Why are people Religious?

Question

Why are people religious? Christians, Muslims, Hindu, Jewish, and other.... Is it beucase they don't know what happens after death or are scared to die? I think that religion started out in the times of early humans to set up a system of government. If you look at history, every begining government had to do with a type of religion. I belive rulers came up with religion to help keep their subjects in line. But even today, it still exist, after the laws of Newton, Darwin, and Galeileio, most people still belive in a religion.

I myself am an atheist, but raised a Jew. I don't understand why people still belive in God even after reading these proofd?....I guess people are scared of the truth maybe.

If you are religious, please tell me why you still belive in relgion...I'm not trying to offend any one with this, even though this a very personal question with every one.

Answer 1

Funny, the people you named were religious people. Kinda undermines your theory.

Answer 2

Everyone is religious from birth. The word 'religion' doesn't have to imply a supernatural theme all the time. The procedure with which you wash your body in the shower is a religion. Can you tell me what part of your body you wash first? How about the one you dry first? Notice this when you take a shower tonight. It is a repeated, ritualistic behavior with a means to an end that is always constructive. This is the core of religion. Having a God at the center of it is only natural for us puny humans.
Your relationship with God is only between you and God. Those people that bring God in to their dirty, messy situations are only going to blame Him for them being that way. That is not fair. And blaming everything on religion is simply blaming yourself for all of your transgressions.
This is the freedom that a devotion can give you. All religions are the same - they are just different versions of the same story. The difference between Christianity and all the rest is that the "prophet" claimed to BE the Son of God (a first) and was killed, and raised from death (also a first). Athiesm is only absurd in that is based on a system that is self-evident - the system would'nt float if the very thing it denies didn't exist.

If you have devoted yourself, and have fallen away, then you didn't really devote yourself wholly to begin with. EVERYTHING you do becomes to the glory of God.
It's not about you.

Answer 3

If you believe in God, and follow a religion just because you are afraid of going to Hell.. then you are not a believer.. you are just a slave of fear. This is my idea.
I believe in God and my religion because honestly I do feel that there is this power that helped me in different situations in my life when I prayed for God. Somebody is watching me and covering my back.. this is just me.
People can come up with any kind of scientific proofs opposite to that but guess what .. this is another prove of God existence.. He created the human being so smart that he even analyze the existence of his creator.. but at the same time .. if you reach this point .. it is down the hill from there.
It is like the child how is so bonded to his parents.. and the more he grow older and mature.. the more he want to become independent and does want the parents supervision anymore..

Answer 4

Everyone has a right to their own opinion. I wasn't really raised to believe in anything, but I found comfort with God when I felt alone. My childhood was difficult living with an abusive family and God was my only way out. He was the only one I could count on. It's not really out of fear of dying or fear of "the truth". I can't really explain why I believe. It's just something like a gut feeling you have. I didn't believe in God anymore when I was in my early teens, but then these missionaries talked to me. They handed me a book and said "Read this, pray about it, then we'll talk more about this next time" I prayed, then this feeling came over me like nothing I've ever felt before...from then on I believe it's true. I really don't understand why some people aren't open minded to believe that God is a possibility. People close their hearts to him so stubbornly without even giving it a chance. This is a very sensitive subject with everyone. But that's just what I think.

Answer 5

If you really know so much about science you would know that Darwin, Newton, or nor Galeileio were not trying to disprove God at all. Yes I still believe and very much so. I think you still believe in God somewhere in your mind and that's why you keep asking religious questions, and you have found easy to think that there is no God, because you can do whatever you want and have no remorse or after thought. I know it's hard to have faith in something you can't immediately touch, see, smell, or hear but that's why it is called FAITH or HOPE. Peace out!

Answer 6

People seem to have a need to believe in something, I was forced to go to Sunday school and church, and was taught to believe what the bible said, but to much didn't make sense and I needed proof to believe in things, Darwin, Physics and math gave me proof, I still believe there maybe a spirit of some sorts, but not any where near what religions try to believe in..when I look back and see that the bible was supposable written during eartly times, I also look at the ignourance people had about most things at that time..if God made earth, why did he or it/she not tell the earth was round?? and let people stumble thru century's withholding so many things that he could of let on?? Its things like this that let me to disbelieve...this is really a very condensed version of what i would like to put forth....but....

Answer 7

It has a lot to do with being afraid of what happens after death. Just try and imagine what nothingness is like...It will drive you nuts. Also people need a reason for why they are here a sense of purpose .... a need to acheive or work for something while they are in this world. Also it helps to have something to fall back on during hard times. I am not an extremly religious person but its nice to think there may be something out there.

Answer 8

I believe that people are religious as a reaction to a strong inner feeling of devotion, reverence, and awe. Religious activity is the result of that feeling that comes naturally to people. This is why I am personally religious, and I also believe that it is why others were originally religious. It is just a reaction of a very deeply felt appreciation of the things we see and experience in the world around us, and it also is a system of methods to experience the most out of that world, and to reach the highest goals of humanity. Of course, I'm speaking of the original purpose, and the ideal purpose, of religion. It has of course, like just about every other institution, become corrupted.

But in its purity, it is the outward manifestation of an inward devotion that is inherent in many (perhaps all?) humans.

Answer 9

"History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has a rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But like dandruff, most people have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it."

"God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent---it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash and in small bills."

"The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history."

Thank you for the opportunity to quote my favorite science fiction author. All of the above quotes are from "Time Enough for Love" by Robert A Heinlein.

Answer 10

I find beauty in all things. I find it amazing how everything works the way it does. I have watched babies born and amazed at how science works. There is just absolutely no way it is by accident. I have faith that there is a supreme being that has designed everything the way it is and the fact that we have this incredible amount of knowledge just proves that the supreme being has made us in his image to become intelligent and relax when we need it. I could go on like this forever. I am so sorry for those who cannot see the same things I do in the same ways, but that is their loss. As for me...I believe.

Answer 11

People are religious because that is how they are brought up and from stories that people have told them and spiritual experiences that they have had! I have had spiritual experiences like just feelilng the presence of the lord in church it is the most wonderful feeling in the world because you just know he is there! You don't understand it until you have an experience like that!

I believe that we all go through bad experiences to make us stronger bad things happen to good people for a reason and God has a reason sometimes it is just our time to go wether we like it or not! You can't always look at the bad things that happen it is just something that was meant to happen... My grandma had cancer but I don't blame god for giving her cancer it was just an unfortunate event! He also saved her by taking her life because she was in imense pain and he saved her from it by taking her to heaven which like I said before is the most beautiful place you could ever imagine!