Why Do we believe so in religion so blindly

Lets face the facts. Man is gettin smarter and he is starting to question everthing he was taught he HAD to believe.Take me. I am 17 years young and I have been taught at an early age that I had to believe in jesus, and if I didn't except jesus in my heart I would go to hell. Knowing that, I did it with no hesitation. So basically I didn't have a say in the matter. It was programmed in my brain at an early age that anybody who tries to derail me from my religion was a demon and I should not believe anything they say.So thats what I did until I was 16. I dont know how to explain it but something happened. I started to question my religion( even though i was told not to) and everything I was told to believe in. I started realizing that I was believing in my religion blindly.(as most people do). I was only believing in it because iI was told to. I could not understand why I was believing in a religion based on events in a book that they have absolutely NO proof actally happened. It would be like me finding a book on the ground about how the world started, reading it, and believe every single word without hesitaion.

So once again my question to the people is "Why do you believe in a religion that has NO PROOF WHAT SO EVER, but when a guy says "I was abducted by aliens", we are so quick to deem him crazy.

Well most fine religion so easy to accept because it is something that they can trust, I mean what could be better than someone who loves you forever no matter what you do? Also the idea of death is very scary to a great majority of people, if not everybody. So what religion does is gives us answers to these questions that we can not figure out on our own. So basically religion is just a trusting thing that tells us what is going to happen to us after we die.

Why some people believe "blindly" in a religion is because they have nothing else left for a better alternative in their lives. Some people can spend their whole lifetimes searching for something and eventually return to their original roots. Some people just follow their own hearts and stick with their religious beliefs without a doubt and nary a worry, letting God takes care of the rest, so to speak.

Following a religion is actually all about following your own spiritual quest. Every religion is just an enlightened guidepost for you (and for all). You just seek what's really working best for you in your heart and for your relationship with God or the Creator. People just believe in differently but still have the same common goals as you do.

LostInThought I can understand how you feel. I'm 19 was raised a christian as well (protestant). I stopped going to church when I was 12 (it was boring). My mom became a catholic when I was in my mid teens. Seems to me religious beliefs are largely how you perceive things. The human mind is really impressionable, especially at an early age. Humans can be brainwashed to believe anything under the sun. That's why it's important to be open minded yet critical at the same time. It's hard to figure out EXACTLY what's true and what's not. The christian teaching on hell can be pretty brutal. I mean if someone does something REALLY REALLY BAD ok but I don't think most people are that bad.

It's a lot more difficult to say "I don't know" than to hold a firm belief in anything. Even atheism, in my opinion, is a firm belief on which to grasp. To say "I know this" gives me a feeling of control over my life. It gives me the illusion that I can do something about my future. That I have the reins of my life in my own hands.

It's a much safer feeling to believe that if I do 'this' and 'this' and 'this', then 'this' will happen. It's safe, it reliable, it's comforting, it's a path already set out before me that I can follow and the stronger I believe in it, the more secure I can feel that in the end, I will experience good rather than evil.

Even atheism, if I believe strongly enough, means that there is no God who will punish me in the end. He doesn't exist, so how could I be punished? The theory of hell is no longer relevant. Because hell is just a place where the sinners go. And who determines the ultimate sinners? Why, God, of course. So if he doesn't exist, then I don't have to worry.

It is an interesting question, why believers believe. And that's the only answer I can come up with. Because when I think of the 'story' out of context of religion, knowing there was a time before organized religion, when man stared at the sky without a bible to guide him... it's clear to me that religion came about to explain the wonderings of man. Religion, the bible, the story, were all invented by man to calm the questioning mind, I believe.

I have no need to convince believers that they're wrong. In fact, I don't think they are wrong. I think they're just as capable of discovering what they believe as I am. And just because it's different than what I believe doesn't mean one of us has to be wrong.

That's my opinion.

IMO, people believe due to many different factors. What their parents believed in or cultural beliefs (whats most dominate for the region), or even a mash-up of different belief systems (which seems to be 95% of people today) that just feels right to the particular person. Some believe as a just in case clutch. If I'm wrong, there's no harm in saying I believe, if I'm right then I get to goto heaven. Some believe (imo another majority) as a way to justify thing's they do wrong. I can always repent my sins and be good again in the eyes of my lord. I can do bad my whole life and towards then end, repent my sins and be good in the eyes of my lord.

