Why are People Religious?

Why is Sup Forums religious? I grew up an atheist, and eventually (after regular conflicts with religious, Christian peers in childhood) came to believe that the only remaining purpose of religion is to provide the individual with a moral compass with which to adhere. I've always rejected most theological theories like creationism, so I wonder why Sup Forums, a very "counter-culture" community, tends to be religious, even today?

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They lack the ability to reconcile death.

The fact that many atheists were raised atheist and vice versa with theists tells you enough. Most people don't think about the unknown, some of us do. Think for yourself and discover the truth to the cosmic machinations

As Mark twain once said, I don't remember the time before birth so there's nothing to be scared of if it all was a lie which it isn't

You're going to burn in hell kappa

For me, the more I thought about religion and its practicality in life, the more I grew to resent organized religion, as it seemed to me like a frequently used platform on which to spread a controlling ideology. Obviously much less so nowadays but still, I don't know of any practical purposes of modern religion besides ideological community and in the least a moral education.

I'm going to tell you this once op. Read it carefully and read it as though God himself were telling you it because this is the truth.

This is not just another insult on Sup Forums:

You dont know anything about anything. your parents are dumber than you are. Your brain isn't even capable of knowing what question to ask because you havn't bothered researching ANYTHING at all on this topic. Sitting in your shower with an inflated idea of how smart you really are and thinking 'woah there isn't a god, religious people are dumber than me' isn't proof o anything because hundres of thousands of idiots just like you do the same thing (see reddit.com for proof).

Go read Plato's Phaedo and see if your pea sized brain can answer Socrates arguments for immortality of the soul. ( you aren't capable of even understanding them let alone refuting them). Once that is done follow the chain of great philosophers all the way to kierkegaard and you will realize how pathetic and dishonest modern atheism is.

PS i know you wont do this because you are lazy and stupid.

You'll find a way to tell yourself you didn't need to study philosophy to be a master of it though, i'm sure.

Idiot.

So you've read the works?

based

Because of this scripture. It makes me afraid I'll go to an eternal grave and won't get to live forever.
>27 “You heard that it was said: ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If, now, your right eye is making you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be pitched into Ge·henʹna.

In order to believe that, you must already take the Scriptures as the ultimate authority. Does this old book really have control over people, and the author the divines? I see that as outrageous.

Heres the problem: Most religions today do a piss poor job at making a case for their own existence. For some people, this is not a problem, but for others, a little inquiry brings the whole house of cards down.

I grew up Catholic, and it wasn't until I encountered Plotinus/Augustine/Bonaventure and others that I really understood the Church in any significant way. Even a course on serious biblical scholarship will make a huge difference.

Because all that morality you had to be taught came from religion. Actions have consequences, respect family, don't act selfishly, don't tolerate evil, all came from religion.

...

It's counter culture to be religious now, obviously.

The days of the oppressive fundamentalist baptist christians are long since over. Maybe you grew up watching amazing atheist and dawkins, but they were relevant over a decade ago, not now when people are begging for some kind of higher meaning in their lives.

What does the Bible's age have to do with its validity?
Things like science and technology drastically change over time; the nature of man hasn't

Faith is the bulwark against ideological subversion. Don't believe me? Watch Yuri Bezmenov's lecture again.

Is atheism considered a phase? I have never questioned the existence of God for some weird reason.

Humans are naturally very superstitious and spiritual beings. Go to any culture in the world and you will find that they believe in something more than the tangible.

Perhaps it's a coping mechanism to bring some form of certainty and meaning to an otherwise chaotic, unpredictable and apathetic universe.

Nah, things are always profound when one spend enough time discussing it, but then we go back to our lives and do things that ultimately, benefit our surface, shallow self. Since without those, one cannot live or be sufficiently provided to do more philosophising. Cause that's what really mattered after all those countless hours of philosophy.

I don't consider philosophy to be more than just that...philosophy. Cogito ergo sum right? the simple fact that I can deny things just out of a desire to be contrarian or special or whatnots I find to be anti-thesical to the whole supreme being thing. I think what I want, and that makes me supreme. The fact that I can be contrarian is an amazing thing in itself, that one can always consider oneself smart simply because he think himself is. Might not necessarily be true for his fellow men, but then what? the mind and soul can always be hidden, and no matter how much truth is revealed I can always believe in the opposite. Thus all the great philosophers I can consider dumb and I myself am wiser and I can consider and believe myself to be greater than god himself.

Whether it's true or not, can anyone truly decide? no

Not even Plato or Socrates, god bless his bathtub

>Why is Sup Forums religious?

Guilt and confusion.

