# Why do so many people still believe in God?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [April 17, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965 "2022-04-17T20:24:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 21
### Author:  [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/401 "2022-05-08T19:33:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> But I also had authority figures in my own life, especially my parents, who were basically smart, knowledgeable, thoughtful, honest, and sincere.
My parents never pushed religion on me…_very much_. Oh, we kids were hauled to church every Easter, but I think that was just the thing to do at that time and place (60’s suburbia). I hated it though. That was the time of year my 9 year older brother and I got new suits (to look good at church). We looked like the Bobbsey Twins, and the suits were always hot and itchy. I never heard my parents discuss God, however, so I doubt they were believers.
Years later, as a teen, I was hauled to Catholic Christmas Mass by my friend’s parents. _Dang, that’s a long service!_ They weren’t too happy about my church attire—black leather motorcycle jacket, riding boots, dog choker around my neck—the whole nine yards. And I got scolded for taking Holy Communion (how was I to know you’re supposed to be catholic to do that? But, hey, free wine and cracker!). I never got invited back. I don’t know why.
A few years later I was Best Man at my roommate’s wedding. A _catholic_ wedding. In a huge city church. I was supposed to go to rehersal, but poker was more important to me then. I figured, _Best Man, how hard can that be?_ Stand next to the groom and hand him the ring. Easy peasy. Well, it turns out catholic weddings are _a lot_ more involved. I messed up big time.Took a while to live that one down. I gave a kick-ass speech at the reception though! Maybe that redeemed me in the eyes of God.
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/402 "2022-05-09T06:57:53Z")
> [@Mijin](#):
>
> I’ll never know, because the idea always seemed fanciful to me, even as a child going to Catholic school. I don’t mean that to sound superior, I just couldn’t see it as anything other than mythology.
Sme here, I went to a C of E school so that’s barely religion in any real sense but religion was always something that other people believed in. Interesting in an abstract way but I gave it as much credence as people believing in Zeus or Wotan.
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### Author:  [@CaptainE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainE)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/403 "2022-05-09T07:19:12Z")
It’s been a while since you posted this, but it hits the nail on the head for what I see is the underlying reason for religious beliefs, and others, including beliefs such as in past lives.
The human brain cannot comprehend nonexistence. Period.
Add in a dash of human hubris (What? I’m going to die and everything and everyone else just goes on without me? No way.) and it’s life everlasting.
As I scroll through this thread, many cogent, logical reasons will be given as answer to the OP, but I will wager this thought will be brought up in few comments.
I think sleep is the best metaphor we have and use if unconsciously. A good dream= heaven. A bad dream= hell.
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/404 "2022-05-09T10:51:14Z")
> [@CaptainE](#):
>
> The human brain cannot comprehend nonexistence. Period.
We have no problem comprehending the nonexistence that occurred before we were born.
At least I don’t.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/405 "2022-05-09T14:11:24Z")
> [@CaptainE](#):
>
> what I see is the underlying reason for religious beliefs, and others, including beliefs such as in past lives.
> The human brain cannot comprehend nonexistence. Period.
Then what about those religions (e.g. Judaism) for which belief in an afterlife is not central?
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### Author:  [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/406 "2022-05-09T15:01:11Z")
Personally, I’m afraid of the thought of an afterlife. I have acrophobia, so floating around high up in the clouds sounds dreadful. I don’t play the harp. And how much fun could one really have being under the _all-seeing_ eye of mister _holier than thou_ God? He doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs. I’m guessing hookers and blow are out of the question? I suppose I could start sinning and go down to where the fun action takes place. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.
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### Author:  [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/407 "2022-05-09T15:08:20Z")
“I’ll take Heaven for climate, and Hell for company.” -Mark Twain
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/408 "2022-05-09T15:45:14Z")
> [@Tibby](#):
>
> Personally, I’m afraid of the thought of an afterlife. I have acrophobia, so floating around high up in the clouds sounds dreadful. I don’t play the harp.
