Political Crossfire Forums

[Gryff1nd0r]

What makes some people religious and others not? I know there is obviously going to be a lot of people who's religious views simply correspond to the one the were raised on, but an awful lot of people veer from thier upbringing and form thier own views.

I see brilliant people who are incredibly religious, and will find ways to use knowlegde and intelligently defend thier position. I see brilliant people who are strongly opposed to religion and find ways to use knowledge and intelligently defend their position.

I see stupid people who are faithfully religious, and though they admittedly can't prove to you why they are, they just believe. I see stupid people who laugh at religion, and say that even they aren't stupid enough to believe something that crazy.

You find both religious and non-religious people across all the ages, ethnic groups, gender, social class, background, etc.

What is the variable that accounts for degree of religiousness (and please no separation of religions... you either are religious or you aren't)? Also, please don't turn this into a debate about who is correct.

My hypothesis is that it is a personality trait that makes some people unable to take "We don't know" or "Things may have no grand purpose created by a magical guy who is a lot like you, only better", or "No matter how hard you beg, nobody in the sky is giving you any help", for an answer. Those answers are just unacceptable to some people, they can't live with them. It has nothing to do with intelligence, although it takes an amount of irrationality to make that famous "leap of faith". The problem I see is with really smart people... they would probably be able to see through what I am telling you now, which I suppose is why they have to try to find intelligent arguments for thier beliefs, and they then delude themselves into thinking that they actaully formed thier beliefs on the intelligent reasoning rather than the other way around. Then, the stupid religious people (of course not saying they are religious because they are stupid... there are stupid non-religious people too) can cling to these smart religious people and feel justified.

[feederband]

Gryff1nd0r wrote: What makes some people religious and others not? I know there is obviously going to be a lot of people who's religious views simply correspond to the one the were raised on, but an awful lot of people veer from thier upbringing and form thier own views.

I see brilliant people who are incredibly religious, and will find ways to use knowlegde and intelligently defend thier position. I see brilliant people who are strongly opposed to religion and find ways to use knowledge and intelligently defend their position.

I see stupid people who are faithfully religious, and though they admittedly can't prove to you why they are, they just believe. I see stupid people who laugh at religion, and say that even they aren't stupid enough to believe something that crazy.

You find both religious and non-religious people across all the ages, ethnic groups, gender, social class, background, etc.

What is the variable that accounts for degree of religiousness (and please no separation of religions... you either are religious or you aren't)? Also, please don't turn this into a debate about who is correct.

My hypothesis is that it is a personality trait that makes some people unable to take "We don't know" or "Things may have no grand purpose created by a magical guy who is a lot like you, only better", or "No matter how hard you beg, nobody in the sky is giving you any help", for an answer. Those answers are just unacceptable to some people, they can't live with them. It has nothing to do with intelligence, although it takes an amount of irrationality to make that famous "leap of faith". The problem I see is with really smart people... they would probably be able to see through what I am telling you now, which I suppose is why they have to try to find intelligent arguments for thier beliefs, and they then delude themselves into thinking that they actaully formed thier beliefs on the intelligent reasoning rather than the other way around. Then, the stupid religious people (of course not saying they are religious because they are stupid... there are stupid non-religious people too) can cling to these smart religious people and feel justified.


I think it just boils down to having to make a choice...I think I am intelligent enough to know if there was a god or not......Is there a easter bunny?... No...Now a god would be on a much grander scale then a easter bunny so I would for sure know if there was a god...There is no god...

[perdidochas]

feederband wrote: Gryff1nd0r wrote: What makes some people religious and others not? I know there is obviously going to be a lot of people who's religious views simply correspond to the one the were raised on, but an awful lot of people veer from thier upbringing and form thier own views.

I see brilliant people who are incredibly religious, and will find ways to use knowlegde and intelligently defend thier position. I see brilliant people who are strongly opposed to religion and find ways to use knowledge and intelligently defend their position.