I see it as more realistic and more likely that the Bible was not in fact written by a higher power but was written by a fellow human, one who wished to give the world something to believe in, for better or worse.

I don't think so, I think it's a belief system all in its own, with agnosticism being its indecisive relative.

>Some people need meaning, some people need guidance, some people see nothing but a void in their lives which the rhetoric of the bible gives meaning to, the bible answers the biggest questions of humanity so nothing we do appears without purpose.

I can’t speak for everyone on this board. But I can supply my own reasons for believing in god. Basically, I believe in him because I have to. I’m well aware of the (likely correct) scientific interpretation of the universe. That we’re just a chemical accident clinging to a rock hurtling through space. This is something that people can accept intellectually, but not spiritually. We CRAVE a higher purpose and meaning in our lives, but the universe will never give it to us. So we created god (or gods) to fulfill a need that we have. Honestly, to me that doesn’t seem any different from how our ancestors hunted, gathered, and fucked to fulfill their needs. So what if it isn’t objectively true? Just because something does not objectively exist doesn’t mean it’s important. Ultimately, I’m a human being. A flawed, limited creature that will likely never attain some absolute superiority over my fellow man. I have needs that will ultimately limit myself and stop me from attaining any kind of superiority. And I’m fine with that. I’d rather embrace the life this dead, empty universe has given me, rather than pine for something I can never have.

But anyway, I got off in the weeds a little. Hopefully you can see what I’m trying to say about human nature here.

obviously

stupid fucking chink. dumbest shit I ever read.

why do people worship a mockery of their religion (dead body on a cross) and practice symbolic cannibalism (Eucharist)?

Religion gives people a nice warm hope blanket in which to wrap themselves and go to have sleepy time. People who need an imaginary daddy to right all of the wrongs done to them here are religious.

The million dollar question:

Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here’s a quick test: Have you ever lied, stolen, or used God’s name in vain? Jesus said,
“Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
If you have done these things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart,
and the Bible warns that one day God will punish you in a terrible place called Hell.
But God is not willing that any should perish. Sinners broke God’s Law and Jesus paid their fine.
This means that God can legally dismiss their case:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. Today, repent and trust Jesus, and God will give you eternal life as a free gift.
Then read the Bible daily and obey it. God will never fail you.

A fear of death.
A desire for belonging.
A need for structure.
Several reasons. The problem is, these reasons leave people vulnerable to ne'erdowells who wish to take advantage of their desires.

> why people have sacred ideals inside their communities with one of them being part of the culture club?
How can a man be that retarded?

Only a small group of faiths say this, and there's no reason to believe they're the ones who are correct in their teachings.
In fact, because they all seems to base their teachings on fear and the blessings of euphoria, it can be assumed they're bullshitting their followers for some ulterior motive.

I used to be a militant atheist in my youth, but eventually ended up as an agnostic. I never really felt at home among atheists, because they always infused left-wing politics into their beliefs, and their spiteful hatred of Christians felt incredibly hypocritical.

In the past decade or so, I've started to call myself a cultural Christian, and I've noticed a lot of people following suit in the past few years. The primary reason for this is that I don't feel that atheists have managed to find a substitute for Christian values and traditions, and the secular society atheists have created is considerably worse than the Christian society they replaced.
I may not be religious, but I still value the traditions, the community, the sense of respect and the idea that one should aspire towards something greater than our earthly values. It's very difficult to describe as someone who's not religious, but that solemn sense of purity, respect, reverence and awe that I've experienced in certain religious settings, particularly in medieval cathedrals and duing mass in my childhood, is something I haven't experienced in secular society. You feel humbled in the presence of the eterenal.

That was actually really enlightening. I hate the new connotation of "atheist", similar to the new connotation of "conservative", and it might be time to rebrand myself. I support the Christian values, as they're almost naturally occuring in America, but I've never bothered or really cared about the spiritual side of things.

Have your best friend die and you will start searching for these answers like it's the meaning of life

because the earth is flat, so obviously there's some higher power, purpose and meaning.

If people here endorse Christianity it means it's dying as a whole, after all Sup Forums is always contrarian no matter what.

Nice ‘answer’ the question

its like giving the answer to a calculus question to a first grader.

he's too fukcing stupid to know hwat hes asking.

The called have no choice. They are the few who have eyes to see the truth of the bible.

people want to grow beyond this world, people know there's something else after death

That's not how you get people on your side, typical Rick and Morty viewer.

its not a sin if the feet are clean right?...

The older you learn the less you know, people get scared and give in to assumptions about the unknown. Bottom line is most folks want to feel good and it doesn't get any better than the Jesus opiate, not to take away from anything the guy said. There is still plenty of wisdom in religion.

