What makes people believe in god when there has never been any proof god has ever existed?

Question

Sure there are stories and books about the subject. Hell, even a couple of million people throughout history have claimed they were god or god's messenger. But there has never been any proof of god's existence EVER (And by proof I mean an event witnessed by more then a handful of people that proves god's existence and has been documented by reliable sources).

And people still believe in god. What's up with that? Is it stupidity? Ignorance? Fear? What makes people sacrifice their time for something they will NEVER get anything back from in this life (i.e. going to church, saying prayers etc). I really want to know why the majority of people on Earth and throughout history did these things when they could've done so much better with their lives like devote that time to bettering some other aspect of the world instead of the selfishness that is religion.

King Matt,

There might be proof that the people of the Exodus existed. But there is no proof that shows god ever existed

ChrisG,

I am bettering the world. I'm learning Arabic, and i'm going to help prevent future wars. I recycle. I am a pacifist. I improve my world everyday.

MaryC,

That doesn't prove that god did it. And there is more proof that says all life has to evolve to become that way then there is of god making it so

Answer 1

people began believing in god or gods because back then they need an answer for why the sun rises and sets. and people still believe in god because they still need something to fall back on when things can't be explaned

Answer 2

Well, in my personal opinion the answer is pretty simple. Humans believed in god all this time because they need the concept in their lives. They need to feel someone's watching over them during hard times. They need someone to take as a reference, as a solid base to base their decisions and ideas on because no matter how good you are, you're only human, so if you tell people something they'll keep questioning it. It's like telling smokers that smoking will kill them, maybe they'll believe it but eventually they'll do what they want. Now if you're a smart person, and people around you are not that bright, and you want them to do certain things, maybe for their own good, maybe for yours, one solution to the problem would be to tell them that someone much higher than them, someone who's flawless, and knows everything, is telling them to do that....That way, you can hide all your human flaws behind that "entity", and appear as "just a messenger" or sometimes, depending on the person, as god....
This gives a certain advantage to both parties, the messenger or god, can claim to know things people don't know, or know what's best for them and command them to go in that direction without having them question how he came to that knowledge. And the people feel more at ease knowing they're following the orders or instructions of some higher entity that knows much more than they do hence giving credibility to the actions that otherwise wouldn't have made sense.....
Furthermore, the idea of having someone who's capable of doing anything when he "wants" gives hope in situations that otherwise would be hopeless, and humans need hope more than anything else. A patient with a terminal illness would love to feel that there's a possibility that he'll live even if the doctors told him he'll die in a week. A person in a certain competition would love to feel that he has a chance of beating the people in front of him even if he's not the best.....
I think all these factors coupled together gave rise to the idea of having a god.....which, until humans evolve more and become capable of handling themselves better, will always be around one way or the other for most of them.....

Answer 3

Ok so what are you doing with your life? Are you improving the world? Did you find a cure for cancer? Did you stop the war in Iraq?

Maybe millions of people did these things because God is real, did you think of that?


I didn't say YOUR world, I said THE world. What was the point of this question? Was it to make people who believe angry? You must have even a slight belief that God exist or else you wouldn't have cared that no one has proof that he exist.

Answer 4

WHat kind of proof are you looking for? You said "But there has never been any proof of god's existence EVER". That is a bold statement to make without aby facts to back it up. Look around you. How did the earth and everything in it ome about. Don't tell me evolution or the Big Bang. That defeats the very essence of Science - The essence of first cause.

How do you know this for a fact "What makes people sacrifice their time for something they will NEVER get anything back from in this life (i.e. going to church, saying prayers etc)." Have you tried it? Talked to people who tried it. How can you prove that thet NEVER get anything from following God in this life?

You are learning Arabic to what to stop wars? Don't think so. You are learning it to make money off of it.

Answer 5

I heard of a study done by a canadian university that stated they had located the part of the brain that when stimulated triggered a feeling of ''deep spirituality''. Interesting article.
anyway, about your question... I think, personally, that people turn to religion when they can't find the answers they're looking for through other means. I think its no coincidence that highly educated people don't believe in religion either; sure, many of them go through the motions, most people who in fact go to church are actually just going through the motions without living the life they're supposed to. The more educated someone is the more likely they'll find the answers they're looking for somewhere else. Is it any wonder there are so many believers in the world when education is inaccessible in most parts of it? I don't think so. It stands to reason that if we increase access to education throughout the world, religions would become less and less powerfull. Any wonder why the catholic church just won't come out and say to its constituents in Africa to go ahead and use condoms? Its because they don't want them knowing that its not God punishing them for their sins but that it is infact a preventible disease. So in other words friend, its a lack of education in most cases, and a lack of creativity in most others.

Answer 6

Prove God does not exist then. You make it sound easy enough.

BTW dont confuse God with religion. Religion is a political construct made by men with all the trappings of men. Heirarchy and benefits etc whereas it is written God is no respector of persons. So you dont get to be elected keeper of the red phone to God. Of course that is how it is done.
Also note a man has the key to the doors on a house that supposedly belongs to God. I dont think God has a keyring.

Answer 7

Proof ? Look at the stars, the clouds, the ocean. Look in your health book at the wondrous works of the human body. No way can this all be explained by a big blast or an atom that has gone crazy! Get real; there is so much evidence in our lives of a higher power that even a blind or death person can see and feel!

Answer 8

There is alot of proof.Talk to people who weren't Christian,but then found God. So many things have happened in my life alone that could not have been coincidence. There have been many times I've been afraid then a calm settles on me out of no where after I pray....The answer is faith. I get something out of being Christian everyday. And the selfishness you see is the organized part of religion...the leaders in churches and such are still human.Not perfect beings.Real faith and such isn't selfish.That part is personal.

Answer 9

They are introduced to the concept of God by their parents, as part of a loving community that supports them and serves as a role model. This is done at a young age, before critical thinking occurs.

It's exactly the same strategy a cult would use to draw you in.

Answer 10

The Bible is our history book on God and Jesus, We believe in our hearts. We have history books to tell us about world history. Again Christians use the Bibleas there history book.