why do seemingly half intelligent people still believe in god?

Question

I know a large part of it is social conditioning (brainwashing) from birth, but reasoning alone should atleast produce a shadow of a doubt to work on. I think it is an addiction much like nicotine, And IF they did reason... they could not admit they were wrong all along. Here is a factoid: The need for a god deminishes at the very same rate as the sum of human knowledge grows... Mankind IS evolving beyond the need for a god, but evolution is slow, the ability to reason makes the evolutionary leap quicker.

Answer 1

Humans invent and embrace religions for many reasons, but mostly to convince themselves that death isn't really the end. Our survival instinct is powerful. When people have to deal with their impending mortality, many resort to fantasy (religion) as a method of denial.

Another reason is because humans like to think they have an explanation for aspects of nature that are not yet understood. We dont yet know what caused the big bang, for example, but many people would prefer to say "God did it" than accept the fact that we dont know. That's the same reason the ancient Greeks believed that the sun was the flaming chariot of Apollo, instead of admitting they just didn't know what the sun was.

Some people had arrested psychological development and never learned to set their own boundaries. For them, believing in god gives them the external set of rules they need to quit doing heroin, quit gambling, or whatever they have a problem with, due to not being able, psychologically, to set boundaries and rules for themselves.

There are many other reasons people believe in god. (More than I have time to type!)

Answer 2

Why does one need to BELIEVE in God? I, as a matter of fact, KNOW he is there. Of course, you will ask me for proof. Do you think that something or someone around which or whom, so much controversy exists would proclaim its or his existence in a form which is so easy to decipher as abc? Where does your 'intelligence' come from? Take the human heart or brain for example. It requires a tiny wee bit more than pure coincidence or even a probability of 1/infinity, for DNA to helix itself up into coherence, don't you think? I'm not an avid supporter of intelligent design, if that's what you're thinking. But even Einstein glimpsed the beauty behind the symmetry (or asymmetry?) of the universe. He expressed a faith in this beauty and for him, this was God.

If you say half-intelligent people believe in god, then I say intelligent people believe in the essence of creation. If it were established that human beings simply evolved out of pure chance and they have nothing to do but to live out this one life, then, mate, I would look forward to my death for there is no meaning is living such a life.

Answer 3

Belief in God is a double blind logic trap.
You are required to believe because you believe.

Once you are sucked in then getting out costs the rewards of heaven and afterlife promised (because they don't exist when you realize that there is no real god).

You also need to support your family in believing ... sort of like the way you let kids believe in Santa, except you need to believe in this god fable too.

and the proof ? Deny all evidence showing you god is made up trash, just have faith, then God will be real to you. After realizing that you cannot use reason but have gained heaven, you are trapped.

Answer 4

Because "FULLY intelligent" people think they don't NEED Him anymore....

I'd rather be "half intelligent" as you say, and KNOW God, than to be "fully intelligent" without Him.

ALL the intelligence in the world won't mean a thing when you (and everyone else) are on your knees confessing that He IS Lord!

FYI ~ No one brainwashed me! I don't do anything just because someone told me too!,
For me, through much pain and questioning (not unlike you), it was a true soul search brought me to Him, and it has continued in an ever increasing journey...

Answer 5

It's all about faith. My mother is a very intelligent woman and is Catholic while I'm Agnostic. When we have our mini-debates about God and such, she may occasionally say that she has had doubts a few times, but her faith is so strong, it carries her through those times. She quells the questions and remains true to her faith.

So yes, I'd say brain washing is a good term. Why else would my own mother, in the face of evidence of doubt, ignore the doubt and just put on blinders of faith? Who knows. It serves her well, though. She NEEDS her faith like my son needs his blanket when he sleeps (even though he's 6) because it gives him comfort. And there's nothing wrong with either of those things.

Answer 6

The same question in reverse can be asked about atheists like you. Why do full morons such as urself even care? You dont believe in God, we know, we hear you. So shut up.

Dont question us, because you dont have the mental capacity to understand anyways. Just go home and enjoy ur homosexual relationships, abortions, NAMBLA lifestyles. How much do you wanna bet that most Atheists fill these groups? Maybe its because YOU PEOPLE are morally bankrupt?

Answer 7

I don't think believing in god is stupid or wrong, and it definately doesn't keep us from evolving. Even if the majority of humans on the planet are wrong, and god doesn't exist, it is a necessity for some cultures to survive and it helps alot of people worldwide with problems they might solve by killing themselves, otherwise.

There ARE alot of reasons that a belief in god hurts human existence:

Any muslim extremist who commits a terrorist act is doing so in belief that their god commanded them to do so. While many people might believe this as insanity- one might look back to how christians slaughtered the middle east culture in crusades and how many innocent victims were murdered in spanish inquisitions.

But even having said that, one must consider that religion has united a great many people over great distances, many of whom might have faught against each other or killed each other without it.

And there is no need to prove or disprove god as existing. There can be no proof or disproof of such. It is because we have faith that people believe or choose not to believe.

Religion, in general, teaches good principles and standards to live up to. It gives people a goal in life and fufills and empty part of billions of believer's phyches. So even if it is a narcotic of the human existence, it is one of both good and evil- just like everything on this Earth.

If you get anything out of this answer, I hope you understand that respecting people's beliefs is needed to create peace. To co-exist with one another, we must learn to accept our differences and cooperate to live.

Answer 8

Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of knowledge between good and evil..and that distaned them from God. God says your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are not my ways.He also says the wisdom of God is foolishness to man and the foolishness of God is the wisdom of God. the wiser and more knowledgeable mankind thinks he is the more foolish God sees him.so faith steps were we believe in God in exactly what he says even though we dont see him.the bible says everyone knows God and that he exists so when you do see him face to face what will you say...that you were too intelligent to believe in him, you didnt want to be socially conditioned? "mankind is evolving beyond the need for a God" you say..remember that God made us in his image....he imaged/imagined us to be like himself, to have the characteristics he has and all , unfortunately that imaged was marred by sin and we think we can make it without him.

Answer 9

quote 'why do seemingly half intelligent people still believe in god'?
Because those that are less than half are unable to grasp the concept of an intelligent design,and hold to some sort of 'big bang' from nothing foolishness.

Answer 10

Whatever your belief system is, there's no reason to insult people just because they believe in something higher than themselves. It's arrogant monkeys like you who believe that humans are the top of the universe who are destroying the world.