If I believe in one religion means I'm going to hell in another, it's actually stupid to let centuries old books to dictate how should I live my life, while we have science that is based on facts not imagination. The only good thing about religion is the community, if everyone does it like Japan we'll be in a better place, most them aren't religious but have sense of community and respect, better than most of the world

>Sup Forums is christian

lol, that's the most false meme going around here. nobody here is christian. i couldn't care less about religions.

because they are in pain

In a causal universe, a supernatural creator is an absolute necessity to justify the uncaused cause.
In a non causal universe, science is meaningless and you still need a creator since naturalistic explanations are useless without causality.

Not believing in a creator is maximum-brainlet.

japan isnt doing so good
youtube.com/watch?v=svVLoYs636w
weabos are fucking it up, they are going extinct

>n-no one here is christian, goy!

Get out Shlomo

General advice to atheists:

Dont stop seeking truth your 20s are a worlds difference from your 30s and so on, perspectives and hearts change, fog lifts.

Consider the general Monotheism vs. Nothing debate without interjecting dogma and scripture, this is "square one", nothing happens until you logically pass this point of accepting a creation occurred by an entities hand that existed outside of time itself "pre-big bang"

Have introspection, are you being pushed to think a certain way by your inner circle. Misery loves company.

When (not if) your atheistic depression pushes you to suicide, try calling out to Him instead of cursing Him.

Because I believe what is true and supported by facts, user.

so people on Sup Forums really have crosses in their home and live according to the bible?

I think I believe in a creator, I just have serious doubts that the creator cares as much as some might think.

this is wrong. the belief that nothing that you do will matter in the afterlife and that there is no god or moral rules to judge you is the real opiate. i dont know much about your Shart protocucks but everywhere else in the world having relegion(specifily christianity) and practising it is not an opiate. its the opposite. imagine it like this: your starving in a desert and suddenly a buffet of food appears before you. Now you could eat the food and feel better or you can ignore the food and carry on. That is like Christianity. You must refuse the sins of this world no matter how hard and carry your cross.

I'm not religious. I've never felt that I needed some extra push from a supernatural force to motivate me to do things.

You skipped deism, brah. You took a shortcut that led you to a dead end.

Yes. you dont think we dont. i got ma NAB right on the desk and i always carry my rosary

Good first step, why didn’t you proceed to the next logical question:
If there is a creator, why was this created?

>the belief that nothing that you do will matter in the afterlife and that there is no god or moral rules to judge you is the real opiate.
I never said this. And yes American religion is absolutely abhorrent and nearly everyone who calls themselves Christians are neurotic sacks of shit who use it as an excuse to live materialist lifestyles.

Being a Christian is so "daily" is a common complaint. Sin and temptation are everywhere and its so easy to give in to that which you know is sinful. Just trying to be Christ like is a slap to the face of the evil one though, denial of self is a victory.

I envy you.
Science experiment.

Religion is what holds society together, and it's the knowledge our ancestors passed down to us. Why are you a pleb?

You made this thread for a reason. Just go to church. I recommend orthodox

That is an extremely empty and unfounded answer. At best you push the question back a step as the only way this could be a science experiment is if the creator lives in an identical causal universe.
So why was his universe created?

>Have introspection, are you being pushed to think a certain way by your inner circle. Misery loves company.
On the contrary, I spend a decent amount of time among practicing christians, and they are good people. Never once have I felt an urge to be one though.
>When (not if) your atheistic depression pushes you to suicide, try calling out to Him instead of cursing Him.
I may be a statistically impossible outlier, but I've never thought about depression. Maybe its because I lack emotion, but the way I see it, thinking of suicide because ultimately nothing matters is a losers' mindset. If you only have one life to live you may as well spend it being a winner, instead of quitting the game like a woman. I like to make beating the odds a hobby of mine.

It's the conclusion I've come to from my own observations and meditations.

On accepting we reside in a created universe, I found my stem degree and science education to be absolutely foundational. Any idiot who says science implies there is no God wasn't paying attention.

So, why would our creator bother? Why give free will? Why not just create a puppet show of mindless automatons?

Maybe read it again. It’s not a bad answer, it is a non-answer. You just pushed the question further away.

My father was an Orthodox Christian, as was my grandfather, my great-grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, etc. Tradition binds the world together and to abandon my heritage would be to succumb to liberalism and the Horde.

What purpose would there be in physically manifesting mindless puppets when they act precisely as your timeless omniscience predicts? Free will is the only reason for God to manifest anything at all.

>Why not just create a puppet show of mindless automatons?
Because then that would be boring. Life's more interesting when it doesn't follow procedure.

