Why are people so eager to believe?

Whether it is aliens or messiahs, yetis or modern-day plesiosaurs, demons or fairies, why do we pay homage to these seemingly flights of fancy? What is it that compels us, like moths, to flutter ever closer to the mirage of a solid flame. Is it the desire to be a part of something bigger then ourselves, to feel that we are important and special in some way? Do people feel rebellious or more like individuals for going against mainstream ideas of reality if not for the belief itself then for the excuse that it is ‘just not’ the mainstream? Or could it simply be a type of escapism from the harsh overtones of human society and the barbaric world that we have created. What is it that compels the logical human mind to vehemently believe in things that it can not begin to prove to another person that has not existed within the parameters of that mind?

This question itself is not concerned with proving or not proving that any specific thing exists. It is merely pondering the question of why such seemingly intelligent creatures would believe without question so many fantastic claims without rock-hard evidence which could possibly validate those claims via an external source.

I think, partly, it has to do with the fact that "rock-hard evidence" is becoming less and less a thing which exists anymore.

Any photo can be faked. Any video can be created with tricks and enough money, to look real. Any document can be forged. Any article can be written completely from the imagination and passed off as fact.

It doesn't help that everyone knows the powers that be occaisionally lie about certain things, bend truth here and there, engage in propaganda and disinformation and cover-up.

It doesn't help that some-to-most of the media contain a bias and report with an agenda.

The internet has allowed ideas to pass around faster and to more people than ever before.

The line between what IS true and what COULD be true is starting to blur in ways which are changing and will continue to change how we perceive reality.

I don't wish to prove or disprove anything with this post either - my feeling is that we are starting to experience a new type of reality - one that deals more with probable truth and less with factual truth. This isn't a good thing or a bad thing, but it can certainly cause disorientation.

I think we are moving into an era where it is no longer valuable to believe one thing to be the Cold, Hard Truth anymore. We are learning to remain open to all possibilities and to think and to act based on the idea that A or B may be true, and to take both into consideration.

its our eager inhibitions of wanting to know. its the indivual subjective reality floating around in each and everyone of our fragile human minds. its our prevailing desire to transcend the shadow of guilt and torment which might haunt your very existence. its the conflicting ideals that progress the relative concsious state. love and light to you all!

Originally posted by sturod84
its our eager inhibitions of wanting to know....

This runs alongside side my own feelings too. I think history has shown that, if nothing else (and there is plenty "else" in the human psyche!!), Human kind has had an inquisitive nature - some might say demonstrated from Biblical times, as an allegory, with the story of the apple that tempted Adam?

So, we have strived as a series of sentient beings to find out the 5W's+H of Life and our surroundings - be it via exploration, or science, or religion, or simply wanting to know what's round the next bend....

As for why we want to believe - perhaps we are guillable - perhaps we believe that there is a grain of truth in some of the evidence presented?

In my own case, I list astronomy as one of my interests: this was triggered at age 5 by my father pointing out the Plough and various constellations he knew (from his army training, as the Plough was used to show north). And I was "hooked" by the enormity of Space, of our own smallness in comparison.... Years later I understood some of the science behind Astronomy but I've never lost that sense of wonder, or my own "nothingness" or transcience in comparison to it. And, of course, in the Universe, I believe - truly - that if I can imagine it, then it almost certainly exists somewhere, or in some dimension It doesn't make it "real", of course, but the possibility exists that it might...

More, later, perhaps, on this interestig topic - thanx for raising it Jonna!!

Oh this ones fun x)

I imagine at one time, before bein human... as pure souls etc.. we all KNEW what was what... to a higher degree. But now weve descended here for whatever reasons... we are

in the land of "NOD" (zzzzz) coincidental pun.. sleeping, in states of belief... and duality of mind n soul etc.. researching the facts which melted a long time ago so probably dont matter too much.. even evil has to eVoL-uTe.


Lets take a hardcore christian,(HAHA)

he says "i believe in God and jesus"

Simple statement, nobody pulls it apart we know what he means...

But Does he know what he means? He thinks he knows but he dont..

[In 1 respect.. If god is THE ALL as they say.. then obviously we all believe IN
him/it, in the fact that we are 'IN IT'.. believing in wateva... so anything we do and feel n think is 'IN IT'..]

Christians are preaching to the world, WITH THEIR COMMERCIALI$ED CULT... that jesus is the way etc.. and we have to 'accept it as truth'... this piece of garbage bible some of them say has never been altered... and it clearly has.. but they dont know cause they dont read outside of it (generally speaking most christians dont?)

Anyway we have a silly little human, just like me, has picked up a concocted book by the governments and some shakespeare dude.. and gone loony... saying i must believe!