Speaking of Mark Twain:
> [@](#):
>
> “I’ll set you right on that point very quick. People take the figurative language of the Bible and the allegories for literal, and the first thing they ask for when they get here is a halo and a harp, and so on. Nothing that’s harmless and reasonable is refused a body here, if he asks it in the right spirit. So they are outfitted with these things without a word. They go and sing and play just about one day, and that’s the last you’ll ever see them in the choir. They don’t need anybody to tell them that that sort of thing wouldn’t make a heaven—at least not a heaven that a sane man could stand a week and remain sane. That cloud-bank is placed where the noise can’t disturb the old inhabitants, and so there ain’t any harm in letting everybody get up there and cure himself as soon as he comes.”
from [“Extract from Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven”](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1044/1044-h/1044-h.htm)
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/409 "2022-05-09T16:29:35Z")
One of my favorite Twain works.
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### Author:  [@CaptainE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainE)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/410 "2022-05-10T04:59:47Z")
I am only answering the OP’s question regarding “so many”. I don’t claim to know every believer’s motivation.
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### Author:  [@CaptainE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainE)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/411 "2022-05-10T05:04:45Z")
Good for you. Or whoever we refers to. You probably understand why the sky is blue I’d bet.
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/412 "2022-05-10T06:57:40Z")
I think my “we” includes you too.
I assume your conscious self _now_ is able to look at a period in history when you didn’t exist and have no problem in accepting your non-participation in it. Mark Twain commented on that as well.
> “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”
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### Author:  [@CaptainE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainE)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/413 "2022-05-10T09:44:47Z")
Novelty said (sorry, should have quoted properly):
I think my “we” includes you too.
I assume your conscious self _now_ is able to look at a period in history when you didn’t exist and have no problem in accepting your non-participation in it. Mark Twain commented on that as well.
——————————————————————————————————
Yes, but my point is that I believe most people don’t give that period much thought. I know Lucretius did but again, I really have little belief that most people are that deep.
Do believers think about questions like why humans would be made in god’s image for example? Did god need to breathe? Walk around on two legs?
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/414 "2022-05-10T10:13:23Z")
> [@CaptainE](#):
>
> Yes, but my point is that I believe most people don’t give that period much thought. I know Lucretius did but again, I really have little belief that most people are that deep
sure, if your point is more that they _don’t_ think about it rather than they are not able to _comprehend_ it, then I agree.
And I also agree that little critical thought is given to the other elements of theology and dogma. There is little benefit in doing so for many people and quite a high social cost in many circumstances.
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### Author:  [@CaptainE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainE)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/415 "2022-05-10T18:41:21Z")
I think people don’t think about the period before they were born. They know they didn’t exist before but I rarely read discussions about that period, unless reading heavy philosophy. There is much talk about the afterlife. Either good things happening or bad, but not nothing for eternity. Unless of course speaking with atheists. YMMV
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/416 "2022-05-10T19:58:39Z")
My two favorite Twain works are “The Diary of Adam and Eve” and “The Awful German Language”
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/417 "2022-05-10T22:17:09Z")
> [@CaptainE](#):
>
> Yes, but my point is that I believe most people don’t give that period much thought. I know Lucretius did but again, I really have little belief that most people are that deep.
A more interesting period is the time between when you were born and become truly conscious. My first memory was when I was about 2, and I can’t guarantee that was a true memory. I don’t think I was there when I was six months old. The body and the as yet unformed brain, yes, but not me.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/418 "2022-05-10T22:57:55Z")
> [@Voyager](#):
>
> My first memory was when I was about 2, and I can’t guarantee that was a true memory. I don’t think I was there when I was six months old. The body and the as yet unformed brain, yes, but not me.
Interesting. I take it for granted that I was there but what wasn’t there yet was language, which meant I could not think in verbal terms about anything that was happening, so when I conjure those memories back I get sensations and emotions but not cognizant thoughts, so I don’t realize what it is that I’m remembering when I remember that far back.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/419 "2022-05-29T02:12:03Z")
A great thing about religion is that it does not require objective evidence, thus making belief so much easier.
Peggy Noonan explained it well. So what if we can’t see God or miracles happening before our eyes? We can’t see quarks or neutrinos either.
You can’t dispute impeccable logic like that.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-still-believe-in-god/962965/420 "2022-05-29T02:17:40Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> So what if we can’t see God or miracles happening before our eyes? We can’t see quarks or neutrinos either.
Hang on, so if we filled [Super-Kamiokande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-Kamiokande) with _holy_ water…
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