Why do weak-minded people choose to follow a religion instead of getting professional help?

Question

I am agnostic, and I find all organized religions to be just a way that weak minded people use to cope with their problems.

The Bible, Quran, and Torah are not science. They will never be science and they are not meant to be taken literally. They are just stories you tell your kids before they grow up and learn the truth about life.

You guys read other religious texts and say they make no sense, but your own religion also has lots of inconsistencies and flaws. How can a virgin give birth? Do you guys even know what Jesus really looked like? If you saw him today, you'd call him a terrorist.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/1282186.html

Please educate yourselves. Read books (Religious texts don't count as books) and learn how your mind works. Religion is the #1 cause of war and destruction in the world. Especially Christianity, Islam and Judism.

Stop clinging to false hope and operate your brain. Don't be brain washed by the weak ignorant preachers of religion.

Answer 1

They are burdened by being easily and permanently conditionable.
And that having been done to them at an impressionable age by their parents yet, they cannot help themselves and of course don't even realize what they are suffering from.
Unfortunately it also stunts their thinking processes. Unconditional obedience to IT. (which is part of the conditioning).
Not their fault!

Some interesting answers. To the one about Einstein; his belief kept him from accepting the important study of quantum mechanics. (because 'god' wouldn't play dice with natural laws! Ha!)
And Mother Theresa was mostly into sucking up to the Vatican and sent all the money given to her to do good (for people!) to the Vatican. Doesn't say much for her good intentions (other than trying to buy her way into heaven, - yuck).
And Julia Encarn (up above!) confuses the quasi religious babbling inherited from the Greek Plato (the idiot) as scientific findings.
The first 'scientist' of recent age was Galileo Galilei, who was first to show scientific proof that the Earth moved around the sun, not the other way around, and for that was punished severely by the church. I understand he was just recently exonerated by the church for his crime of heresy. Bully bully for them. I am sure it is doing HIM a lot of good now (sic)
AND leeches are being used again!

Answer 2

You seem to worship science. Why is that?

Don't you know that science has been fundamentally and profoundly wrong about lots of things, on many occasions, throughout history?

Don't you know that science once believed that the earth was flat? That applying leeches to the skin was good medicine? That air had no weight? That there was air on the moon?

By the way, religion is NOT the no. 1 cause of war in the world.

For someone who is reputedly so smart and educated, you have a funny way of showing it by making comments which are so ignorant, not to mention bigoted against religion.

WW II, WW I, Vietnam, Korea, the Spanish-American War, the US Civil War, the War of 1812, the French and Indian War, the US Revolutionary War ...

... what exactly did any of these wars have to do with religion?

Answer 3

First I would like to say thank you for making people think about why they believe what they believe. I agree that is it easy to get "brain washed" by speakers who don't really know what they are talking about and influence people in the wrong direction.

That said, you shouldn't assume that all "religious" people are dumb, uneducated idiots. I have met many wise religious folks who are scientists, professors, musicians, historians, business men, engineers, bankers, analysts, computer programmers, millionaires, CEOs, and the list could go on and on. Look what the Bible says..."For the message of the cross (Christ & the gospel) is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate...For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

I think you are referring completely to the Bible when you asked about the "flaws" - such as the virgin birth...what Jesus looked like, etc. The Bible is not science and it was never meant to be. Nature, the scientific process, and scientific facts all come back to order...process...creation...God. So, in a sense, science does lead back to the Bible. However, the Bible was written & intended to be a book about FAITH. It was not meant to be just another religious book to sit on a shelf & collect dust or a huge book of scientifically proven facts. It is written to show God's will for man kind throughout the generations...how God worked...how man sinned & fell away from God...how God dealt with man...how God chose to save man & bring man back into a right relationship with Him again through sending Christ as the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sin of every person from now until eternity. It is about our lives today...how we are also born into sin and seperation from God...how we need to be right with God...why we need a savior...and how we can receive Christ, our savior into our lives and be in right relationship with God once again. This is what the Bible is about and what Christianity is all about. It is not about being weak minded or a crutch to cope with problems.

