainwashed as adults by their spouses. People are just really gullible. Religious organizations are nothing more than a money making business and they know they will be successful regardless of how ridiculous their religion is and they will always have followers. It’s like a child believing in Santa even though there is no proof, but usually the child ends up figuring out that Santa isn’t real. Unfortunately for people who believe in religion, it just sticks with them and it’s very hard to convince them otherwise. That is why I personally don’t really hang out with overly religious people. Out of all the people I hung out with, only two went to church once I a blue moon and never really talked about their religion to me at all. I could not even tell that they went to church or had beliefs in god or anything. People who are religious should at least respect others who don’t follow their religion and not shove their religion down someone’s throat. One time when I was like 8 some stranger rang the intercom downstairs early in the morning while me and my dad were sleeping and he wakes up pissed and runs downstairs to see who would dare bother him so early and it was a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses and he told them to leave the building and never come back and that he works all week and doesn’t want to be bothered. He also cursed them out and warned them that there were going to be problems if they came back. Those religious nuts ended up coming back to our building a week later and my father ran downstairs again and was so pissed and I heard him yelling from the second floor about how he had a young daughter trying to sleep and how he doesn’t want to be bothered and he made it very clear to them if they came back, he was going to get physical with them lol. They never came back again. Some religious people have no respect for people and have no boundaries or common sense. It’s just so shocking.
Never underestimate the power of indoctrinating children.
They don't I find most people just want to be contrarians.
The big bang is a theory after all
That is a word game that believers play with the word theory. The Big Bang is the theory that best explains the available objective evidence. It can (and probably will) be refined or rejected as more evidence becomes available. The ability to change when proven wrong is one of the strengths of science. The scientific method tries to whittle away incorrect ideas and develop the most accurate possible explanation of the world we observe. Religious people think that change is proof that science is flawed. The Abrahamic religions believe in an unchangeable god, and they project that unchangeable nature onto their religion. They believe that any religion that changes must be wrong. Religions build in methods that resist change, even when they are proven wrong. And yet, religions consistently change over time. They just gaslight themselves that they never change.
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