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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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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?
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.
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
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.
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.