Answer 4

I'm not weak minded...I don't follow organized religion...and I AM getting professional help...

Does that mean I'm cured?????? WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Oh wait...I also believe in the existence of a Higher Power...crap...I'm screwed aren't I???

Seriously though, I have been on my own spiritual journey for the past 15 years or so. I believe in a higher power, I believe that science and faith can co-exist. I read spiritual texts and scientific texts. I like to learn everything I can and I TOTALLY make a point to think for myself...then again, I defy categorization.

Don't knock peole who believe differently than you do, it's rude and just makes you sound like you are completely insecure in your own beliefs.

(I do have to agree with you on the whole "bible not meant to be taken literally" idea, though)

Answer 5

Well I'd say your first problem is thinking that religious people confuse their religion with science. Not many people do.

Religion is not the #1 cause of war and destruction in the world. Which modern wars have been "religious" wars? WWI? WWII? Korea? Vietnam? Bosnia? Persian Gulf? The answers would be: nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, and nope. So what ARE you babbling about again?

Answer 6

I always find it amuzing when people like Heinz M base their arguements on what certain sects of Christianity have done as if that those sects (i.e. "The Church") speak for Christianity as a whole. If you simply look in the bible it is easy to dispute those sects and the things that they have done thereby seperating their actions from the actions of true Christianity. I also find it interesting that the sects he refers to were the same people who were running the pagan religions in the same manner as they do now that they are christians...remember when christianity was formed and the first jews became christians it was these same pagan believing gentiles persecuting the christians and anyone who didn't believe as they did. It was men who corrupted Christianity not the other way around.

It is also amazing that people of faith suffer from brainwashing or "conditioning" as he puts it as if "atheism/free thinking" was something recently discovered and they have broken out of the mold so to speak. I also find it interesting to note that if we are right then who becomes the conditioned and who becomes the keeper of the truth. I find that which you accuse of Christianity, which is the lack of ability to reason, think and be logical is the very thing that makes your arguement hard to believe. The logic and rational one has to use to deny the existence of God is amazing since the same logic you use to deny God can easlity be used to prove His existence. The problem stems back to my original statement that I have made multiple times on Yahoo Answers...if someone doesn't believe in God then they are in no way going to believe in the things of God. Until they aknowledge His existence they will be blind to the things of Him.

Answer 7

I think a lot of weak minded people turn to professional help when they don't need it. Doctors, counselors, psychiatrists, are for when you have difficulty with your normal every day functioning. Yes, they are important, and help a lot of people, but it seems in our modern, secular world, there's almost a blind faith in these counselors who are just people with a bit of training, and frankly, they sometimes give very bad advice (Did you ever watch Dr. Phill? - oy, he makes me sick).

Take this with a grain of salt, no one in this world knows how to function without faith in SOMETHING. Take a hard look at your own life, think of what you put your faith in that maybe needs some of that skepticism that you so freely throw on to religion.

Answer 8

There are members of my church who are scientists and doctors. Also, one of our members is the powerful CEO of one of the most successful companies in the world. These people are not fools. Science and religion can coexist just fine, but people (at both extremes) get too emotional to be rational.

Answer 9

And all of this pomposity has benefited you- how? You claim superior intelligence but Einstein was a religious man- would you claim to be his scientific equal? Mother Theresa, would you claim to be her equal in good works? Ghandi- changed the world- what have you done lately?

Answer 10

simple.. why don't we prove it when we die, ok..
when i die, and IF the science turns out to be right.. then i just simply turn to dust and stop existing. No problem.. i don't mind.

When you die, and IF the bible turns out to be right... then you just simply be in the court room judged by the Almighty for all the things that you have done in your life (hopefully by then you have accepted Jesus to be your saviour- you remember Jesus don't you? you know, the guy whom you called terrorist lookalike).