BE-LIE-VE! its the truth! they say... losing their friends over this dude jesus from suposedly 2000 years ago..

Jesus himself would probably say "verily i say unto you! get up off thine own backside and do for thy self! dont watch my butt! lol. ye are gods! love your friends! I DID NOT COME TO CONFUSE BUT TO PUT THINGS RIGHT!"

I ask them...

Do u believe in god? (YES) But arent u aware to believe means to have a doubt in? thats why we have the word belief.. were not sure.

So theyre bangin on like they kNOW.. but they still using the word belief.. GET UR WORDS STRAIGHT! stop saying u believe if u know, and if u dont KNOW shut ur mouth and take ur TAX EXEMPT churches and religion down! build houses out of them!! or anything we truly NEEEEEEEED. lol

They say its all about faith, and this spook holy ghost, if u dont hav it then u wont understand the bible.. like faith is some extreme potent energy we need to create inside us..

This spook holy ghost must be the thing that makes us close our minds to doubts and questioning thoughts,,, cause theres so much contradiction and stuff to question about the bible... but according to them ur not allowed to question god! haha. who said that? surely the bible doesnt?

Whos kinda wimp god dont like questions? my god loves questions.. 'IT' (THE ALL) says

" dammit BRY just ask anything cause theres too much to say! you are so welcome. lol"

So this word belief belongs to the VAMPIRES.. cause thats what the system is, vampiretic.. they wana suck your brains out thru ur heart along with ur soul.. thats the big deal about the word belief.. they swapped it for truth and knowing..

Its right alongside VOODOO.

People using certain words thoughts and belief systems are giving them power in the atomic structure of THE ALL.. which is THE god...... and are creating reality.. be it an illusion of an illusion of an illusion............. The ALL has no preference.. it just does things.

Know thyself... jesus probably said that i duno..

> Brian <

Religion/spirituality appears to be the easiest one to answer. Who would not want to believe that there is a caring parental figure watching us from afar, that there is a specific purpose for our lives and that at the end of our lives (if we are good obedient children) we will be reunited with that loving parent? It quells our fears of the unknown; it lulls us to sleep. Whether one believes in it or not, you cannot deny that there is a comforting security engrained in this belief.

It is the unverified personal experience that I have questions about: the alien abductions/experimentations, demonic possessions, spirit or unknown animal encounters, etc. At what point does one begin to question if what they believe they have experienced actually happened and what is gained by refusing to question these perceived phenomenon? Being of a logical and scientific mind, I question everything that I cannot acquire external verification on and still most things that I can. So what is gained by the individual that they are so eager to believe?

Ha, I like that. There's a No Use For A Name song called "Insecurity Alert" i believe, and one of the repeated lines is "You can't spell Believe without LIE." In my opinion, people believe in such things or search for the truth in such things because it makes living, well, liveable. If there's always something out of reach, then we always have something to work for. This may be conscious or not, but I think everyone has the desire to be an explorer, a desire to know something that no one else knows, to be the person that can stand up first and say "Look at what I've found!" I think that this is the driving factor in such things. This could go along with Christianity, those that have found Jesus are then able to tell people that havn't. I'm not saying that's the only reason people get into religions, hell, I'm a Christian so I believe in such things, but after looking at it carefully, this could be why many people get involved. They have a way to say "Look at what I've found! Let me show you!"

nufan

There are clearly many things we don't know & many new things being discovered each day, so naturally we all want to be in the first group that learns about something new. The only way to find new things that we don't know about is to believe they might exisit - if you don't look you'll likely never find it. Of course we all want to be seen as important or special - there's not much point if you can't at least bellieve that about yourself.

I do know sometimes the mainstream is wrong & I also know I've been lied to by the mainstream on more than one occasion & I have the evidence to back it up. Sometimes you just feel the mainstream is wrong and you need to find out for yourself. Even if you end up proving yourself wrong at least then you have the comfort of knowing for sure instead of just wondering the rest of your life.

"There are currently about 140 known worlds beyond our solar system". -Space.com 20 years ago how many people would have called you nuts to believe there were any other planets in the universe? 50 years ago youd be labeled a lunitic to believe such a thing. When I was born there were zero known worlds beyond our solar system - that tells me we didn't know crap then and we still don't know crap today.

When I was in high school the periodic table chart on the wall hadn't changed in many years. I was told something like "it is everything that everything is made of", but I think it became outdated while I was there & it has changed several times since. No, I'm not a cave man either.

I like to believe anything is possible, so naturally sometimes I fall for some of the BS, but I'd rather do that then be so closed minded the I miss the good stuff. Like other planets in the universe, life on mars etc.

[edit on 24-3-2005 by outsider]