Most followers of christianity don't even know their own bible, or what it teach's. They claim to practice everything it teach's, but in reality they do the opposite. They use it as a tool to push their own predjudice views upon other's, such as the religous anti-gay movements. Or they'll display disgusting picture's at near a childrens playground to protest abortions. Yes, they do this. They did it in my neighborhood and my wife had to literally hold me back from running over to them and kicking the living sh out of them.

None of them have direct proof that thier particular diety is real. Every follower of every belief system that has ever existed or exists now and will exist in the future has what they consider their own personal proof for what they believe in as true. All religions can't be the one true religion can they? If someone from christianity sits there and says they have personal proof of their god and someone from hinduism says the same and then fifteen other religious people joyfully shout that they too have personal proof for their own god(s) ... How can we determine who's right? As far as thier all concerned, each individual is right and the other's are wrong.

Why? It's the need to feel valued and with purpose/meaning/direction. It's the need to not feel so small in the world, to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

The flip side of the coin...it's an excuse; an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for yourself. To think your own thoughts, make up your own mind and follow your own path. It is comforting herd mentality.

Heads or tail?

Even atheism, if I believe strongly enough, means that there is no God who will punish me in the end. He doesn't exist, so how could I be punished? The theory of hell is no longer relevant. Because hell is just a place where the sinners go. And who determines the ultimate sinners? Why, God, of course. So if he doesn't exist, then I don't have to worry.

I gotta kinda disagree with that statement. A non-religous person doesn't base his or her actions upon whether there is a god or not. I could kill someone and it wouldn't matter to me if there wern't a god, it wouldn't even factor into my actions of killing someone. I'm not going to sit there and justify it by thinking hey there's no god to judge me for doing this when I die, so I can get away with it.

Non-religous people have fellow man to answer to. They have morals to answer to. Sure, alot of people may be without morals, they still have fellow man to deal with after killing someone. I kill someone, I get judged by you and thrown in jail. Depending upon the severity of the crime, I could even be put to death. Or spend the rest of my life in jail.

I also gotta disagree with the it's to hard to say I don't know statement. It's not hard at all to truthfully say "I don't know". The problem imo is, people like to look like know it alls, or like to voice their opinions. Rather then just saying I don't know when they just don't know, they instead ... basically lie.

I keep telling people this, I don't know what existed prior to this universe. What we do know as it stands right now, atleast what the evidence is pointing to, the universe went "boom" roughly 13 billion years ago. What initiated that event is unknown. No one knows. Scientists don't know. Priests don't know. We don't know and possibly will never know. I get really POed when some idiot will sit there and claim their god did it. Doesn't even have to be the christian god. Any god, even ET. We don't know what existed prior to what we see, and without such evidence/proof no one can sit there and idiotically claim that their deity or ET created everything.

For all we know our universe exist's within a blackhole in another universe, there is a theory for that and there is some evidence pointing to a possibility of such a thing. Perhaps the universe doesn't even exist at all period and we're just imaging all of this. Or the universe is an immensly powerfull game that we're all activley playing. The ultimate MMORPG. Designed by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Uses technology to block our active brain systems allowing for a complete new fresh "experience". Everything we do here take's in our perspective an entire lifetime when only 15 mins have passed in the real world. When we "die" here, we kinda "unjack" from the game system with certain memories that we choose to keep from our experience. Who know's, there's tons of different possibilities, but for one to sit there and claim one as fact and truth is just showing him/herself as an idiot imo.

Yeah, Prot0n, I see what you mean. And I wasn't saying that they base their actions on whether or not there's a God, I'm more suggesting that they can be at ease regardless of their actions, that they're not going to be judged. Not for something so drastic as killing someone, but more for not going to church and not praying and stuff like that. I'm having a hard time expanding on what I mean.

But I definitely wasn't implying that non religious people have no morals. I'm non-religious and I have very high morals.

For me, it's easy to say I don't know, because I've been doing it for many years and I'm very accustomed to the feeling of uncertainty. I'm comfortable with it. But someone who has lived their whole lives depending on, praying to and trusting a supreme being, it would be difficult for them to suddenly say, "I don't know." And you're right, people want to seem like they know thing.

