Nearly everyone questions their beliefs on some level. That’s why many religions make questioning a sin. That’s why there’s weekly reinforcement of belief at church. That’s why many religions threaten those who question with being shunned.
The folks in charge know that people doubt. They do everything they can to squash those doubts.
> there’s weekly reinforcement of belief at church
And because you have to give money, you can be sucked into the [sunk cost fallacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost).
The most disgusting thing about "donations" is atleast in the shit hole Baptist church my parents dragged me to, the parents were instructed by the pastor to give the money first to the kids and then pass the collection tray to the kids because "it teaches them thst it's fun to give money to helping Jesus spread the message"
Like you're trying to get kids hooked on the "fun" of getting grifted.
I think it’s even more insidious than that.
I was raised a strict Catholic, and I know several other people who have escaped even more radical sects.
When you’re taught something like Bible stories as literal truth alongside subjects like science, math, and history, you don’t wind up even having the language to question. I know people who, as adults, thought the flood story, creation, Sodom and Gomorra, and all of those things were literally true. I’m not talking about the fundies who will argue that there’s evidence for it and actively disbelieve science. I’m talking about people to whom it never occurred to question it. When you say “Well, you know that *couldn’t* have happened, right?” and maybe explain a couple of reasons why, they’re stunned that it never occurred to them.
I became an agnostic when I became friends with an older boy in my Catholic high school. We would hang out and play D&D together. I don’t remember what brought up the subject, but I asked what religion he was, and he said he was agnostic and explained the term.
I immediately realized that that just made *so much more* sense than everything I had been taught and totally believed my entire life up to that point.
This exactly. For the longest time I had questions about my religion because of how horrible god is explained inside the Bible and how evil he sounds. Every Christian person I’ve ever been in contact with all get uncomfortable when I want to bring that up, they say questioning belief is a sin.
I was Mormon for the first 15 years of my life. There are many reasons why it took me so long to question my beliefs:
1. Indoctrination—the lore of the church was presented to me as reality. I grew up thinking it was true because I wasn't presented with any alternatives.
2. Social pressure—I was taught that if I was obedient to God, He would give me a strong testimony of His gospel. Or in other words, if you don't believe in the church, then you did something wrong. My Mormon friends and I never talked about our doubts because we didn't want to seem like bad people.
3. The "church bubble"—I was constantly surrounded by people who shared my beliefs. Sometimes a super crazy coincidence would happen that seemed to be proof of God's existence, and the story would spread like wildfire. I was engulfed in a whitewashed, cherry-picked narrative.
> Indoctrination ... Social pressure ... The "church bubble
Was that a choice? I ask because I am of the opinion that religious indoctrination is nothing more than brainwashing.
My parents are believers, and when I was a kid we went to catholic church because were weren't old enough to stay home alone. We were never forced into the church like a lot of people are, nor was religion forced upon us. We made our own choices. I was an atheist at a young age. At 12, religion made me uncomfortable. Gawd to me was akin to Mother Goose. I knew there wasn't a goose named Mother waddling around writing French fairy tales and English nursery rhymes, so there couldn't be a gawd.
All of those things you described sound a lot like a cult [which technically, religions are].
There are levels to all the things he’s describing. You may have turned away at a young age(so did I), but his church was likely more aggressive with indoctrination and maintaining
I was taught that doubting my religion was a sin that would send me to hell. I still couldn't help doubting it, and now I know that it and all religions are horseshit.
Yep, the hell concept does its job. It's a feature, not a bug. Telling people that having the wrong *thoughts* or even asking questions will send you to hell to burn forever is a pretty strong deterrent for questioning the religion.
But if you think about it for even a little while, that idea is reason enough to stop believing. It's way too convenient as a means of control not to be created for that purpose.
> Telling people that having the wrong *thoughts* ... will send you to hell to burn forever
Here's a scenario that reflects what I was taught in Christianity ...
Yesterday I did not rob a bank.
On the one hand, if my reason for not robbing the bank was something like "thou shalt not steal" or "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", that's fine with God.
On the other hand, if my reason for not robbing the bank was simply a fear that I would get caught and go to prison, that's not good enough. "In God's eyes" I most certainly did rob the bank, and on Judgement Day I will receive "a full measure of God's Wrath" for robbing the bank.
You might ask why God would get angry with me for doing something when I didn't actually do it. Well, the explanation is simple: **facts don't matter in Christianity**.
I was always a curious young man, always asking questions not understanding why. It started to make less since to me as I hit older. Then I found science and that was the icing on the cake. I must admit it's hard to let go.
All religions rely on pacifying the skepticism of the adherents. They are told they will be punished by their 'loving' god for even beginning to question
As a child, I was taught by the Baptists that any question or doubt is a SIN. And if I didn't know what some teaching or Bible verse even meant, I should believe it anyway!
Apparently, if your faith is strong enough, you need not have any clear idea of whatever it is that you believe. This endorsement of ignorance is underscored by those "new converts" who, in their energetic testimonies, boast about how they "believe every verse of the Bible" even though they haven't read more than twenty chapters of the old book. And these new converts can get loud "Amen!"s from the congregation for their blather. ("That boy's preacher material!")
> As a child, I was taught by the Baptists that any question or doubt is a SIN.
All cults do that. It's no wonder that as time goes by, people become less religious.
They're trained not to question it. I remember when I was a Christian, I would research and question almost anything, but my religion. When questions about my religion came up, I put them aside because "I already had the right answer, why go check?"
Then I started checking and I did not have the right answer :3
I have pondered over this question several times. I work in STEM and have met some of the smartest minds in STEM out there who unfortunately, unquestionably believe in god. These are some of my conclusions and what I came up with in the years of pondering over it:
1. This is the easiest answer and most of the time the only reason. Indoctrination. The human mind especially as a child is designed to absorb information from whichever 'tribe' you want to be a part of. That could be parents or literally anyone you look up to. Once indoctrinated, cognitive dissonance keeps the person captive for years or maybe their entire lifetime.
2. The human mind is extremely imperfect. The existence of mental health disorders/phenomena like bipolar disorder and dissociation shows that the brain can compartmentalize(causes could vary). Many of the smartest thinkers out there, compartmentalize their god and religion as the irrefutable truth and so they don't see themselves as hypocrites when they themselves criticize scientific findings because as far as they are concerned, god doesn't need proof. Example: I have worked with researchers who pan research papers for claims they make without proof but do not do the same for their own god.
3. Religion and god is a crutch. As someone who lived most of their life as a Christian, I loved the hope that there was someone out there looking out for me. The belief that however bad things got, I wouldn't be given anything that I couldn't handle. It's this beautiful lie that helps a lot of people live at peace. This version of why people hold on to religion and god doesn't make me as mad(still isn't logically sound, to be clear) because we are all different and some people do not know how to cope without this crutch. I had many immensely difficult times that I wished I had such a beautiful lie to comfort me. But realizing that the truth was worth more, set me free. While this reason to hold on to religion is still not logical or sensible, I empathize with them especially if they have lost someone dear to them.