So you're winning at life? Cool. So why do atheists like Robin Williams or that Sound Garden guy kill themselves? What happens when circumstance, tragedy or just a fuck up on your part turns your cart over and you've reach your prides full stretch?

Chris Cornell wasn't an atheist.
Then enlighten me.

I'm an atheist too, but I think I have an explanation for why Sup Forums is rather religious. Consider that, for all its stupidity, Sup Forums is a rather high IQ population. Just about everyone here is well above 100 points, even the shitskins. So in our high-IQ subcultures, atheism is embraced. This is particularly true in academia, which is often viewed as the ultimate authority among our peers. Our counter-cultural tendencies cause many of us to reject the atheism of these academic authorities.

I agree, free will within the deterministic constraints of physics of course, with the occasional act of "providence" (wtf hax)

Ok so free
will to be what, free will to do what?

See for a start.
Though honestly there isn’t much worth to spoonfeeding you information you aren’t willing to actually think about yourself.
Those who seek, find. Your belief in a creator is meaningless if you lack curiosity about their intentions.

I don’t understand the question.

No idea why Robin Williams and whoever the other dude was (I've never listened to SG) an hero'd. Not my issue to worry about.
A big component of maturing is realizing life ain't fair. Life is gonna fuck you in ways you won't expect and all one can do is be as prepared for the inevitable as possible. As for a fuck up on your part, accept the responsibility that you failed, and try again. Or diagnose why you failed, and change. Whichever way you want to do it. Regardless of how you deal with failures, you're only running out of time, so stop dwelling and get back on the horse.

>oh, you want a straight answer? don't worry about it, communism works dude
>trust me just read all of these commie books then you'll know you uneducated dumbass

there were great Christians empires tho
in the good times USA was Christian

Despite never being part of a religion, i always believed in God even when i was a young kid. Don't know what does that make me

Why gift man with free will, with what purpose.

>what does that make me?
Human. Belief in God is a natural thing. Only God will fill that God-shaped hole in your heart Pierre.

...

Lulz?

I grew up in an atheist family but realized science was on the side of intelligent design so I am an agnostic now. There's no way someone who is a scientist (real science, not Bill Nye science) and is an atheist too.

Well damn, that's the best answer I've seen.

There is no actual reason to believe in God. Feelings =/= Facts

I'm pretty sure we are one of the lowest iq boards and it's not due to shit skins

For the same reason you're an atheist. Conflicts with atheist retards with their Puritanical scolding over what word we fucking use for a man with both tits and a dick. I don't want to be associated with your judgy club.

Based on that description, I don't either.

>Dawkins posting
Bait.

>Still on the blue atheism pill

I fell for the meme and got a stem degree, it meshes with my faith well and was my stepping stone out of the abyss.

>the year of our Lord 2017
>atheists still believe human beings came from rocks

ishygddt

Because they're weak. Whatever works for them.

It serves many uses. People would differ on what the important ones are, some would argue they are not worth the problems that can be born of institutions that promote it.

Some people see it as council, culture and doctrine. Some view it as explanation. At one time, and in many places still, it served as a link from the people to government and nation, or took the role entirely.

There are unflattering aspects of it, but those are also unflattering aspects of us as a species.

Irrationality is not a bad thing. Irrationality is what keeps us from all being predator sociopaths; we make the irrational decision not to treat all others as competitors or prey. It makes us social.

It is a reflection of order more than the cause of it. In my own opinion, I think it is inextricable from the species, that if you put two atheists on an island, in three generations you would have religion. Its just something people need, the idea that there is something more than what they are seeing that explains very hard things that we as humans are forced to acknowledge, like the certainty of death in the future.

I believe it is important in bonding and and community. I am not actually a theist, but I know and respect the role religion plays. We are better for it, and no society will go far without it, without dreams, unity and vision.

I was just watching Yuri Bezmenov last night again. He is very smart about this sort of thing. He pointed out that we cannot prove God, but that 2+2=4 is true. I found it fascinating that he said that if people stop believing in God and live by 2+2=4 instead, we will collapse, even though we cannot prove the former and the latter is a fact.

Good night, and as I say to all my theist and non-theist friends alike, be blessed.

In Trump's name Amen. Good luck brother.

"There are none so blind as those who will not see." Atheists are blinded by ignorance and arrogance/pride.They operate on the low end of the energy spectrum. It's impossible to deny God when you realize science actually supports a creator. If people were not lazy they would take some time to read any number of scientific peer reviewed research on the topic of intelligent design. The problem is most people are 1.lazy and 2. stupid. so trying to lead them to a obvious conclusion is frustrating and often pointless.

Some of us don't need religion to find purpose and joy in life. Whatever works for you (unless you're a Muslim then gtfo).