Saying "I'm sure there is no God" is to me the same as saying "I'm sure there is no intelligent life beyond Earth." How can anyone be sure? Depending on what one is willing to believe, there are indications of both.

[edit on 2-5-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

I can see ur having difficulty lol ... but even the case with going to church or not (for a less extreme example), a non-believer still wouldn't think twice about it. Atleast with me it's that way. It doesn't matter to me whether I goto church or not, I don't base the whole action behind it upon there being no god. IDK howto explain it best ... But for example, I find it hard in todays world to say your not religous. Doesn't even matter what religion you follow, people tend to look better towards you then if you weren't religous. 90% of todays people hold some form of religous belief, mainstream or invented personal conceptions. Nearly all of them look down on those that don't follow a faith system as bad people. For example, your use of equating non-belief with a mindset of being more at ease with one's actions. Sometimes I want to just lie and tell people I believe in some god, just so they'll look better towards me, treat me better, etc. It's alot harder to be a non-believer in a world full of believers.

For me it's easy to say idk because ... I just don't know lol. There could be a god, but imo it's not any of the mainstream concepts of god(s). They can't all claim to be the right god. I'm open to the possibility of there being some kind of creator, but I will argue with someone who sits there and says HIS creator is the right one when all of them lay this same claim.

Originally posted by Prot0n
I find it hard in todays world to say your not religous.
...
It's alot harder to be a non-believer in a world full of believers.

This is kind of what I was saying with my first post. It's easier to have a belief system that other people can relate to, even if not completely. I think it's also easier for people who need it, to feel like they can turn to a higher power for assistance and answers. Someone to which they can hand problems over and say, "It's in God's hands." For me, I fill that role in my life. I turn within for answers and strength. I deal with stuff on my own.

There could be a god, but imo it's not any of the mainstream concepts of god(s). ... I'm open to the possibility of there being some kind of creator, but I will argue with someone who sits there and says HIS creator is the right one when all of them lay this same claim.

I think we have very similar belief systems. Wanna start a church and recruit people?

For another perspective (even though I know there is no way to get this across, because these are matters of the heart, mind and spirit):

Originally posted by LostInThought
Why Do we believe so in religion so blindly

Just for the record, some of us are not believing blindly. Some have been where you are, asked the same questions, spent a few decades feeling the faith they were born into had been a rip off, but kept searching. Some of us would argue strongly that this should not be a blanket statement after all the work we put into getting answers for ourselves and coming up with different conclusions.

Originally posted by The_Final

Well most fine religion so easy to accept because it is something that they can trust, I mean what could be better than someone who loves you forever no matter what you do? Also the idea of death is very scary to a great majority of people, if not everybody.

This is a perfect description of what believing blindly may result in, but I have found that there is a big difference between blind trust and faith.

Originally posted by Jonna
Why? It's the need to feel valued and with purpose/meaning/direction. It's the need to not feel so small in the world, to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

The flip side of the coin...it's an excuse; an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for yourself. To think your own thoughts, make up your own mind and follow your own path. It is comforting herd mentality.

I have a feeling you may also be making blanket assumptions. I have to laugh at the the part about the need to not feel small, because the more ones faith truly grows, the closer one comes to the infinite God, the smaller one may feel. Your flip side strikes me as backwards too. Avoid taking responsibility? Oh, I do understand some denominations come across that way, but I find it to be exactly the opposite.

Originally posted by LostInThought
So once again my question to the people is "Why do you believe in a religion that has NO PROOF WHAT SO EVER,

And here is where the questions just can't be answered. Everyone's path is different. What is proof for one may not be proof for another, but I assure you there are plenty of people out there who are not blinded by the light, but have what I can only describe as personal proof. Can I prove it to you? Of course not.

Does what you describe/question exist? Yes it does. But I honestly have to tell you that for the past few decades I really think more people have chosen to question and reject than blindly accept the dogmas they were taught (though I think most aren't actually taught what their religion IS).

Originally posted by Prot0n
I find it hard in todays world to say your not religous.
...
It's alot harder to be a non-believer in a world full of believers.

Now that's funny, because I find it just the opposite. Can we switch worlds?

Seriously, even among what people refer to as "believers" let's face it, most of them don't agree the how and the why of it. Same deal though, none of them can "prove" it to another".