I see stupid people who are faithfully religious, and though they admittedly can't prove to you why they are, they just believe. I see stupid people who laugh at religion, and say that even they aren't stupid enough to believe something that crazy.

You find both religious and non-religious people across all the ages, ethnic groups, gender, social class, background, etc.

What is the variable that accounts for degree of religiousness (and please no separation of religions... you either are religious or you aren't)? Also, please don't turn this into a debate about who is correct.

My hypothesis is that it is a personality trait that makes some people unable to take "We don't know" or "Things may have no grand purpose created by a magical guy who is a lot like you, only better", or "No matter how hard you beg, nobody in the sky is giving you any help", for an answer. Those answers are just unacceptable to some people, they can't live with them. It has nothing to do with intelligence, although it takes an amount of irrationality to make that famous "leap of faith". The problem I see is with really smart people... they would probably be able to see through what I am telling you now, which I suppose is why they have to try to find intelligent arguments for thier beliefs, and they then delude themselves into thinking that they actaully formed thier beliefs on the intelligent reasoning rather than the other way around. Then, the stupid religious people (of course not saying they are religious because they are stupid... there are stupid non-religious people too) can cling to these smart religious people and feel justified.


I think it just boils down to having to make a choice...I think I am intelligent enough to know if there was a god or not......Is there a easter bunny?... No...Now a god would be on a much grander scale then a easter bunny so I would for sure know if there was a god...There is no god...

That is about the most nonsensical arrogant argument I've ever heard.

[feederband]

perdidochas wrote: feederband wrote: Gryff1nd0r wrote: What makes some people religious and others not? I know there is obviously going to be a lot of people who's religious views simply correspond to the one the were raised on, but an awful lot of people veer from thier upbringing and form thier own views.

I see brilliant people who are incredibly religious, and will find ways to use knowlegde and intelligently defend thier position. I see brilliant people who are strongly opposed to religion and find ways to use knowledge and intelligently defend their position.

I see stupid people who are faithfully religious, and though they admittedly can't prove to you why they are, they just believe. I see stupid people who laugh at religion, and say that even they aren't stupid enough to believe something that crazy.

You find both religious and non-religious people across all the ages, ethnic groups, gender, social class, background, etc.

What is the variable that accounts for degree of religiousness (and please no separation of religions... you either are religious or you aren't)? Also, please don't turn this into a debate about who is correct.

My hypothesis is that it is a personality trait that makes some people unable to take "We don't know" or "Things may have no grand purpose created by a magical guy who is a lot like you, only better", or "No matter how hard you beg, nobody in the sky is giving you any help", for an answer. Those answers are just unacceptable to some people, they can't live with them. It has nothing to do with intelligence, although it takes an amount of irrationality to make that famous "leap of faith". The problem I see is with really smart people... they would probably be able to see through what I am telling you now, which I suppose is why they have to try to find intelligent arguments for thier beliefs, and they then delude themselves into thinking that they actaully formed thier beliefs on the intelligent reasoning rather than the other way around. Then, the stupid religious people (of course not saying they are religious because they are stupid... there are stupid non-religious people too) can cling to these smart religious people and feel justified.


I think it just boils down to having to make a choice...I think I am intelligent enough to know if there was a god or not......Is there a easter bunny?... No...Now a god would be on a much grander scale then a easter bunny so I would for sure know if there was a god...There is no god...

That is about the most nonsensical arrogant argument I've ever heard.

Cool at least I amount to something around here..

[Babylon_Horuv]

Gryff1nd0r wrote: What makes some people religious and others not? I know there is obviously going to be a lot of people who's religious views simply correspond to the one the were raised on, but an awful lot of people veer from thier upbringing and form thier own views.

I see brilliant people who are incredibly religious, and will find ways to use knowlegde and intelligently defend thier position. I see brilliant people who are strongly opposed to religion and find ways to use knowledge and intelligently defend their position.

