# Why does religion exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 21, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482 "2004-03-21T00:56:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Inoshiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Inoshiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inoshiro)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/41 "2004-03-25T04:40:54Z")
> [@Alan Owes Bess](#): > > From **iamme99** > > It does not follow that we are likely to be able to live beyond what appears to be our genetically inherited maximum age – about 75-80 years - to something like 150 years. As if that’s desirable (especially considering the range of good quality wines I like to imbibe. Even at the current moderate rate, I would end up with Korsakoff’s Syndrome well before the age of 120, if not sooner). FWIW, current research into life extension does not really focus on the idea of just keeping decaying people marginally “alive” to great age but rather seeks radical approaches to shutting down cellular aging, removing molecular “junk” and various techniques for rejuvenation. If these people succeed a 150 year old would probably look and feel 30 or so. Stem cell research, theraputic cloning, gene therapy and various types of nano-technology are the relevant things to watch. ---
**Author:** ![domesticatedjunglefowl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@domesticatedjunglefowl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/domesticatedjunglefowl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/42 "2004-03-25T07:07:27Z")
Religion provides answers, whether they be right, wrong, or indifferent. I believe the correlation between science and religion is both arise from the objective of answering questions. Science has provided helpful and functionally correct answers to a great deal of questions. Unfortunately, Science has yet to (and may never) provide the answers we most dearly crave. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/43 "2004-03-25T07:58:47Z")
> [@mangomerlot](#): > > Religion provides answers, whether they be right, wrong, or indifferent. I believe the correlation between science and religion is both arise from the objective of answering questions. Science has provided helpful and functionally correct answers to a great deal of questions. Unfortunately, Science has yet to (and may never) provide the answers we most dearly crave. I’m confident that if science ever proved their wasn’t anything god-like in the universe, that the religious believers would ignore the answer and try to work around it - similar to the creationist arguments that the universe and life is so “unimaginably complex”, that there MUST be “Intelligent Design” behind all of it… ---
**Author:** ![domesticatedjunglefowl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@domesticatedjunglefowl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/domesticatedjunglefowl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/44 "2004-03-25T15:59:00Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > I’m confident that if science ever proved their wasn’t anything god-like in the universe, that the religious believers would ignore the answer and try to work around it - similar to the creationist arguments that the universe and life is so “unimaginably complex”, that there MUST be “Intelligent Design” behind all of it… One could prove irrefutedly that there is no God, but this wouldn’t answer why we are here and what purpose we serve. Science would have to answer these questions with certainty before Religion could become obselete. I don’t forsee that kind of scientific progression anywhere on the horizon. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/45 "2004-03-25T18:52:08Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > I’m confident that if science ever proved their wasn’t anything god-like in the universe, that the religious believers would ignore the answer and try to work around it - similar to the creationist arguments that the universe and life is so “unimaginably complex”, that there MUST be “Intelligent Design” behind all of it… Based on the extremely absurd assumption that science can prove that _anything_ does not exist, much less a metaphysical entity, all that would do is make all religions “neopagan” in essence. Many pagans (and increasingly, even many Christians) don’t believe in god as an entity, and see what we call gods as personifications of emotion and thought. You need to break out of the concept of religion as soley a monotheistic - westernist - big - guy - with - a - beard - in - the - sky - creationist standpoint. Even athiests, when alone and in desperate times, can have psuedo-religious feelings, such as “feeling” the presence of their dead father with them, comforting them. I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of that, no matter how much logic you cram down people’s gullets. ---
**Author:** ![dal\_timgar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@dal\_timgar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dal_timgar)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/46 "2004-03-25T22:59:18Z")
Religion continues to exist because parents approve of having their children brainwashed into believing the same things they do. Get upset if they don’t believe actually. The hijackers hit THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. Think about the name. Doesn’t the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING represent the United States more. This may be a CULTURE WAR. Is American television invading the minds of children all over the world? How many people dislike this but can’t fight the Euro/American concept of FREEDOM OF SPEECH? Some fanatics may take matters into their own hands and religion may only be one factor. I have a book that says the United States is spreading a Mickey Mouse mentality around the world. I swear Americans seem to be getting dumber since the 60’s. How many Arabs see the West as wasting oil on nonsense but the money goes to a small percentage of people in the Middle-East? I see it that way and I’m not muslim and don’t plan on doing any terrorist acts. Is there such a thing as Intellectual Terrorism? If I affect your thinking have I bombed your mind? Can I trigger shock waves of cognitive disonance and cause bleeding from the ears? Ah, delusions. Dal Timgar > [@iamme99](#): > > Religion was something created long ago to explain the unknown. However, as countries and people become more advanced, they begin to realize that events like eclipses that mystified people in the past are now easily explained by science. > > Religion has also served to identify and protect people from unknown outsiders (the fear factor). Religion was like a gang membership - you were either part of the gang or fair game if not. In a small society with limited travel and education, if you were part of the same religion, then you were probably safe to associate with. > > By all rights, religion should have died out by now and would have, if not for the institutionalization of religion. This is what scares me most about religion - the religious establishment and their fanatical supporters who attack others because they don’t believe as they do. We saw this 9/11 where fanatical members of a major religion (Islam) killed many innocent people simply because we did not believe the same as they do. Throughout history, much strife and conflict has been caused by religious differences. Religions have surely been the root of more killing and torture that any other single cause in the history of mankind. > > A while ago, I was watching the CBS 60 Minutes segment on Pakistan when one of the Islamic interviewee’s flatly stated, “God had commanded them to build nuclear weapons”! Say what? How exactly did their God communicate this message to them? Was it while they were smoking some potent hashish? Was there a dream? Or did God just send an email? And why didn’t their God just make things simple and give them nuclear weapons with instructions for their use? At least the Jews got some stone tablets… > > But can/does religion really provide protection from the evils around us in these modern times? I think not. Jesse Ventura has been quoted as saying that religion is just a crutch and I agree with him. Like aliens and UFO’s, no one has ever produced verifiable concrete evidence that there are one or many Gods. With all the Gods in this world from all the religions, why hasn’t one of them come down, stamped his foot and said enough, I’m the true God!? > > Throughout history, given the abject failure of the world’s religions to prevent strife, torture and killing in the name of their favorite God, perhaps the future would be better served without religion. Otherwise, maybe we can all agree on one religion to adopt and practice. > > Since either of these occurrences are unlikely to occur anytime soon, religious based taunting, warfare, killing and justification in the name of some God will continue going forward (try giving a listen to Bob Dylan’s poignant “With God On Our Side”). Politicians will continue to play the religion card and the religious establishment will support them, because it’s lucrative for both parties and it propagates their institutions lifespan. And many people will continue to search for a safe haven by being part of their particular religious group, hoping for protection from the ugly world around them and some sort of salvation from the misery of their daily lives after they die. As long as multitudes of religions exist, we will never truly be one society, one world, despite the current pap about a global society. > > Your thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/47 "2004-03-25T23:30:28Z")
> [@dal\_timgar](#): > > Religion continues to exist because parents approve of having their children brainwashed into believing the same things they do. Get upset if they don’t believe actually. That is absolutely absurd. There are millions of people who were ewither raised atheist and picked up a religion or converted between religions. Religion is not wholly a traditional or cultural thing, though in many cases it is. Religion would exist without a religious upraising, and to suggest it wouldn’t is stupid. > [@](#): > > The hijackers hit THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. Think about the name. Doesn’t the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING represent the United States more. Um, I think they hit the WTC because they see it as a symbol of American dominance of international economics. I don’t see what that has to do with the nature of religion. > [@](#): > > Is there such a thing as Intellectual Terrorism? Yes, it is called reality television. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/48 "2004-03-25T23:59:36Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > You need to break out of the concept of religion as soley a monotheistic - westernist - big - guy - with - a - beard - in - the - sky - “- who - lays - down - rules - and - prohibitions - to- control - your - life - thru - threats - of - Hell” Don’t forget that. It is another thing westerners expect of a religion and is not an absolute requirement. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/49 "2004-03-26T04:04:52Z")