Truly believing in God is a personal matter, but you have to first commit to it to get any answers at all and be more open to Him if he's out there. If he's truly out there, he'll be in your heart hiding somewhere when you are ready. Took me 20 years of dissing Him myself till he revealed himself to my heart in a way that I can never go back, then another 5 (and I'm not done yet) trying to figure it all out. For the record, in my case, the reversion back was totally alone, I was not being preached to and no one knew what was happening to me (just want you to know there was no outside interference). I wasn't hitting rock bottom or anything either.

Good luck in your path, but you aren't going to get answers to questions like this, only opinions. Just thow I'd through mine out there with the rest.

[edit on 5/2/2006 by Relentless]

Why do we believe so in religion so blindly?

Because it is imposed on us during our youth, at which time our reasoning skills are not fully developed. Eventually through education we (those fortunate enough) are required to take a class in philosophy which has the effect of stimulating our minds and thus eroding our irrational beliefs.

The following is an argument against religion which my professor made in my class on Contemporary Ethical Theory (we were discussing whether ethics suffers the same problem as religion, but that is irrelevant to this thread).

Religion is obtained through revelation which is not intersubjectively testable (there are many different religions). Religion is derived from supernatural phenomenon. How do we determine if somebody had a "true" religious revelation or is merely delusional?

Science on the other hand is derived from testing which unlike religion can be done intersubjectively. I see grass as green and you see grass as green, therefore it is verified. Science is based on natural phenomena which we can sense. In science there is a way to distinguish delusion from reality.

Religion fails the test of science and truth. Therefore there is no such thing as religious truth.

- Attero

[edit on 2-5-2006 by Attero Auctorita]

I turn within for answers and strength. I deal with stuff on my own.

That's how it should be done! I understand that some people do need religion ... to a certain degree. I don't feel they need to allow it to blindly run their live's though. It's almost like looking at a robot running on autopilot. Might have advanced AI, but there's nothing there.

I think we have very similar belief systems. Wanna start a church and recruit people?

Heck, if we don't someone else will anyways lol

Now that's funny, because I find it just the opposite. Can we switch worlds?

Well, the area I live in has alot of religous people.

Seriously, even among what people refer to as "believers" let's face it, most of them don't agree the how and the why of it. Same deal though, none of them can "prove" it to another".

I agree with you there, basically said the same in this thread. The thing is though, it appears to me, that it doesn't matter what the specifics of which belief system you follow, they all seem to treat other believer's better then they do non-believers (atleast where I live). I should just say where I live from now on when I refer to these types of examples.

Truly believing in God is a personal matter, but you have to first commit to it to get any answers at all and be more open to Him if he's out there. If he's truly out there, he'll be in your heart hiding somewhere when you are ready. Took me 20 years of dissing Him myself till he revealed himself to my heart in a way that I can never go back, then another 5 (and I'm not done yet) trying to figure it all out. For the record, in my case, the reversion back was totally alone, I was not being preached to and no one knew what was happening to me (just want you to know there was no outside interference). I wasn't hitting rock bottom or anything either.

Well, that's great for you if you found personal proof of your god. But there's other different god's out there that people have found personal proof for as well. Which is the right god? How many gods are their? Nearly every religion today claims they hold the one true god, nearly every follower has personal proof. Whos right and who's wrong? You might find that every beleif but yours is wrong due to your own personal proof, but what does the person next to you with a different belief system with their own personal proof think of your beliefs?

Good luck in your path, but you aren't going to get answers to questions like this, only opinions. Just thow I'd through mine out there with the rest.

That's really all religion is. Assumptions and opinions. Atleast that's how I've come to view it. There's no actual evidence that any of it is true, and if we're going to use personal proof as a measurement of validity, then all religions must be true and yet they can't be if they all claim to be the ONLY true religion.

Originally posted by Prot0n
Well, that's great for you if you found personal proof of your god. But there's other different god's out there that people have found personal proof for as well.

Acutally, I think that all who believe in God are worshipping the same one, they are just doing it differently. Such a shame the arguments it causes.

That's really all religion is. Assumptions and opinions. Atleast that's how I've come to view it. There's no actual evidence that any of it is true, and if we're going to use personal proof as a measurement of validity, then all religions must be true and yet they can't be if they all claim to be the ONLY true religion.