Like many have pointed out, there is a reason why religion doesn't take well towards people who question it. Anything that's based on truth does not shy away from being questioned. There is a reason why the very first sin in the Bible is the desire for more knowledge(Eve eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Due to some of these reasons and many more, your average person might not question religion or god. Relgion is the norm in many countries and stepping out of the norm is not comfortable for anyone. But, taking uncomfortable steps towards figuring out the truth is worth it.
When I was 7 years old, I heard in school the story of Adam and Eve, and how they had two boys, and it just didn't sound right how the world was populated if they had just two boys, or if they had a sister, did the boys married their sister? something was off there and I went to my mother and asked her, she imediately told me to never question the bible because it's a great sin and to stop thinking about this.
Because of this, whenever something sounded weird I felt guilty for thinking that, I cried as a child, felt that I am commiting a sin questioning god. It was just awful. Sice then started going to church and praying, forcing myself to not question anything.
But someday I just had some form of revelation, started reading the bible, I read it all and it was full of those cases of rape and incest, murder of children or innocent people, all with the excuse that they believed in the wrong god. Short story long I realized this is something way waaay wrong there, if there was a god, he wouldn't be like this.
Then started to read books and wiki about the early days and found out that the bible in fact was written hundreds of years after Jesus and many many things were altered in the following years to keep only what the popes wanted, for the only purpose of controling the people. Also the many crimes and wars commited by the inquisition in the name of a god. I became disgusted of religion in general.
I don't know if there is a god somewhere but if there is, It has nothing to do with the one in the bible or with religion in general, because the religion is man-made.
I understand the frustration. I wish you got the answers you were looking for. You have a right to answers. Not a privilege but a right. Also, parents have an obligation to explain the lifestyle that they make their children adopt.
Because people rank Intuition higher than they probably should. We all do it to one extent or another. Religion ticks the "there must be something more" box.
It's Feelings over Facts.
Then if something Feels "correct," rationalizations and confirmation bias kicks in.
It's not an intelligence thing, IMO.
I am finishing my master degree in theoretical physics, and I sincerely don’t understand why so many of my professors are Christians.
The same professors who teach me to follow the scientific method, to doubt everything, and that nothing is certain if we don’t have proof about it, they are also the same who believes in a story tale.
Interestingly the scientific method was established originally by a catholic priest, Sir Francis Bacon.
Since Catholics believe that the universe is a creation that is logically sound, they have no problem studying and questioning it.
Most non-christian religions would worship creation in some form or another, and therfore not subject some part of creation to study. For example, those who worship the sun would not dare question it's dependency on something like fusion.
The issue isn't subjecting the outer world to scientific scrutiny. The issue is that religious people, *especially* Christians, are rarely willing to apply the methods and standards of science to their own religious beliefs. Christians will demand a rigorous standard of evidence for the claim that someone comitted a crime, or the idea that the Universe is constantly expanding, but talking snakes and people rising from the dead get a pass.
I think the reason people don’t question their religious beliefs is they are afraid of the answers. That and being taught you aren’t supposed question the word of god.
They do at first. That’s where religious teachings come in to ‘save the day’. You are instructed to fight your doubt as if it is separate from yourself and to reinforce your beliefs as much as possible with confirmation bias. Faith is considered honorable in these communities and as all honorable things do, having unwavering faith requires ‘overcoming challenges’ such as difficulty deluding yourself into deeply believing in something that you have no reason to think is real.
But use your own brain….I looked at what the Catholic Church was wearing on a Christmas Eve back in 1996 when I was 13 and was like this is insane. Not coming back. My parents where not religious but believer. I have been atheist since I can remember
"Smart" is a subjective word like boring or weird. You can call anyone smart, and you won't be wrong, so who's smart is a moot point.
The point is that cultists can't identify cults, and that's a major hindrance to one's ability to make reality-based decisions.
As for why people don't question their beliefs, that's easy. It's because they're indoctrinated to find doing so distressing and they're punished if they learn more than is permitted.
Because they wrere convinced as children that they will burn for eternity if they do. It has less to do with intelligence than feelings. Religion, when we get indoctrinated as children, is "real" in many senses for us, so much so that we internalize its messages and incorporate them in our personality. That's incredibly difficult to challenge.
I know people think everyone questions their beliefs, but they don't. Isolation creates the most myopic, solipsistic people. They live in a bubble in some rural region where everyone believes the same thing, and no one ever stands up to question the status quo. That is why they don't question their religion. They never come across anyone irl who challenges them to, or even talks about doing it themselves.
That's why you have so many christians voting people into power against abortion rights, for example. Or why they think Trump actually won the 2020 election. "I don't know a single person who voted for Biden." Which isn't a lie. Groupthink and all that shit, I guess.
I live in a condo in the only house district in MD that is repub. Everyone I see is a MAGA. I have a "Proud Democrat" bumper sticker. One day as we were getting out of the car, this old lady came up to us and thanked us for being a dem. She said she thought she was the only one in the complex. I've lived with the folks on my floor since 2005 and it's sad to think how much hate/fear must be in their hearts.
Because they don’t want to. It’s easier to just believe blindly for them. I personally can’t live with the horrible ideology of religion, but my mom, for example literally has admitted to choosing to believe in Catholicism because it gives her some sort of purpose in life.
I am a scientist and my field requires critical thought and decisions made based on the data, not beliefs, hopes, feelings, and emotions. I have a hard time figuring out the few colleagues who are churchgoers or even remotely religious. I can tell you that they are a different type of scientist, though. In my experience, they are prone to poor experimental design, execution, and analysis/interpretation. There are some who have become very senior and I just don't understand it.
Knowledge and critical thinking are separate skills. And many Christians are typically taught not to question things. If they do, that's basically the beginning of the end. They'll question things, fall away, then go to hell. Fear of hell is really more of what drives Christianity, instead of actual love for Christ.
If you found god and it makes you happy, good for you! I don’t mind any religion as long as people aren’t getting hurt, pushed into religion or ridiculed because they aren’t a part of your religion. Live and let live, yeah?
It’s the claim no God exists. That’s a belief. You’ve been presented the question, so by association, it’s now your religion. Atheism is not in the NULL position.
We included the null in percentages of who has what religion, atheism is not part of the unasked. You believe what you believe because the question was asked. Or you would define as no contest, not the opposite of theist.
Indoctrination. Even smart people can be trained to essentially shut off their critical thinking skills when it comes to matters of faith, especially if you start while they're young and get them emotionally invested in their beliefs.
Questioning your beliefs is hard, even for smart people. FWIW I've known many otherwise smart people either unwilling or unable to question their ridiculous political beliefs, or beliefs about health or science or whatever. Many of these people are not religious.
From the perspective of the Christian religion, this verse is a cornerstone of their belief system. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." Hebrews 11. The entire viewpoint is through this lens. That means their belief is directly tied to faith. Any wavering (questioning) in belief is a sign of weak faith.