I see stupid people who are faithfully religious, and though they admittedly can't prove to you why they are, they just believe. I see stupid people who laugh at religion, and say that even they aren't stupid enough to believe something that crazy.

You find both religious and non-religious people across all the ages, ethnic groups, gender, social class, background, etc.

What is the variable that accounts for degree of religiousness (and please no separation of religions... you either are religious or you aren't)? Also, please don't turn this into a debate about who is correct.

My hypothesis is that it is a personality trait that makes some people unable to take "We don't know" or "Things may have no grand purpose created by a magical guy who is a lot like you, only better", or "No matter how hard you beg, nobody in the sky is giving you any help", for an answer. Those answers are just unacceptable to some people, they can't live with them. It has nothing to do with intelligence, although it takes an amount of irrationality to make that famous "leap of faith". The problem I see is with really smart people... they would probably be able to see through what I am telling you now, which I suppose is why they have to try to find intelligent arguments for thier beliefs, and they then delude themselves into thinking that they actaully formed thier beliefs on the intelligent reasoning rather than the other way around. Then, the stupid religious people (of course not saying they are religious because they are stupid... there are stupid non-religious people too) can cling to these smart religious people and feel justified.

Since God is not provable or disprovable I think you are taking a bit of an extreme stance toward the religious when you claim the intelligent religious people are deluding themselves. There is some evidence of a genetic component in the degree of religion one has. (I also beleive in the Easter Bunny, although I haven't met her personally, and Elves, who I have)

[Lord Hargreaves]

I guess God only talks to some people and not others

[toddytodd]

Lord Hargreaves wrote: I guess God only talks to some people and not others

Apparently so.
:lol:
Seriously though, I believe that religious people:
1) have an innate need or desire to see more than just themselves - they aren't capable of accepting current reality, and/or
2) have a low self esteem issue (consciously or subconsciously) and require 'something greater than themselves' in order to accept reality, and/or
3) highly imaginative.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

I don't think it can be boiled down to a single variable. Making a generalization for this difference starts a lot of arguments. A lot of nonreligious people are going to make the argument that all religious people have a deep-seated need to be "more important" than they would be in a godless universe, or that they are suckered into it, or that they are stupid. A lot of religious people are going to claim that people are nonreligious because they want to live their lives in a sinful way, or are amoral, or cold-hearted, or arrogant, deluded by science or society, or influenced by some evil entity.

Even if we assumed that all religious/nonreligious people fell under at least one of those categories, we would be making a mistake. There are some people who honestly believe that there is a God, and the reasons are all across the board. There are some people who don't believe in God, and there are just as many rational reasons.

Personally, if I were going to make the generalization, I would think it comes from a natural propensity to question. But even the answers to those questions depend on preconceived notions--and some people on both sides of the fence don't really bother to question their beliefs at all, for they are quite comfortable with them.

The point is, while you can invent all kinds of reasons, they will never be accurate. You can pick one, and delude yourself, or you can realize that the world is complex.

[feederband]

Babylon_Horuv wrote: Since God is not provable or disprovable


To me it just sound funny someone would have to disprove a god...If there truly was a god there would be nothing to disprove...I think the believers have real low expectations of this god...

[British boy]

feederband wrote: Babylon_Horuv wrote: Since God is not provable or disprovable


To me it just sound funny someone would have to disprove a god...If there truly was a god there would be nothing to disprove...I think the believers have real low expectations of this god...
In what way?

I think that there are many reasons why people want to believe in God. Fear of Death, a need to believe in a cause greater than themselves. Some are simply raised in that faith and dont know how or have the inclination to challenge their faith. Saying that they have just deluded themselves into believing has problems aswell. How do you know you haven't deluded yourself into believeing the opposite? The fact that religion cannot be disproved should stop you from making gross generalisations, you have an equal possibility of being incorrect.