Why is religion still a thing?

[Scarletthoo2]

As the title states, I would like to know why people still choose religion rather than science, please give me your personal view and opinions.

I was christened at birth, but grown up an atheist. I'm just curious to know why so many people still believe in religion and god. Considering there's undeniable evidence that everything on earth is simply made of atoms and particles and wasn't created by an otherworldly person.

Hopefully this doesn't cause offence to some people, like I've said, just simply want others views.

Yo like This clip of Carl Jung answering the question of did he believe in God

It has never been a thing. God and Jesus are always in opposition to man made or pagan religions

Your username is JustaChristian. Last time I checked Christianity is a religion.

If there are pagan religions then there are religions. Therefore Religion is definitely a thing

Well that makes absolutely no sense.

In that case we should kill all our babies.

nor do they exclude the possibility of fairies at the bottom of your garden.

What are you talking about?

Is this a Richard Dawkins atheist quote or something? Didn’t he suggest terminating all babies with Down’s Syndrome and starting again?
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/21/richard-dawkins-immoral-not-to-abort-a-downs-syndrome-foetus

Or possibly a Nazi scientist quote? Eugenics.
Evil stuff. Scientists can do terrible things (nuclear weapons etc).

@Scarletthoo2 you say there is undeniable evidence that everything is made of atoms and particles, which in your mind is evidence against religion. But where did those atoms and particles come from? And if you say 'the big bang' what made that happen? I'm a scientist, and very pro scientific endeavour. But don't think that science is able to explain even a fraction of what you claim it does. In that sense science is a belief system too, just like religion.

Regarding heaven, I think the honest truth is that absolutely nobody is able to say for certain that it either exists, or doesn't. There is no certainty, it's a belief. Some of you question the mechanics of heaven and how someone transitions to heaven after death. But equally I'm also interested to hear about the mechanics of what happens in the opinion of people who do not believe in heaven. What happens to the soul? And what is the evidence that proves that this is what happens? This is not so much about my beliefs, I'm not as arrogant as to assume that my beliefs are right and other beliefs are wrong.

@Clogsinbog I believe that when we die, everything dies, soul included, and the molecules and energy that constitute us go back into the system that is the universe and become part of other things. We just aren't there to experience any of it.

Thanks for that explanation @pointythings , it's great to hear what other people believe. I grew up catholic but have shifted away from Christianity to a different belief. As a result i don't have a strong image of what heaven/hell would be like. But as a scientist having had the pleasure of looking at one single human cell under a microscope, and the realisation that we are nowhere near of being able to replicate the complexity and beauty of even a single cel, my believe in God became stronger. I don't look at heaven as an incentive to be a good person. And am not sure about the simplistic view of heaven and hell portrayed in films. I'm uncertain, and I guess that's ok too.

@Clogsinbog I am an atheist, and it's heartening to see how possible it is for believers and non believers to have things in common. Ultimately nobody can prove anything either way and as long as our beliefs make us decent human beings, it shouldn't matter.

Let's look at the world for example. Science will tell you it was created but science has its limits. It won't tell you who created it or why or how. Logic tells you that if there's a creation then there must be a creator. God, in his infinite wisdom, has chosen to reveal this and plan through messengers and books.

There are things written in holy books like the Quran (that was written 1400 years ago) that are only being discovered today by scientists.

Science tells you how things are, with rigour. Holes in science have been, and will continue to be, filled as things are discovered. Logic tells you that it doesn't necessarily follow that a super being created anything. It's just that we don't know.

@anotherlevel that's just the classic 'god of the gaps' argument. It cuts no ice. Just because we don't know yet doesn't mean therefore God. Even if there is a creator of some kind, it doesn't necessarily have to be the one we humans imagine for ourselves. It's just as likely to be a giant sentient elephant toddler playing with its cosmic Lego. We don't know. We can't know. All we can do is believe, or not.

Science tells us about the material world, spirituality/religion about the spiritual (ie not material world). Both scientists and those abusing religion get the two things mixed up.

Its like using a decibel meter to check what colour something is. Up to an individual if they believe the spiritual world exists but it is not something science is designed to observe.

@pointythings I believe there are many things that can be proven that God does exist but it's people who are either blind to it, don't want to see it or deny it and make up their own truths about things and take it as fact.

@anotherlevel I have never seen any proof of the existence of God that doesn't base itself on a self fulfilling premises and chimes with modern scientific methodology. It all starts with the need to take that leap of faith and that isn't good enough to constitute proof in the way the method defines tgat concept. Those of us who do not believe are not blind or in denial- that is the arrogance of faith talking.

@pointythings We both believe in different things and that's fine. My original post was just replying to OP's post.

I understand your point, but saying that people who don't believe are blind or in denial is just plain offensive.

Apologies if I offended it wasn't my intention.

How could calling people blind and saying they make things up not be offensive?