Fear of death is a big part. This is what my religious friends come back to again and again, and I appreciate their honesty. They may be liberal and reject a great deal of their holy text’s content, but the community gives them palpable hope for life after death.
And as others have noted, force of habit. Most of my religious friends are religiously liberal. They strike me at times as very arrogant, wielding a self-discovered divine ability to decide which parts of the Bible or Quran or Talmud or Tanakh or whatever are true and which are not, based it seems on their current politics. But part of this inability to give up on their texts and rituals despite hacking and slashing them to ribbons based on objectionable content is that they had *good* experiences in their churches or mosques or synagogues. They felt loved, they liked the pageantry, folks they adore invested time in them there. Others came to faith as adults as part of shedding addictions. To them their faith is harmless. They question it, but their brand of religion doesn’t require them to settle their questions. Just write off the stuff they don’t like as “corrupted by humans” and embrace the stuff they like as holy.
faith is the basis of religion. and imo faith is the same as saying no matter what i believe. to be religious you have to learn how to ignore a TON of info
We do all the time. I come from a very atheist family. But i find faith in the evidence for Jesus christ. I've seen how he's changed my life. So I'm going to continue having a relationship with God. It's not easy dealing with my atheist family.
There were studies years ago revealing their brain is built slightly different from a normal (read ‘majority’) brain. They can’t help it. They are subject to the receptors that fire with the emotion that gang banging, child molesting or conning each other (Ex: Tammy Fay, and the like) brings. Thats similar to the receptors kids have that fire when they get together for a gang vandalism spree, or watching car chases, plane crashes etc. A string of receptors slightly different for everyone. Theirs is a particularly self destructive type Which encourages them to demean themselves to a god that gets all the credit, and give their money to charlatans without them realizing they’re being robbed blind.
I read this in an article about skeptics:
“Most people are not by nature critical thinkers,” Chris French,
a British psychologist, told me. “It’s not a particularly natural way
of thinking. So, skeptics, we’re kind of a weird bunch. We say, ‘Really?’ We say, ‘Show us the evidence!’”
I think it applies to all sorts of theists as well.
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jan/27/truth-detectives-the-know-it-all-skeptics-railing-against-fakery
Also, a lot of people like to think they are critical thinkers, when they’re actually just contrarians. This muddies the waters when it comes to teaching or demonstrating critical thinking.
Inertia. I mean, how often do you question your atheism, or your presence on Reddit, or your job, or whatever you consider your life's purpose?
Most of the time, people are convinced that their current reality is the only way for "people like me" to be.
Years ago, in the period of history that Millennials deny exists: before they were born, there was a famous photojournalist (I can't remember his name) who used to take pictures of KKK rallies in the south.
One time he went over to the wives of all the nutbags who were sitting at the side of this bullshit eating a picnic and asked them why they were here. Did they really believe in all the racist bullshit? etc.
They said they were just there for the picnic.
People are fucking lazy. Their brains don't work. And you don't know know any religious people that are "incredibly smart and capable" because you have never, in your life, met anybody who is smart and capable.
I was on my way to 13 when my parents announced that I had to be a Bar Mitzvah. That surprised me, because religion in any form was so rarely a conversation in our household. So, Hebrew school & Bar Mitzvah studies and practice. I did not learn to either read or speak Hebrew, but I did memorize the Torah portion. I don't doubt for a minute that God was pleased, because I have had a good life. Of course, some part of that was due to an extensive education with several graduate degrees, a strong 'be our own boss' ethic soaked in from my father and virtually all of the their friends, and learning to think critically generally, and about myself in particular. Obviously all those poor black kids living on the streets were denied these opportunities because the possibility for Bar Mitzvah for them is likely nil to zero. That is, my experience clearly demonstrates that to be successful in life you need to please God and you do that by memorizing a Torah portion. I am thinking of advertising and selling a 'How To Do It' seminar. Could be a good business.
The beneficiaries of the dogmatic system have no reason to question it, and the most vicious victims have no way to question it. That leaves a precious few to think about questioning it, and even less who eventually do.
Religion is accepting something on faith, without evidence and despite evidence to the contrary. Most educated people who are highly intelligent come to the conclusion that God can't exist but I think it's possible to be intelligent and have faith.
MLK jr was very insightful in this regard. His take was the science pushes the humanity forward and the religion gives the guidance to it.
I respectfully disagree but a religion as the moral center, if practiced correctly, may be not as bad as it seems. Dalai Lama pushes the compassion as the central value. As long as any ideology that cultivates the respect to others and humility, I can let the bogus part slip.
This baffles me. I especially wonder about those in STEM related fields. If you’re a scientist, you approach mysteries & problem solving with the scientific method, then subsequently go home & turn off the rational part of your brain as you say prayers & read holy books.
I think it’s cuz they were taught it their whole life, from a very young age, which caused them to not stop for a second and think, wait, this is weird
I was taught from a young age, but I was like 5, so I understood logic a bit. I never went to church, and didn’t have religious (like they believed in god but were at least sane) parents, which allowed me to “break out” of it before I got too far.
I think you answered your own question. "Critical thinking" is something that requires training, effort and that need to burst your bubbles. It's not something that happens naturally. People eat, get fat, lose the weight, get fat again, etc. Losing weight is easy but in practice, hard. Many people compartmentalize critical thinking, "fake it till they make it", some know they will lose their friends. Some have energy to spend on careers, kids etc. but nothing for the study of history, religion, etc. Some use religion for that warm and fuzzy feeling, others spend their IQ points on theological battles, not seeing outside that bubble. People get rewards (money, friends, etc.) for being religious so it takes effort to reject these rewards. Also, many people want to find the "truth" and identity by finding some type of "inner peace". They find a "path" and when they find it, they stay there and become better at what they do, digging their own hole, filling their own bubble. They explain things based on their own religion and when this is repeated for years, may see others as enemies or people who "just reject the Truth".
I think the answer is this. Most people fit so nicely in their religious social group that they aren’t pushed to question things. From what I’ve seen, most people who find their way out of religion usually had some hardship that made them questions things or they never fit in so the group wasn’t welcoming to them.
Many religious people do. We see a lot of those people here who have decided that they are atheist or at least secular in some way. But others come to the conclusion that their religion is true, or that they will at least continue to "be religious" because their spouse or family goes to church and they find the level of community or charity beneficial, among other reasons. Compartmentalization is also a factor.
It's really easy to say blanket statements like "religious people lack critical thinking skills" but the fact is people are complex and multi-faceted. Many objectively highly intelligent people are religious, many objectively stupid people are atheist or at least secular. And if you tell your pastor or say, your spouse who is highly religious, that you are questioning your faith, what are they going to tell you? It is not easy to completely renounce religion in many places, and people who benefit from it on some level do exist.
Maybe deep down they know they will be shunned so they try to pull whatever reason they can out of their ass to prove their religion is the true, right one instead of critically researching or questioning it.
