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.

75% of charitable donations are from non faith groups in the UK.

And where did the groups get their money? Hmm? From people and who donates the most money to charity? People with religious beliefs:

“Looking at adults in the UK, data from YouGov Profiles reveals that people who practise a faith with any amount of regularity (from major holiday observers to regular worshippers) do show a higher tendency to be charitable when compared to their non-practising or irreligious counterparts.
Asked about their likelihood to donate to a charity in the next three months, three in four (76%) religious people indicated a likelihood to do so, demonstrating a significantly higher propensity than the irreligious and non-practising group (56%).”
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2021/05/05/religious-people-give-more-often-different-causes

In most Christian sects, God is a holy trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You go through any one of them, you are accessing God. Jesus is God, one in three and three in one.

How you are “saved” and go to heaven depends on the specific Christian sect (or cult!) as it can be very different.

I think that’s a key point. There’s a lot of mockery going on of Christian beliefs that are not actual beliefs in most Christian doctrines. They’re mocking what they do not understand.

I have also found many science teachers to be people of faith. In contrast, I have found most English teachers (myself included), to be atheists. I have my theories as to why…

@pickledandpuzzled - you put it very well. I spend a lot of time explaining this to people.

I think a lot of undue criticisms of religions or 'religious people' (whatever that means) come from who either have no religious background or have the misfortune to have grown up in a dogmatic, restrictive religious environment and assume all other religious experiences are the same. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good reasons to criticise religion too!

I find it interesting the straw men that people set up when I come into a 'oh religion is all stupid' conversation and declare myself to be 'religious' in some sense - the assumption tend to be that I will defend/justify religion, that I will believe in God, that I will afford religion moral weight above secular society, when I'm not interested in doing any of those things

I think for many people its an arrangement of convenience.

As for God being vindictive for not dealing with life's inexplicable horrors, there's lots of good, thoughtful responses to that huge question but I believe that discussion is always better had in person and preferably with people who are genuinely open/curious.

I'd be really interested in how Christians explain some of the inexplicable horrors such as how innocent children have to die.

Exactly: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

People need a set of rules to live by and religion/belief has been the answer since man was intelligent enough to create said set of rules.

Unfortunately religion has always been bias towards men and oppressive for women.

To use as a means to control others

Classical Greece was famous for the development of physics, math, astronomy, medicine; the sciences all while believing in the gods. No problem.
The Stoics whose philosophy is popular right now were pantheists:
"To the Stoics, the cosmos is a single pantheistic god, one which is rational and creative, and which is the basis of everything which exists. Nothing incorporeal exists. The nature of the world is one of unceasing change, driven by the active part or reason (logos) of God which pervades all things."
Stoic beliefs

I don't really agree OP, I know a lot of scientists and medics who are deeply religious. I also don't think the two things are completely opposed.

I grew up in a religious household, became very angry when I realised that the things the adults around me had been teaching me weren't proveably true without a 'this is what I believe' caveat and became staunchly atheist. I was just so hurt that someone could tell me, for example, I was going to see by beloved and terribly missed granny in heaven without being sure beyond doubt, because I was truly crushed when I found out that wasn't certain.

However, I've changed again as I've got older and started to feel as though my worldview was missing a component. I did a lot of research into all kind of faith systems and none really resonated with me- in the end, I ended up reading about biocentrism and that made sense to me.

I now have a very loose belief system that we all have consciousness that is distinct from our body (as in, beyond just the functions of the brain.) I think that may endure beyond death, although I have no idea what would entail and don't feel like I need to know- although I spend a lot of time meditating on what the nature of it might be because I find it fascinating. Reincarnation feels possible to me, but I have no certainty. I don't believe in God- more a higher consciousness, or a collective consciousness, that's probably as flawed as we are- hence an imperfect world.

Generally, it comes from my own subjective experience of being 'me' and that there is something beyond the processes going on in my brain that makes me 'me.'

To me, believing in that just seems like common sense because I've experienced it. That doesn't mean that I think somebody who doesn't believe the same lacks common sense, because their inner experiences might be totally different from mine.

I agree with PP that to be dismissive of others' beliefs fails to really engage with how they've experienced faith or arrived at their beliefs. And it's extremely difficult to articulate how you experience faith- I've just attempted to articulate my (admittedly unusual) beliefs and I'm aware I've done a shit job!

But they’re not inexplicable if you believe that God is everything and the material is a reflection of God that would include the most euphoric feelings and the depths of hell.

I was raised Catholic but am a different religion now. But there’s a few things here.

Why do you only want to know how Christian’s explain this? Why not bother religions?

