# Do some people NEED faith? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 9, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810 "2013-08-09T15:49:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/61 "2013-08-15T15:57:06Z")
They want meanings purposes etc. To some people a supernatural agent is an acceptable answer to things they do not understand. Once they decide these things they are stuck. They prefer not to think of these scary things once they decided they have the answer. Easier that way. ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/62 "2013-08-15T16:00:18Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > We humans have faith, hope, and love built into us. That is the way we are, gregarious, social beings. > > If skepticism is the opposite of faith, trust. then if we humans could > get rid of all our faith and trust we would become stark raving mad. > > Insane paranoia. This is the usual misconception. Atheists have feelings, social activity and are good parents. We are not hedonists. I’m not even a materialist in the sense of collecting wealth. The things you see connected are not. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/63 "2013-08-15T16:03:25Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > If skepticism is the opposite of faith, trust. It isn’t. Look it up-it’s in the dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/64 "2013-08-15T16:09:09Z")
I would be willing to bet that a good number of Christians and those of other religions are actually athiests in denial, I would also bet that a good number of athiests are believers in denial. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/65 "2013-08-15T16:50:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It isn’t. Look it up-it’s in the dictionary. disbelief **doubt** doubtfulness dubiety dubiousness incertitude unbelief uncertainty OK that is what the dictionary says with doubt boldfaced. Looks good to me. I would say it is a perfect prescription for depression. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/66 "2013-08-15T16:52:17Z")
Are you sure that wasn’t a thesaurus? ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/67 "2013-08-15T16:55:54Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I would be willing to bet that a good number of Christians and those of other religions are actually athiests in denial, I would also bet that a good number of athiests are believers in denial. I don’t think it matters. I know some Christians believe because they are afraid and I know that some atheists don’t believe because they are afraid of what may come after this life and I believe both are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/68 "2013-08-15T17:05:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are you sure that wasn’t a thesaurus? It’s called WordWeb Pro. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/69 "2013-08-15T17:22:10Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > We humans have faith, hope, and love built into us. That is the way we are, gregarious, social beings. > > If skepticism is the opposite of faith, trust. then if we humans could > get rid of all our faith and trust we would become stark raving mad. > > Insane paranoia. Far from it, it is dangerous to live life without a good healthy dose of skepticism. The opposite of that would be gullibility. You are the adult version of Pollyanna, and don’t seem to have a skeptical critical thinking bone in your body. According to Cohen, in “The Mind of the Bible Believer” (Prometheus books) fear and depression are quite common among conservative Christians. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/70 "2013-08-15T17:24:31Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > It’s called WordWeb Pro. It’s called knowing the difference between WorldWeb’s dictionary function and it’s thesaurus function, then not extrapolating wildly from whatever you find. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/71 "2013-08-15T17:36:27Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > According to Cohen, in “The Mind of the Bible Believer” (Prometheus books) fear and depression are quite common among conservative Christians. “There is nothing to fear. There is only love.” Or some such cold and runny pablum… wait for it… 9… 8… 7… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/72 "2013-08-15T18:25:47Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > According to Cohen, in “The Mind of the Bible Believer” (Prometheus books) fear and depression are quite common among conservative Christians. Considering how grim and frightening a worldview that is, that isn’t surprising at all. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/73 "2013-08-15T19:21:26Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > Far from it, it is dangerous to live life without a good healthy dose of skepticism. The opposite of that would be gullibility. You are the adult version of Pollyanna, and don’t seem to have a skeptical critical thinking bone in your body. > > According to Cohen, in “The Mind of the Bible Believer” (Prometheus books) fear and depression are quite common among conservative Christians. Your post falls into that category of being wrong by association. Cohen’s book “The Mind of the Bible Believer” is wrong for the same reason. If there are a billion Christians then there are a billion minds and the Book only discusses “the” or one mind. Hardly something I would care to read. Personally I do not believe the Bible as the word of God. Actually I am more skeptical than you in many ways. Science, religion, and other belief systems are not my forte. Yet I believe in a greater system of thought which is unexplainable but can be experienced. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/74 "2013-08-15T19:24:15Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > If there are a billion Christians then there are a billion minds and the Book only discusses “the” or one mind. There is nothing more hive mind than religion. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/75 "2013-08-15T19:50:10Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > There is nothing more hive mind than religion. Yes there is the hive mind of science. OK just kidding. there is no such thing as a hive mind. No two humans are alike just as no two flowers or snowflakes are the same. That is the number one fallacy of thinking, critical thinking that is. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/76 "2013-08-16T02:02:24Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > Your post falls into that category of being wrong by association. Not following. > [@](#): > > Cohen’s book “The Mind of the Bible Believer” is wrong for the same reason. If there are a billion Christians then there are a billion minds and the Book only discusses “the” or one mind. Hardly something I would care to read. You ascertained all of that by just reading the title, and really thought the book was just going be about one mind representing all one billion Christians? This must be an example of the unexplainable “greater system of thought” that you claim to possess. You got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/77 "2013-08-16T10:42:19Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > Not following. > > You ascertained all of that by just reading the title, and really thought the book was just going be about one mind representing all one billion Christians? This must be an example of the unexplainable “greater system of thought” that you claim to possess. You got nothin’. You didn’t get it either. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/78 "2013-08-16T11:56:22Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > You didn’t get it either. What should you expect claiming to possess a “greater system of thought” that is “unexplainable”? It must be frustrating to have this superior system of thought, but unfortunately it has a glitch in that it affects language so that it has to stay in the unexplainable realm. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/79 "2013-08-16T16:03:00Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > What should you expect claiming to possess a “greater system of thought” that is “unexplainable”? It must be frustrating to have this superior system of thought, but unfortunately it has a glitch in that it affects language so that it has to stay in the unexplainable realm. I didn’t say superior. I think most people get it. There is no atheists vs. Christians, no them and us, only we. A book cannot be written that will accurately describe the mindset of any group of people. Once we start thinking in terms of reality so many of our fears and problems disappear. No one is completely faithful or doubtful of anything. It is all a myth. When the myth goes away so do the labels. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810/80 "2013-08-16T16:50:20Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > I didn’t say superior. I think most people get it. [You said greater,](http://thesaurus.com/browse/Superior) it makes no difference. Earlier you said your greater system of thought was unexplainable. Now it seems you’re trying to explain it again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-people-need-faith/665810.md?page=5)