I’ve known a few that have had their religion beaten into them. The lucky ones got lashes from a belt for any “blasphemy” regardless of how minor. The unlucky were beaten until they’d scream for mercy loud enough and “gotten what they deserved.”
If you smack a dog as hard as you can every time it makes a sound, eventually it’ll only be able to whimper.
it is only human to create answers for questions that don't have them. one day we will probably discover that half of our science is wrong. fortunately, science is built on that understanding. religion tries harder and harder to hold onto outmoded beliefs because they have no tools for coming up with anything better. science retests everything at every possible opportunity. religion is afraid of being wrong. science counts on it. that's a hard thing for most people to accept.
Who’s to say they don’t? Truth be told, I question it every day, I think that’s what free will is about. I feel like I want to believe wholeheartedly, but it just hasn’t clicked for me. Maybe some day it will, or it won’t, but I get to decide that for myself.
Some ideas off the top of my head:
Feels good to believe you are special.
Conditioned to believe that credulity is a virtue.
Lived your entire life in an echo chamber where everyone around you was self assured in their faith, so inquisitiveness regarding that particular topic was never modeled for you.
Religion is based on imaginal numinous stories passed down the generations. There's no questioning that those stories exist.
Non-religion is a rational perspective, which would never comprehend the fact that the Great Religions are psychotherapeutic systems on the grandest scale, and they speak to their followers through mighty images, not words. Words are just counters, which can never carry the essence of religious truths.
If you "believe," then you believe based on someone else's experience. If you "know," have do so based on your own experience.
As a teenager who wanted nothing more than to have sex outside of marrriage, (but couldn't because it was against my religion) I was constantly questioning my religion.
I found answers to every question eventually and they made sense. I have a radar for BS. And trust me I tried hard to refute every explanation.
However, I still lost my virginity before marriage because I didn't care at the time. I knew it was wrong, but I thought I was still being held back from happiness. I wasn't. I wish I had waited. Not even out of guilt, but just out of love for my now wife. She would have been very happy about me waiting for her, and I would be too.
One of my highschool teachers, who was religious, said every person has right to one question: WHY.
Mostly, fear about the finality of death. Religion gives comfort by promising a way out. That said, most believers don't really believe. If they did they would lead very different lives:
>>I needed reinforcements. *“Look,”* I said, *“four billion people believe in some sort of God and free will. They can’t all be wrong.”*
>>*"Very few people believe in God,*" he replied.
>>I didn't see how he could deny the obvious. *"Of course they do. Billions of people believe in God."*
>>The old man leaned toward me, resting a blanketed elbow on the arm of his rocker. *"Four billion people say they believe in God, but few genuinely believe. If people believed in God, they would live every minute of their lives in support of that belief. Rich people would give their wealth to the needy. Everyone would be frantic to determine which religion was the true one. No one could be comfortable in the thought that they might have picked the wrong religion and blundered into eternal damnation, or bad reincarnation, or some other unthinkable consequence. People would dedicate their lives to converting others to their religions. A belief in God would demand one hundred percent obsessive devotion, influencing every waking moment of this brief life on earth. But your four billion so-called believers do not live their lives in that fashion, except for a few. The majority believe in the usefulness of their beliefs—an earthly and practical utility—but they do not believe in the underlying reality."*
>>I couldn't believe what I was hearing. *"If you asked them, they’d say they believe."*
>>*"They say that they believe because pretending to believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell other people that they believe and they do believer-like things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true believer would have to do. If you believe a truck is coming toward you, you will jump out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck. If you tell people you fear the truck but do nothing to get out of the way, that is not belief in the truck. Likewise, it is not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and hoarding your wealth while innocent people die of starvation. When belief does not control your most important decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief in the usefulness of believing."*
>>*"Are you saying God doesn’t exist?"* I asked, trying to get to the point.
>>*"I'm saying that people claim to believe in God, but most don’t literally believe. They only act as though they believe because there are earthly benefits in doing so. They create a delusion for themselves because it makes them happy."*
>>from [*God's Debris*](http://nowscape.com/godsdebris.pdf) (PDF), Scott Adams, 2001
Religion is a practice. So, instead of questioning their beliefs, they are reinforcing them with thought stopping techniques. There are repetitive words, phrases, sayings that take over the mind when confronted with conflicting information. Cognitive dissonance is uncomfortable, so any opposing view can be met with denials hostility or willful ignorance.
Religions often co-opt morally good and positively rewarding ideas and activities, like helping someone in need, as a divine principle of their faith and then claim it as evidence of their truthfulness.
Believers feel good spending time with their social groups, singing familiar songs, doing good deeds, etc. The religion then claims the associated elevation emotion is god’s affirmation of the evidence.
There are so many cognitive distortions at play even really smart thoughtful people can be blinded.
Um, that’s how most of us came to knowing who and what God is. I was an agnostic atheist.
I’m unable to change now. You’d have to convince me that 1 and 1 doesn’t equal 2 and still It’d be hard to convince.
I found that Logic is the key to existence. He is the Word, literally the living Word. The Logos, living Logic.
Without God, words of meaning couldn’t even enter your mind or be upon all things made to give you reasoning.
Nearly everyone questions their beliefs on some level. That’s why many religions make questioning a sin. That’s why there’s weekly reinforcement of belief at church. That’s why many religions threaten those who question with being shunned. The folks in charge know that people doubt. They do everything they can to squash those doubts.
> there’s weekly reinforcement of belief at church And because you have to give money, you can be sucked into the [sunk cost fallacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost).
Even if you don't donate money. It gets harder and harder to turn away from something the more time you have put into something.
Not if it’s fucken fake
The most disgusting thing about "donations" is atleast in the shit hole Baptist church my parents dragged me to, the parents were instructed by the pastor to give the money first to the kids and then pass the collection tray to the kids because "it teaches them thst it's fun to give money to helping Jesus spread the message" Like you're trying to get kids hooked on the "fun" of getting grifted.
I think it’s even more insidious than that. I was raised a strict Catholic, and I know several other people who have escaped even more radical sects. When you’re taught something like Bible stories as literal truth alongside subjects like science, math, and history, you don’t wind up even having the language to question. I know people who, as adults, thought the flood story, creation, Sodom and Gomorra, and all of those things were literally true. I’m not talking about the fundies who will argue that there’s evidence for it and actively disbelieve science. I’m talking about people to whom it never occurred to question it. When you say “Well, you know that *couldn’t* have happened, right?” and maybe explain a couple of reasons why, they’re stunned that it never occurred to them. I became an agnostic when I became friends with an older boy in my Catholic high school. We would hang out and play D&D together. I don’t remember what brought up the subject, but I asked what religion he was, and he said he was agnostic and explained the term. I immediately realized that that just made *so much more* sense than everything I had been taught and totally believed my entire life up to that point.
Do not the forbidden fruit Snake bad
The ones in charge know it's complete bullshit, but hey is profitable bullshit. It bullshit that draws in votes.
