Atheist: Do you think believing in an imaginery friend is an evolutionary reflex?

Question

Most of the time, a creationist will refute you like this: I can't believe/don't want to believe..."

Do you think this disbelief is a psychological impulse to protect their minds? To protect them from shock? By shock, I mean the physical condition that reduces the ability to think, the typical "deer in the headlight." When something major occurs that you don't want to occur, like the death of a family member, people go into shock.

They say "no way, I can't believe that" or "there's no way they are dead"

Is this whole "No way we came from monkeys" the same deal?

Answer 1

Your making the case that our sociological need for companionship is new. Where is your proof that people in the past did not do this? It is a far cry from the mistaken argument about coming from monkeys. The religious continually make this mistake. We and our Simian friends clearly have a shared ancestor, but we did not come from one another.

Answer 2

I agree. The belief of God is mainly based on evolutionary traits of fearing that go back hundreds of thousands of years. At the individual level, an important emotion that lies at the heart of religion is attachment. The universal shortage of love during childhood is compensated for by an attachment figure created in fantasy. God is the father or mother who supplies unlimited attention. The believer loves God as a child does an ideal parental figure, who is always available, comforting, forgiving, uplifting.

Not really a product of reason or conscious will at all

Answer 3

This I have never thought of before, but now that you mention it, it makes sense to me. They don't want to leave there security blanket that that person is dead, or that God doesn't exist.

And how about this one?? Everyone says that there is no proof that the theory of evolution is true and that the body's systems are way too complex to have been made through evolution. How do you explain the wisdom tooth? How about tonsils?? Are they just extra parts God decided to throw in to confuse us?

Don't tell me my ideas and theories about life are crackpot stories and I won't remind you how silly it is to believe in someone who isn't there.

And now I'm rambling but I hope I helped your question. ~Eve

Answer 4

I think when you no longer believe in God, many of the simple "answers" fade away. Life becomes genuine and complicated. This is scary to many people.

I could think of 3 or 4 other reasons, but I figure people would only read the first one anyway.

Answer 5

I don't think evolution had anything to do with it. I think having that religious stuff crammed down their throats from an early age does.
Some people keep a plastic Jesus or Mary statue on their dashboard to protect them from accidents. I hope these people have real insurance, too.

Answer 6

I think religious beliefs are perfectly explainable through evolution. Obviously, believing in a higher power would be neurologically beneficial to somebody. If they feel somebody 'up there' is helping them out, it would probably remove some stress from them. A positive, less stressful mind is a healthier mind, obviously. (Optimists do tend to outlive pessimists, for that reason.)

Answer 7

I'm not an evolutionary psychologist, but it seems the running consensus among evolutionary psychologists is that theism is a byproduct of another beneficial mutation, not a beneficial mutation in and of itself.

Answer 8

Believing in anything without evidence shows lack of knowledge about basic facts and mechanism of the universe.

So religious beliefs obviously stem from ignorance and fear. No doubt about it. Proven up to date.

Answer 9

the monkey thing is out of pure ignorance...the people who ask that don't know what evolving from a common ancestor means!

some don't even know that humans are ALSO primates!!

NOT ALL of course...just the ones who ask those sort of silly Qs....and yes,to answer your Q,it IS denial.....they've been so used to "God gives me courage,God is always there for me" etc,that they can't bear to lead a life WITHOUT this reliance.

Answer 10

No. Not evolution, per se (remember what evolution really is.)

We just want things explained! ... And "monkeys" are simple ignorance, poor teaching by theists & unwillingness to learn.