Religion has two main sources: 1. Some people want to provide answers to everything, even when they must guess. These are the priests. 2. Some people want dearly to believe their teachers, even if the teachings don’t match with reality. These are the True Believers. Once those two get together, you have a religion. Add the third source to make it spread: 3) Some people aren’t involved with religion or care whether or not it’s true, but want to please other people who do. These are the families dragged along with the first two groups. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/50 "2004-03-26T04:18:24Z")
> [@Beeruser](#): > > Religion has two main sources: > > 1. Some people want to provide answers to everything, even when they must guess. These are the priests. > 2. Some people want dearly to believe their teachers, even if the teachings don’t match with reality. These are the True Believers. Said like a true atheist. Can’t you allow even the slightest bit of room for people who believe in a supernatural force without calling them brainwashed sheep in so many words? Reality is how you define it, and believe it or not, some people are simply religious for their own personal reasons. In fact, the large majority of priests do **not** believe they have the “answers to everything” and are in a lifelong search to find those answers. “Because there are priests” is the the answer to “why is there religion,” and “because I don’t believe in it” is not a reason to say it does not exist. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/51 "2004-03-26T04:24:00Z")
> [@mangomerlot](#): > > One could prove irrefutedly that there is no God, but this wouldn’t answer why we are here and what purpose we serve. Science would have to answer these questions with certainty before Religion could become obselete. I don’t forsee that kind of scientific progression anywhere on the horizon. But perhaps we serve no special purpose in the universe? Perhaps we exist as just another form of life, just another cog in the wheel of evolution, nothing more special that any other form of life? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/52 "2004-03-26T04:30:51Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > “Because there are priests” is **not** the the answer to “why is there religion,” and “because I don’t believe in it” is not a reason to say it does not exist. ^^^ Correction ---
**Author:** ![domesticatedjunglefowl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@domesticatedjunglefowl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/domesticatedjunglefowl)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/53 "2004-03-26T05:28:56Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > But perhaps we serve no special purpose in the universe? Perhaps we exist as just another form of life, just another cog in the wheel of evolution, nothing more special that any other form of life? . Perhaps we COULD reach concensus on our lack of higher purpose. It would be safe to say this has yet to happen. Do you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/54 "2004-03-26T05:38:02Z")
I still want to know where you begin assuming that religion has everything to do with mortality and purpose. When you are able to stop everyone from “feeling” their deceased relatives, having dreams, reaching out in desperation, meditating, seeking morality, even seeking companionship, seeking inspiration, loving vague concepts of emotion or entities, etc etc etc, THEN you will have won your war against religion. Next time you see someone crying in a cemetary, why don’t you run up to them and yell, “HAH! HE/SHE’S IN OBLIVION! THEY’RE DEAD! GET OVER IT!” ---
**Author:** ![Lilairen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lilairen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilairen)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/55 "2004-03-26T05:50:30Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > But perhaps we serve no special purpose in the universe? Perhaps we exist as just another form of life, just another cog in the wheel of evolution, nothing more special that any other form of life? And indeed, this is entirely compatible with a straightforward reading of the creation myths of my religion, which do not specify anything about the origin of humans other than clearly it happened sometime after the universe started. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482/56 "2004-03-26T11:20:43Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > Next time you see someone crying in a cemetary, why don’t you run up to them and yell, “HAH! HE/SHE’S IN OBLIVION! THEY’RE DEAD! GET OVER IT!” \ Now that would be a Belushi moment! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-religion-exist/235482.md?page=2)