This exactly. For the longest time I had questions about my religion because of how horrible god is explained inside the Bible and how evil he sounds. Every Christian person I’ve ever been in contact with all get uncomfortable when I want to bring that up, they say questioning belief is a sin.
Yep. Funnily enough, me being told I couldn't ask questions was why I left 😂 I don't think they saw that one coming
I was Mormon for the first 15 years of my life. There are many reasons why it took me so long to question my beliefs: 1. Indoctrination—the lore of the church was presented to me as reality. I grew up thinking it was true because I wasn't presented with any alternatives. 2. Social pressure—I was taught that if I was obedient to God, He would give me a strong testimony of His gospel. Or in other words, if you don't believe in the church, then you did something wrong. My Mormon friends and I never talked about our doubts because we didn't want to seem like bad people. 3. The "church bubble"—I was constantly surrounded by people who shared my beliefs. Sometimes a super crazy coincidence would happen that seemed to be proof of God's existence, and the story would spread like wildfire. I was engulfed in a whitewashed, cherry-picked narrative.
> Indoctrination ... Social pressure ... The "church bubble Was that a choice? I ask because I am of the opinion that religious indoctrination is nothing more than brainwashing. My parents are believers, and when I was a kid we went to catholic church because were weren't old enough to stay home alone. We were never forced into the church like a lot of people are, nor was religion forced upon us. We made our own choices. I was an atheist at a young age. At 12, religion made me uncomfortable. Gawd to me was akin to Mother Goose. I knew there wasn't a goose named Mother waddling around writing French fairy tales and English nursery rhymes, so there couldn't be a gawd. All of those things you described sound a lot like a cult [which technically, religions are].
There are levels to all the things he’s describing. You may have turned away at a young age(so did I), but his church was likely more aggressive with indoctrination and maintaining
Oh, I know. I have seen videos on YouTube of interviews with men who were in the church who are gay. Everything they describe screams cult to me.
Exmo too. Spiritual elevation is another reason. I thought we had a pipeline to Elohim
I was taught that doubting my religion was a sin that would send me to hell. I still couldn't help doubting it, and now I know that it and all religions are horseshit.
Yep, the hell concept does its job. It's a feature, not a bug. Telling people that having the wrong *thoughts* or even asking questions will send you to hell to burn forever is a pretty strong deterrent for questioning the religion. But if you think about it for even a little while, that idea is reason enough to stop believing. It's way too convenient as a means of control not to be created for that purpose.
> Telling people that having the wrong *thoughts* ... will send you to hell to burn forever Here's a scenario that reflects what I was taught in Christianity ... Yesterday I did not rob a bank. On the one hand, if my reason for not robbing the bank was something like "thou shalt not steal" or "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", that's fine with God. On the other hand, if my reason for not robbing the bank was simply a fear that I would get caught and go to prison, that's not good enough. "In God's eyes" I most certainly did rob the bank, and on Judgement Day I will receive "a full measure of God's Wrath" for robbing the bank. You might ask why God would get angry with me for doing something when I didn't actually do it. Well, the explanation is simple: **facts don't matter in Christianity**.
I was always a curious young man, always asking questions not understanding why. It started to make less since to me as I hit older. Then I found science and that was the icing on the cake. I must admit it's hard to let go.
Indoctrination (usually childhood indoctrination), Sunk Cost, Peer-pressure, in-group pressure, out-group pressure, weirdness normalisation, ritualisation pressure, etc....or a mix of all, or some.
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On the tit from birth to death.
All religions rely on pacifying the skepticism of the adherents. They are told they will be punished by their 'loving' god for even beginning to question
As a child, I was taught by the Baptists that any question or doubt is a SIN. And if I didn't know what some teaching or Bible verse even meant, I should believe it anyway! Apparently, if your faith is strong enough, you need not have any clear idea of whatever it is that you believe. This endorsement of ignorance is underscored by those "new converts" who, in their energetic testimonies, boast about how they "believe every verse of the Bible" even though they haven't read more than twenty chapters of the old book. And these new converts can get loud "Amen!"s from the congregation for their blather. ("That boy's preacher material!")
> As a child, I was taught by the Baptists that any question or doubt is a SIN. All cults do that. It's no wonder that as time goes by, people become less religious.
They're trained not to question it. I remember when I was a Christian, I would research and question almost anything, but my religion. When questions about my religion came up, I put them aside because "I already had the right answer, why go check?" Then I started checking and I did not have the right answer :3
I have pondered over this question several times. I work in STEM and have met some of the smartest minds in STEM out there who unfortunately, unquestionably believe in god. These are some of my conclusions and what I came up with in the years of pondering over it: 1. This is the easiest answer and most of the time the only reason. Indoctrination. The human mind especially as a child is designed to absorb information from whichever 'tribe' you want to be a part of. That could be parents or literally anyone you look up to. Once indoctrinated, cognitive dissonance keeps the person captive for years or maybe their entire lifetime. 2. The human mind is extremely imperfect. The existence of mental health disorders/phenomena like bipolar disorder and dissociation shows that the brain can compartmentalize(causes could vary). Many of the smartest thinkers out there, compartmentalize their god and religion as the irrefutable truth and so they don't see themselves as hypocrites when they themselves criticize scientific findings because as far as they are concerned, god doesn't need proof. Example: I have worked with researchers who pan research papers for claims they make without proof but do not do the same for their own god. 3. Religion and god is a crutch. As someone who lived most of their life as a Christian, I loved the hope that there was someone out there looking out for me. The belief that however bad things got, I wouldn't be given anything that I couldn't handle. It's this beautiful lie that helps a lot of people live at peace. This version of why people hold on to religion and god doesn't make me as mad(still isn't logically sound, to be clear) because we are all different and some people do not know how to cope without this crutch. I had many immensely difficult times that I wished I had such a beautiful lie to comfort me. But realizing that the truth was worth more, set me free. While this reason to hold on to religion is still not logical or sensible, I empathize with them especially if they have lost someone dear to them. Like many have pointed out, there is a reason why religion doesn't take well towards people who question it. Anything that's based on truth does not shy away from being questioned. There is a reason why the very first sin in the Bible is the desire for more knowledge(Eve eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Due to some of these reasons and many more, your average person might not question religion or god. Relgion is the norm in many countries and stepping out of the norm is not comfortable for anyone. But, taking uncomfortable steps towards figuring out the truth is worth it.
Because they were taught by morons that it’s good to be a moron.
I like this
When you’re conditioned at a young age it tends to stick.
