Benjamin Franklin

I think another possible reason is that people around us, our friends and parents can be quite disappointing at times so like kids having imaginary friends, humans invent an imaginary figure who can be their perfect friend or parental figure

BF

[ November 06, 2002: Message edited by: Benjamin Franklin ]</p>

hal9000

Nicely said Jobar. I think you hit the nail on the head.

Oxymoron

A large percentage of the world's population is starving, has malaria, is HIV positive and is gay. It's too much of a selection effect to confuse the mode with the mean - the majority with "normal" (by which I mean a default state).

Yes, but education was either non-existent, atrocious and/or religiously implemented. Religion was more political control and less belief. When societies stabilise, provide food and shelter for the majority of their populace and education for their children, the whole balance changes.

I'm not claiming that there isn't a genetic basis for religious belief, I'm simply warning that there are implicit selection effects to watch out for that could pollute the data set.

lpetrich

I have a problem with the view of religions as necessarily exclusivist. That may be a familiar feature of Abrahamic religions, but it is rare among non-Abrahamic ones.

Simply consider New Agers -- they practically make a principle out of cafeteria theology, encouraging people to shop for the most satisfying belief system or practice or whatever.

Present-day Japanese and Taiwanese are also somewhat like that, often practicing more than one religion. Thanx, Vorkosigan, for your comments about Taiwan and religion. And even the "Western" world's history has not been all-exclusivist; non-exclusivism was typical of the Greco-Roman world.

Synaesthesia

Atheism may represent a tiny minority, but I don't think that is grounds for pessimism.

First of all, most people really do not have any sense of God being involved in their life and they are not attached to sophisticated apologetical systems.

Secondly, only very recently has atheism become a legitimate topic of debate and discussion.

Thirdly, perhaps most important, atheism is over-represented in the higher academic world. The rate of atheism amgonst, say, scientists is many times higher than the general population. Atheism dominates psychology (for reasons we can all imagine). This is encouraging information. Education does make a difference.

ELECTROGOD

Why reach for "god"?
Well, the reason most fundi preachers seem to say is...
because they were strung out on drugs and booze!

A toast to the results of a clear thinking mind!

[ December 09, 2002: Message edited by: ELECTROGOD ]</p>

Odemus

I'm one of those easily controlled automatons hardwired to believe anything my genes have preprogrammed me to accept as reality.

I have faith in God because God gives me meaning. Without God there is no meaning regardless of what anyone says. Without meaning I'm already dead and this discussion is as futile now as it was when we were primordial soup.

HRG

I definitely doubt that a belief in an unevidenced and disembodied mind was preprogrammed in your genes. If you had grown up on an island as the child of atheists, I'm quite sure your mind would have still remained in its default state: lack of belief in gods.
I feel sorry for you that you feel the need to look for an exterior source for your meaning.
I refute your claim by defining as the meaning of my life the intelligent debates on the internet. Thus a non-theist meaning exists: meaning is always meaning to someone.

Regards,
HRG.

Answerer

I thought most people reach for God because their parents, friends and relatives say so when they are very young.

Kassiana

Why reach for god?

Kass:
Hm, recipe calls for one young goat, de-boned. Got it.

One small shallot, diced. Done.

One large roasting pan. Right here.

2 1/2 cups of God (any flavor, as long as it's Divine) Hm....gotta reach for the God...