Starspun

I was thinking about religious belief worldwide and a question came to mind that I will pose to you all. (if it has been asked already, answer if you want)
I know why I don't believe in god. Taking a scientific view of the world, I don't see the need for one to explain anything. But, I'm not the most intelligent person alive, so, the question of percentages came to mind. Why does 90% of the human population believe in a 'god' in whatever form? I mean, most people at some time will question their belief system, so, if 90% of humans (many whom are more intelligent than I), what am I missing in my reasoning? Is there a 'missing religious link' that I or we seem to be overlooking?

Secular Elation

The god meme has a strong tendency to propagate in human minds.

Or, Richard Dawkins wrote something to that effect in The Selfish Gene. Just be happy you are not one of those who have been infected by this meme. Be happy that you can think clearly and rationally through the religious nonsense.

Secular Elation

Additionally, I think religion and belief in deities is a strong component of much of human nature. It seems there is a minority that is deprogrammed from the mainstream, which includes you and me.

Jamie_L

I agree with the notion that humans are generally hardwired for religious belief. My wild speculation is that this sort of thing helped early societies triumph over other societies with weaker or no beliefs (it's easy to convince people to go to war and die when they are religious). I believe some of us who don't believe are just missing some of that hardwiring.

Jamie

lpetrich

However, there are important differences between different beliefs that suggest some psychological artifact, as a certain Xenophanes had noted:

joedad

That's also my position. Simply put, you are an uninfected observer.

joe

Jobar

This question has been asked many times, and in many ways. Why are some people skeptical of the religion they were taught as children? Those of us who were raised in religious families and are the only one to become unbelievers (like me) are fair evidence that it is neither nature nor nurture, exclusively. (I have a brother less than a year younger than I, who attends church every Sunday. Growing up together we read the same books, hung out with the same crowd, got drunk and stoned together. But when his first child was born- boom! instant Christian.)

It seems to me to be a complex blend of intelligence, curiosity, self-honesty, and just plain orneriness!

And though I am fascinated by this topic, it isn't for EoG. Let's put it in MRD.

Shadowy Man

Is this really true? Only a few people I've talked to have really spent any decent amount of time seriously questioning the nature and origin of their belief systems.

Joel

I have to agree with this. Most people I have had religious discussions with have never bothered to look at their beliefs with a critical eye. Of course, they are discouraged from thinking for themselves and that may have a lot to do with it.

Tom Sawyer

Religious beliefs give an order to people's lives. They give them hope and a purpose. Atheism, by definition, gives nothing.

When choosing whether to believe a lie that makes them happy or a truth that makes them uncomfortable, most people will believe the lie. That's why all the clever logical arguments that people here come up with don't work. Logic isn't a factor in their beliefs, so they ignore any contradictory evidence.