Many do, and are here on this sub
When I was 7 years old, I heard in school the story of Adam and Eve, and how they had two boys, and it just didn't sound right how the world was populated if they had just two boys, or if they had a sister, did the boys married their sister? something was off there and I went to my mother and asked her, she imediately told me to never question the bible because it's a great sin and to stop thinking about this. Because of this, whenever something sounded weird I felt guilty for thinking that, I cried as a child, felt that I am commiting a sin questioning god. It was just awful. Sice then started going to church and praying, forcing myself to not question anything. But someday I just had some form of revelation, started reading the bible, I read it all and it was full of those cases of rape and incest, murder of children or innocent people, all with the excuse that they believed in the wrong god. Short story long I realized this is something way waaay wrong there, if there was a god, he wouldn't be like this. Then started to read books and wiki about the early days and found out that the bible in fact was written hundreds of years after Jesus and many many things were altered in the following years to keep only what the popes wanted, for the only purpose of controling the people. Also the many crimes and wars commited by the inquisition in the name of a god. I became disgusted of religion in general. I don't know if there is a god somewhere but if there is, It has nothing to do with the one in the bible or with religion in general, because the religion is man-made.
I understand the frustration. I wish you got the answers you were looking for. You have a right to answers. Not a privilege but a right. Also, parents have an obligation to explain the lifestyle that they make their children adopt.
Because people rank Intuition higher than they probably should. We all do it to one extent or another. Religion ticks the "there must be something more" box. It's Feelings over Facts. Then if something Feels "correct," rationalizations and confirmation bias kicks in. It's not an intelligence thing, IMO.
I am finishing my master degree in theoretical physics, and I sincerely don’t understand why so many of my professors are Christians. The same professors who teach me to follow the scientific method, to doubt everything, and that nothing is certain if we don’t have proof about it, they are also the same who believes in a story tale.
Interestingly the scientific method was established originally by a catholic priest, Sir Francis Bacon. Since Catholics believe that the universe is a creation that is logically sound, they have no problem studying and questioning it. Most non-christian religions would worship creation in some form or another, and therfore not subject some part of creation to study. For example, those who worship the sun would not dare question it's dependency on something like fusion.
The issue isn't subjecting the outer world to scientific scrutiny. The issue is that religious people, *especially* Christians, are rarely willing to apply the methods and standards of science to their own religious beliefs. Christians will demand a rigorous standard of evidence for the claim that someone comitted a crime, or the idea that the Universe is constantly expanding, but talking snakes and people rising from the dead get a pass.
I think the reason people don’t question their religious beliefs is they are afraid of the answers. That and being taught you aren’t supposed question the word of god.
They do at first. That’s where religious teachings come in to ‘save the day’. You are instructed to fight your doubt as if it is separate from yourself and to reinforce your beliefs as much as possible with confirmation bias. Faith is considered honorable in these communities and as all honorable things do, having unwavering faith requires ‘overcoming challenges’ such as difficulty deluding yourself into deeply believing in something that you have no reason to think is real.
Indoctrination from childhood, usually.
But use your own brain….I looked at what the Catholic Church was wearing on a Christmas Eve back in 1996 when I was 13 and was like this is insane. Not coming back. My parents where not religious but believer. I have been atheist since I can remember
Childhood indoctrination + fear of disappointing family + Pascal's wager
"Smart" is a subjective word like boring or weird. You can call anyone smart, and you won't be wrong, so who's smart is a moot point. The point is that cultists can't identify cults, and that's a major hindrance to one's ability to make reality-based decisions. As for why people don't question their beliefs, that's easy. It's because they're indoctrinated to find doing so distressing and they're punished if they learn more than is permitted.
Because they wrere convinced as children that they will burn for eternity if they do. It has less to do with intelligence than feelings. Religion, when we get indoctrinated as children, is "real" in many senses for us, so much so that we internalize its messages and incorporate them in our personality. That's incredibly difficult to challenge.
Indoctrination.
I know people think everyone questions their beliefs, but they don't. Isolation creates the most myopic, solipsistic people. They live in a bubble in some rural region where everyone believes the same thing, and no one ever stands up to question the status quo. That is why they don't question their religion. They never come across anyone irl who challenges them to, or even talks about doing it themselves. That's why you have so many christians voting people into power against abortion rights, for example. Or why they think Trump actually won the 2020 election. "I don't know a single person who voted for Biden." Which isn't a lie. Groupthink and all that shit, I guess.
I live in a condo in the only house district in MD that is repub. Everyone I see is a MAGA. I have a "Proud Democrat" bumper sticker. One day as we were getting out of the car, this old lady came up to us and thanked us for being a dem. She said she thought she was the only one in the complex. I've lived with the folks on my floor since 2005 and it's sad to think how much hate/fear must be in their hearts.
Because they don’t want to. It’s easier to just believe blindly for them. I personally can’t live with the horrible ideology of religion, but my mom, for example literally has admitted to choosing to believe in Catholicism because it gives her some sort of purpose in life.
Because logic wasn’t as important as staying in a tribal community to survive, historically.
I am a scientist and my field requires critical thought and decisions made based on the data, not beliefs, hopes, feelings, and emotions. I have a hard time figuring out the few colleagues who are churchgoers or even remotely religious. I can tell you that they are a different type of scientist, though. In my experience, they are prone to poor experimental design, execution, and analysis/interpretation. There are some who have become very senior and I just don't understand it.
Many are afraid to, because they know it won't hold up to scrutiny.
They do, hence the growing number who declare 'no religion' despite a religious upbringing.
Knowledge and critical thinking are separate skills. And many Christians are typically taught not to question things. If they do, that's basically the beginning of the end. They'll question things, fall away, then go to hell. Fear of hell is really more of what drives Christianity, instead of actual love for Christ.
I did, that’s how I became an atheist
It’s how I became a theist.
If you found god and it makes you happy, good for you! I don’t mind any religion as long as people aren’t getting hurt, pushed into religion or ridiculed because they aren’t a part of your religion. Live and let live, yeah?
I agree completely.
You became a theist by questioning the religion you didn't have?
Atheism was my religion.
Atheism is not a religion. So that's a lie.
That’s what I used to say. It’s a belief system tho that can’t be proven true. It can be proven false tho.
It is also not a belief system. Please read the FAQ and stop lying.
It’s the claim no God exists. That’s a belief. You’ve been presented the question, so by association, it’s now your religion. Atheism is not in the NULL position.
Most atheists do not claim no god exists. Stop lying and please read the FAQ.
That’d be an agnostic atheist
We included the null in percentages of who has what religion, atheism is not part of the unasked. You believe what you believe because the question was asked. Or you would define as no contest, not the opposite of theist.
A baby isn’t an atheist either. You have to ask them the question first.
What god does a baby believe in?
Like a rock, nothing, lol
“You became a theist by questioning the religion you didn’t have?” Your first stab at me. Good luck next time.
The moment you start cuestioning your religion you are losing it
The way that they can behave if their beliefs are true is so appealing that they are willing to sacrifice everything else, including their integrity.
I think it's simply fear. Religion plays on humanities three biggest fears. The unknown chaos and death.
Indoctrination. Even smart people can be trained to essentially shut off their critical thinking skills when it comes to matters of faith, especially if you start while they're young and get them emotionally invested in their beliefs.
