I still find myself in awe when I hear people talk of "Jesus", or any other god in literal context, though in ways, I understand why. Approximately 77% of Americans currently believe in the existence of a god associated with religion. Such a high percentage seems almost unbelievable to me. Science has come so far, provided so much, and revealed countless truths. Most religious people seem to have no problem using science to drive to church, yet don't give science the time of day to present a few of the undeniable facts that prove religion is nothing but a very successful fable.
So the question remains........................How can so many down to earth, reasonable, and even highly educated people, believe in such fantasy? I think in most cases, the root cause for belief in a god is quite simply that, "I want to".
Compare stories such as Jack and the Beanstalk, the Tooth Fairy, and the Story of Paul Bunyan to stories from the Bible. In comparison, at first glance, the readings of Adam and Eve, Jonas and the Whale, and Noah's Ark, seem no more plausible than any other tall tales. So why are so many people deceived by these fictions? It’s simply because these stories (the Bible) claim to bring amazing benefits along with belief. Let’s face it, if the Tooth Fairy left million dollar checks in place of nickels and dimes underneath pillows, she would be worshiped, and the denture business would definitely be banking. People don't believe in Jack and the Beanstalk because nothing is promised from it. If the bible preached everything as it does, with the exception of salvation, eternal life in heaven, and every kind of hope you can imagine, hardly anyone would believe in it.
What’s the first thing you hear from any theist or creationist trying to convert you? Most likely it will be claims of all the awarding virtues that await you if you just have faith. Or maybe they first present the classic claim of saving you from "damnation to hell". Either way, the first intentions will be to fill you with false hope, or scare you into submission with warnings of eternal atrophy. But is that really reasonable? This is what people don't seem to understand. If someone is going to speak of actual truth or fact, they will start from the ground up. Preachers of religion do the opposite. They will first tell you all about the end results of their beliefs, such as life in heaven, and how you can be saved. If they were preaching the truth, why wouldn't they start from the roots of the bible? Why wouldn't they tell you when and how the bible was translated? Why wouldn't they speak of their religions full history? The answer is simple. If these were the first things that they truthfully explained, then you could easily use a small amount of reasoning to determine that the bible belongs on the bookshelf, right next to the story of Peter Pan.
So why 77%? It’s all about the delivery. They will first fill you with hollow assertions, lies that seem to make everything come together. "You will have eternal life in heaven". "All of your loved ones who have passed, you will see again". "You will have the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which can get you through anything". Once they have accomplished in gaining your emotional attachment to these claims, your strings are officially being pulled. And this is why it is so hard for people to see the actual light. Denial. The truth is that facts are not as appealing as fiction. I would sleep much better at night if I were certain there was a higher power watching over my family, and keeping them safe. But I know this inst so. No words can change the facts.
I believe that one of the most common reasons people will set aside such staggering evidence that proves god doesn't exist, is purely because they can't handle the truth. What’s so bad about the truth? Well to anyone who has faith in a religion, truth is threatening to take away all of the following; guaranteed life in heaven with all of their passed loved ones, their best friend, their whole outlook on life, everything they have worked towards, and their peace of mind. I completely understand why theists and creationists have such a hard time in regards to truth. This is why I do not hate them, or wish anything negative upon them, as stubborn as they can be. Why not just let them be then? Because I most certainly believe that although religion has great initial renderings, (such as peace of mind), it is the largest threat to society and global safety.
I had experienced many feelings of denial in the past myself, when I started to do extensive research on my religion. I was born into Christianity, and for the most part, believed it without question until I was about 11 or so. But it wasn't until I was 15, when I decided to put real effort into my endeavor for truth. It took about 2 months of tedious inquiry for me to draw my final conclusion, (at the time I had limited tools for research). And I can easily say that it was the hardest thing that I have ever let go of. All of my hopes and dreams of "everything just working out in the end", gone. But I’ve come to realize that all of the great feelings I have experienced from religion, prior to my discovery of truth, are still with me. People can still live a great and meaningful life without all the non-sense of religion. But sadly, for some, religion is the last thread of life that they have to hold on to, which is why they ignore the facts.
To support this claim, look at the staggering difference in polls relating to the belief of a god. In America, the atheist/non-believing citizens make up about 12% of the population. In contrast, less than 1% of prisoners in America are atheist/non-believing. 1%!!!!!!!! Why do you think this is? Let’s look at this rationally. People that have paved their way to prison (not jail, PRISON) are most likely not highly moral, caring, nice people. And they most certainly do not live by the most popular fundamental principles of the bible. So why do they believe? Because that's all they have. Desperation is very powerful. 25 to life doesn't promise much, and I can only imagine the emotional state in which anyone would be, upon learning that they would spend the rest of their life in prison. I only wish that we knew all of these prisoners’ religious beliefs BEFORE they were sent to prison, and took polls based on that information. I'm very confident that such polls would read an all time low in belief, compared to belief polls for current inmates.
In conclusion, the main statement I'm trying to depict from this post is this, emotional attachment. This is easily evidenced by the classic responses I have received over the years of questioning people’s beliefs. When asked why they believe in god, the most popular answers are; "I had a certain experience, and now I just know he's real, I can feel it". "I have divine faith, no matter what". "Life would have no point without God, and I would have no purpose". "When a close relative of mine passed, I could feel his/her presence". "God has provided me sign's to reveal his existence". These are really just a few of the most common claims. Notice, that all of these statements contain the root of EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT. I have nothing against sentiment. But when it comes to making logical and reasonable decisions, emotion has no proper place. Would you want your tax preparer to be in an emotional state while he/she is analyzing your 10-40A?
Would it be wise for an architect or a civil engineer to make all of their decisions with emotional attachment? That would just be unsafe! But yet, it’s a "different story" with religion. Which in my opinion, happens to be the most unsafe, and threatening aspect of civilization.