My Nana was deeply religious and had a steadfast faith. Her son died when he was 12 weeks old. It shook her faith for a while. But the conclusion she came to is that God never promised that bad things wouldn’t happen if you believed. She didn’t believe that god interfered in the day to day goings on and saving his believers from pain. She also believed in science. That in time we would understand more about cot death and why it happens and how to prevent it. She understood there would be a scientific explanation. Despite the pain she felt until the day she died, after losing him she never believed God had ever promised to prevent disease or illness and our biology will always mean things go wrong within bodies and something bad can come from it.

She also believed that illness, bacteria etc were part of the biology of the world and never believed God promised a perfect unchallenged life on earth. She didn’t believe her innocent child was punished by dying.

My mum handled it very different. Her brother death really impacted her life. She never really settled on a reason. At times she believed we all had struggles and challenges. Later in life she took on her mothers view. It’s something that she did struggle with. But both still had faith. My mum didn’t expect to understand everything that happens in life, just because she had faith.

I don’t think either fully found peace in relation to the death of their son and brother. But still had faith.

Also as mum got older she believed tiles in the institution of the church but still had faith in God. She spent more time exploring her faith on a personal level and privately. She died when she was 66. She 100% believed her mother, father and brother were waiting for her when the time came. It gave her great comfort.

My personal opinions are that our beliefs are there to give us comfort. Even atheists. Their belief in no god, brings them comfort and explanations. That’s what they are there for. Non of us know for sure if we are right.

But that's the thing. Science will never be able to prove if God exists or not. Religion or not.

I'd be really interested in how Christians explain some of the inexplicable horrors such as how innocent children have to die.

Free will. God won't stop the bad in the world - a child who's died of cancer will be entering into the Kingdom of heaven, and the Kingdom of Heaven is better than anything we have on Earth, times 1000000. They will be in a better place (too young to accept Christ by their own merit so they can come as non believers too etc). We can't even begin to comprehend the greatness they will go on to enjoy in Heaven

Because people want something to believe in. To believe that if they do the right things, they'll be rewarded.

As lots of societies become increasingly secular it's being replaced by law of attraction beliefs.

But that does not negate the fact that God created the bad in the world. It was all their idea.

I havent read the full thread but I remember watching a documentary which looked at this and there is a part of the brain in humans that seeks to create the invention of a higher power/spiritual being. I cant remember the exact details

So to some degree its 'normal' in that our brains seek to find this or invent this and I think the vast (if not all) majority of societies and civilisations in the world have a belief system which involves the spiritual or supernatural world at some level.

People like me who have never believed that, are probably 'abnormal' in some respect

That’s not the doctrine for vast majority of Christians. There are differing views, but in general, God created everything but certain beings like the angels and humans also can create things that are good or evil and do good or evil. God reduced its own omnipotence by gifting potency (power) to other beings. The evil/bad comes from these lesser beings, not God, because they are not divine.

It’s why many traditions would call bad/evil “the work of the devil” - it is meant literally.

Thank you, I have not read about the Classical Greek Stoics and am adding that to my list!

I don’t think it’s so much people want something to believe in, it’s because many people do believe there is something bigger, it’s just a feeling, some deep knowing which seems to have existed since at least the Dawn of civilisation and most likely before.

im not 100% sure what you mean by “law of attraction beliefs” whether you mean the new agey/ The Secret type of thing or something a lot older? But I do agree that many more people are discovering alternative ways of expressing and exploring this deep seated knowledge. These alternatives have always been there. As Kathleen Raine explores in some of her work. The western escoteric tradition - many parts of which date back to ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece have always been there, woven through society like an underground river. Sometimes a spring of this knowledge erupts through the ground (eg in the Renaissance, 19th century Europe and probably now) where people are reminded of its existence and recognise its importance and value.

In many countries faith is aligned and entwined with culture.

I’m not a believer (well, more agnostic) but I work in s faith setting and we have lots of scientists.

But by that logic, if "Heaven is better than anything we have on Earth, times 1000000." then why wait? Why not all top ourselves now?

I believe this has been dangled and is used as a carrot to justify social inequalities - hence promises such as the meek shall inherit the earth, etc. So don't mind if you're poor, starving, abused ... you'll get your just rewards in heaven.

*But by that logic, if "Heaven is better than anything we have on Earth, times 1000000." then why wait? Why not all top ourselves now?

I believe this has been dangled and is used as a carrot to justify social inequalities - hence promises such as the meek shall inherit the earth, etc. So don't mind if you're poor, starving, abused ... you'll get your just rewards in heaven.*

Yes I agree, especially looking at it historically. Plus it just seems like such obvious wishful thinking.