I will admit my religion does claim to be the true path, but we do not say everyone else is going to fail getting to heaven for not being one of us. I would like to clarify that I don't see religion as just assumptions and opinions, only that is all you are going to come up with till you find your path.

Originally posted by LostInThought
Lets face the facts. Man is gettin smarter and he is starting to question everthing he was taught he HAD to believe.Take me. I am 17 years young and I have been taught at an early age that I had to believe in jesus, and if I didn't except jesus in my heart I would go to hell. Knowing that, I did it with no hesitation. So basically I didn't have a say in the matter.

From what you said, it appears you didn't accept Christ because you wanted too. It is really a decision a person has to make on their own. With the supplied info from whatever the sources, and the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit calls/draws the person to salvation. No one else can choose for you or make you choose. It is a free will decision each has to make.

Acutally, I think that all who believe in God are worshipping the same one, they are just doing it differently. Such a shame the arguments it causes.

Well, you could say that about the biblical faith based systems, but what of hinduism or the teutonic religion or shamanism? What about wicca? Or satanism perhaps? Where do you personally draw the line for your own system?

I will admit my religion does claim to be the true path, but we do not say everyone else is going to fail getting to heaven for not being one of us. I would like to clarify that I don't see religion as just assumptions and opinions, only that is all you are going to come up with till you find your path.

I have found my path. Just that it requires me to answer to my fellow man and to my own sense of morality and responsability. Not to that of some man made deity. I don't feel that I need a book or faith system to teach me common sense values, which is basically all the bible does. I'm not sure which particular system you follow, but nearly every catholic/christian type system I've seen is basically follow this or goto our version of hell. Funny thing is ... learn where the concept of hell came from. The christian concept. Not many people bother to look into the origins of their religion. Have you?

Originally posted by Relentless
Acutally, I think that all who believe in God are worshipping the same one, they are just doing it differently. Such a shame the arguments it causes.

I agree with that viewpoint, and to answer the thing about Hinduism,etc, I would say thats just different views of the one god, if you see what I mean.

I used to be an atheist, but for some reason I worked out, there are some things science can't (and probably never will) understand.

Just out of interest, what is the atheist explanation of a NDE? You can't just say they're just someones imagination when they start to wake up, or whatever, sometimes they see things going on where they could not see, like on the outside of the building they are in etc. They also happen to atheists,so you can't say they only happen to religious people.
I think they are a good proof that there is something there.

Originally posted by apex
Just out of interest, what is the atheist explanation of a NDE?

I don't call myself an atheist, if I had to take a label it would be deist or agnostic, but I love this question!

I definitely do believe in a life after death. I don't think that a supreme being is necessary for life after death to exist, though. That's an implied link that I just don't believe in. "If one believes in an afterlife, they must believe in God." Not true as far as I'm concerned.

We, as humans on this Earth are conditioned to think that if there's some kind of organization, there must be a single 'head' of that organization, and I just don't buy that that's necessary. Who says anyone (other than ourselves) had to arrange it all? I give much more credit to our whole selves (soul, mind and body) than many people do. I think there's so much more to 'us' than we know or can imagine.

So, when people experience NDEs, I think they're glimpsing the afterlife and since they're not completely dead, they're seeing what they expect to see. If one believes in God and heaven, that's what they'll see and they might float outside the gates and have very real recollection of it.

I know a person who is not religious that had an NDE. He didn't experience God and Heaven, but he experienced something wonderful and full of love and light.

So I'm very open to the possibility that when we die, we will experience what we expect to see and feel. We might not have the same experience, but it's all part of the path to the afterlife, which also doesn't have to be the same for each person.

Originally posted by Prot0n

I'm not sure which particular system you follow, but nearly every catholic/christian type system I've seen is basically follow this or goto our version of hell.

I am Roman Catholic and I can say this. Any RC who says this does not know the true teachings of their Church - and yes there are many. There is no such final statement/belief in the RC Church. In fact our teachings are that our prayers can save souls, in fact it is an obligation to pray to save souls (another teaching often not known by many RC's).

How exactly this occurs or can be (as many other Christian denominations have a litany of arguments why this can't be) is not fully explained, only that (well, I guess you have to believe in God in the first place to understand this part) He is infinite and can do anything, so how could you question His ability to save any soul he choses to?

By the way, I am not trying to sell or defend my beliefs, but I so think when mistatements are made, they should be clarified.