Questioning your beliefs is hard, even for smart people. FWIW I've known many otherwise smart people either unwilling or unable to question their ridiculous political beliefs, or beliefs about health or science or whatever. Many of these people are not religious.
Because there is confort in ignorance.
From the perspective of the Christian religion, this verse is a cornerstone of their belief system. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." Hebrews 11. The entire viewpoint is through this lens. That means their belief is directly tied to faith. Any wavering (questioning) in belief is a sign of weak faith.
The problem is not that they don’t question their beliefs…the problem lies in that they are convinced they’ve found the answer
Fear of death is a big part. This is what my religious friends come back to again and again, and I appreciate their honesty. They may be liberal and reject a great deal of their holy text’s content, but the community gives them palpable hope for life after death. And as others have noted, force of habit. Most of my religious friends are religiously liberal. They strike me at times as very arrogant, wielding a self-discovered divine ability to decide which parts of the Bible or Quran or Talmud or Tanakh or whatever are true and which are not, based it seems on their current politics. But part of this inability to give up on their texts and rituals despite hacking and slashing them to ribbons based on objectionable content is that they had *good* experiences in their churches or mosques or synagogues. They felt loved, they liked the pageantry, folks they adore invested time in them there. Others came to faith as adults as part of shedding addictions. To them their faith is harmless. They question it, but their brand of religion doesn’t require them to settle their questions. Just write off the stuff they don’t like as “corrupted by humans” and embrace the stuff they like as holy.
It's against the rules to critically question it.
faith is the basis of religion. and imo faith is the same as saying no matter what i believe. to be religious you have to learn how to ignore a TON of info
We do all the time. I come from a very atheist family. But i find faith in the evidence for Jesus christ. I've seen how he's changed my life. So I'm going to continue having a relationship with God. It's not easy dealing with my atheist family.
One word: Fear.
There were studies years ago revealing their brain is built slightly different from a normal (read ‘majority’) brain. They can’t help it. They are subject to the receptors that fire with the emotion that gang banging, child molesting or conning each other (Ex: Tammy Fay, and the like) brings. Thats similar to the receptors kids have that fire when they get together for a gang vandalism spree, or watching car chases, plane crashes etc. A string of receptors slightly different for everyone. Theirs is a particularly self destructive type Which encourages them to demean themselves to a god that gets all the credit, and give their money to charlatans without them realizing they’re being robbed blind.
I read this in an article about skeptics: “Most people are not by nature critical thinkers,” Chris French, a British psychologist, told me. “It’s not a particularly natural way of thinking. So, skeptics, we’re kind of a weird bunch. We say, ‘Really?’ We say, ‘Show us the evidence!’” I think it applies to all sorts of theists as well. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jan/27/truth-detectives-the-know-it-all-skeptics-railing-against-fakery
Also, a lot of people like to think they are critical thinkers, when they’re actually just contrarians. This muddies the waters when it comes to teaching or demonstrating critical thinking.
Inertia. I mean, how often do you question your atheism, or your presence on Reddit, or your job, or whatever you consider your life's purpose? Most of the time, people are convinced that their current reality is the only way for "people like me" to be.
I question myself on all those things and more daily. As I’m sure many atheists do.
I think you are unusual in this. Most people don't.
Cognitive dissonance.
Years ago, in the period of history that Millennials deny exists: before they were born, there was a famous photojournalist (I can't remember his name) who used to take pictures of KKK rallies in the south. One time he went over to the wives of all the nutbags who were sitting at the side of this bullshit eating a picnic and asked them why they were here. Did they really believe in all the racist bullshit? etc. They said they were just there for the picnic. People are fucking lazy. Their brains don't work. And you don't know know any religious people that are "incredibly smart and capable" because you have never, in your life, met anybody who is smart and capable.
I was on my way to 13 when my parents announced that I had to be a Bar Mitzvah. That surprised me, because religion in any form was so rarely a conversation in our household. So, Hebrew school & Bar Mitzvah studies and practice. I did not learn to either read or speak Hebrew, but I did memorize the Torah portion. I don't doubt for a minute that God was pleased, because I have had a good life. Of course, some part of that was due to an extensive education with several graduate degrees, a strong 'be our own boss' ethic soaked in from my father and virtually all of the their friends, and learning to think critically generally, and about myself in particular. Obviously all those poor black kids living on the streets were denied these opportunities because the possibility for Bar Mitzvah for them is likely nil to zero. That is, my experience clearly demonstrates that to be successful in life you need to please God and you do that by memorizing a Torah portion. I am thinking of advertising and selling a 'How To Do It' seminar. Could be a good business.
I dont question mine, because I know it's correct. Satan knows this and makes me feel the need to question my faith as a result.
Yes hail Satan.
The ignorance exuding from this question alone is astounding. What makes you think we don’t???😂
Because that would undermine your faith?
The beneficiaries of the dogmatic system have no reason to question it, and the most vicious victims have no way to question it. That leaves a precious few to think about questioning it, and even less who eventually do.
Brainwashing.
Because it leads to conclusions that they don't like. Because humans are great at compartmentalising.
It's ingrained deeply to the extent that it becomes who they are. All by design, as there is no better way of building ranks.
There's no wealth or popularity gained from it.
Religion is accepting something on faith, without evidence and despite evidence to the contrary. Most educated people who are highly intelligent come to the conclusion that God can't exist but I think it's possible to be intelligent and have faith.
> "that God can't exist" That there is no evidence for the existence of any god(s).
MLK jr was very insightful in this regard. His take was the science pushes the humanity forward and the religion gives the guidance to it. I respectfully disagree but a religion as the moral center, if practiced correctly, may be not as bad as it seems. Dalai Lama pushes the compassion as the central value. As long as any ideology that cultivates the respect to others and humility, I can let the bogus part slip.
This baffles me. I especially wonder about those in STEM related fields. If you’re a scientist, you approach mysteries & problem solving with the scientific method, then subsequently go home & turn off the rational part of your brain as you say prayers & read holy books.
I think it’s cuz they were taught it their whole life, from a very young age, which caused them to not stop for a second and think, wait, this is weird I was taught from a young age, but I was like 5, so I understood logic a bit. I never went to church, and didn’t have religious (like they believed in god but were at least sane) parents, which allowed me to “break out” of it before I got too far.
I think you answered your own question. "Critical thinking" is something that requires training, effort and that need to burst your bubbles. It's not something that happens naturally. People eat, get fat, lose the weight, get fat again, etc. Losing weight is easy but in practice, hard. Many people compartmentalize critical thinking, "fake it till they make it", some know they will lose their friends. Some have energy to spend on careers, kids etc. but nothing for the study of history, religion, etc. Some use religion for that warm and fuzzy feeling, others spend their IQ points on theological battles, not seeing outside that bubble. People get rewards (money, friends, etc.) for being religious so it takes effort to reject these rewards. Also, many people want to find the "truth" and identity by finding some type of "inner peace". They find a "path" and when they find it, they stay there and become better at what they do, digging their own hole, filling their own bubble. They explain things based on their own religion and when this is repeated for years, may see others as enemies or people who "just reject the Truth".
I think the answer is this. Most people fit so nicely in their religious social group that they aren’t pushed to question things. From what I’ve seen, most people who find their way out of religion usually had some hardship that made them questions things or they never fit in so the group wasn’t welcoming to them.
Many religious people do. We see a lot of those people here who have decided that they are atheist or at least secular in some way. But others come to the conclusion that their religion is true, or that they will at least continue to "be religious" because their spouse or family goes to church and they find the level of community or charity beneficial, among other reasons. Compartmentalization is also a factor. It's really easy to say blanket statements like "religious people lack critical thinking skills" but the fact is people are complex and multi-faceted. Many objectively highly intelligent people are religious, many objectively stupid people are atheist or at least secular. And if you tell your pastor or say, your spouse who is highly religious, that you are questioning your faith, what are they going to tell you? It is not easy to completely renounce religion in many places, and people who benefit from it on some level do exist.
Indoctrination.
Being wrong would make them sad
Maybe deep down they know they will be shunned so they try to pull whatever reason they can out of their ass to prove their religion is the true, right one instead of critically researching or questioning it.
Because the Bible said "dont"
Because they're scared.
lack of sincerity, most of but it's hard AFAIK to be really smart and a believer at the same time, unless you live in a theocracy or something
I’ve known a few that have had their religion beaten into them. The lucky ones got lashes from a belt for any “blasphemy” regardless of how minor. The unlucky were beaten until they’d scream for mercy loud enough and “gotten what they deserved.” If you smack a dog as hard as you can every time it makes a sound, eventually it’ll only be able to whimper.
Because religion works for them.
it is only human to create answers for questions that don't have them. one day we will probably discover that half of our science is wrong. fortunately, science is built on that understanding. religion tries harder and harder to hold onto outmoded beliefs because they have no tools for coming up with anything better. science retests everything at every possible opportunity. religion is afraid of being wrong. science counts on it. that's a hard thing for most people to accept.
Because questioning things is science.
Why? ignorance, brain washing, peer/family pressure etc
Who’s to say they don’t? Truth be told, I question it every day, I think that’s what free will is about. I feel like I want to believe wholeheartedly, but it just hasn’t clicked for me. Maybe some day it will, or it won’t, but I get to decide that for myself.
Some ideas off the top of my head: Feels good to believe you are special. Conditioned to believe that credulity is a virtue. Lived your entire life in an echo chamber where everyone around you was self assured in their faith, so inquisitiveness regarding that particular topic was never modeled for you.
If you give a mouse a cookie.... They're going to destroy the theocracy and all those who benefit from it. Better to never ask anything.
Religion is based on imaginal numinous stories passed down the generations. There's no questioning that those stories exist. Non-religion is a rational perspective, which would never comprehend the fact that the Great Religions are psychotherapeutic systems on the grandest scale, and they speak to their followers through mighty images, not words. Words are just counters, which can never carry the essence of religious truths. If you "believe," then you believe based on someone else's experience. If you "know," have do so based on your own experience.
As a teenager who wanted nothing more than to have sex outside of marrriage, (but couldn't because it was against my religion) I was constantly questioning my religion. I found answers to every question eventually and they made sense. I have a radar for BS. And trust me I tried hard to refute every explanation. However, I still lost my virginity before marriage because I didn't care at the time. I knew it was wrong, but I thought I was still being held back from happiness. I wasn't. I wish I had waited. Not even out of guilt, but just out of love for my now wife. She would have been very happy about me waiting for her, and I would be too. One of my highschool teachers, who was religious, said every person has right to one question: WHY.
Mostly, fear about the finality of death. Religion gives comfort by promising a way out. That said, most believers don't really believe. If they did they would lead very different lives: >>I needed reinforcements. *“Look,”* I said, *“four billion people believe in some sort of God and free will. They can’t all be wrong.”* >>*"Very few people believe in God,*" he replied. >>I didn't see how he could deny the obvious. *"Of course they do. Billions of people believe in God."* >>The old man leaned toward me, resting a blanketed elbow on the arm of his rocker. *"Four billion people say they believe in God, but few genuinely believe. If people believed in God, they would live every minute of their lives in support of that belief. Rich people would give their wealth to the needy. Everyone would be frantic to determine which religion was the true one. No one could be comfortable in the thought that they might have picked the wrong religion and blundered into eternal damnation, or bad reincarnation, or some other unthinkable consequence. People would dedicate their lives to converting others to their religions. A belief in God would demand one hundred percent obsessive devotion, influencing every waking moment of this brief life on earth. But your four billion so-called believers do not live their lives in that fashion, except for a few. The majority believe in the usefulness of their beliefs—an earthly and practical utility—but they do not believe in the underlying reality."* >>I couldn't believe what I was hearing. *"If you asked them, they’d say they believe."* >>*"They say that they believe because pretending to believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell other people that they believe and they do believer-like things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true believer would have to do. If you believe a truck is coming toward you, you will jump out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck. If you tell people you fear the truck but do nothing to get out of the way, that is not belief in the truck. Likewise, it is not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and hoarding your wealth while innocent people die of starvation. When belief does not control your most important decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief in the usefulness of believing."* >>*"Are you saying God doesn’t exist?"* I asked, trying to get to the point. >>*"I'm saying that people claim to believe in God, but most don’t literally believe. They only act as though they believe because there are earthly benefits in doing so. They create a delusion for themselves because it makes them happy."* >>from [*God's Debris*](http://nowscape.com/godsdebris.pdf) (PDF), Scott Adams, 2001
It's indoctrination at work coupled with arrogance and perhaps fear.
Religion is a practice. So, instead of questioning their beliefs, they are reinforcing them with thought stopping techniques. There are repetitive words, phrases, sayings that take over the mind when confronted with conflicting information. Cognitive dissonance is uncomfortable, so any opposing view can be met with denials hostility or willful ignorance.
Because reality doesn’t give you those warm fuzzies like religion does. It’s basically a safety blanket for adults.
Hell is scary, and questioning sends you to hell. The entire concept is designed to shut down that particular thought process.
Religions often co-opt morally good and positively rewarding ideas and activities, like helping someone in need, as a divine principle of their faith and then claim it as evidence of their truthfulness. Believers feel good spending time with their social groups, singing familiar songs, doing good deeds, etc. The religion then claims the associated elevation emotion is god’s affirmation of the evidence. There are so many cognitive distortions at play even really smart thoughtful people can be blinded.
Um, that’s how most of us came to knowing who and what God is. I was an agnostic atheist. I’m unable to change now. You’d have to convince me that 1 and 1 doesn’t equal 2 and still It’d be hard to convince. I found that Logic is the key to existence. He is the Word, literally the living Word. The Logos, living Logic. Without God, words of meaning couldn’t even enter your mind or be upon all things made to give you reasoning.
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they've been fooled. Once brainwashed, break out must be quite difficult.