So far, we have been discussion reasons why we have a propensity to believe. Besides group dynamics, these have all been internal motivations—things within us that religion can trigger. These internal motives give us a willingness to accept ideas that we may not have otherwise let in. But there is one very notable external reason […]
Psychologists don’t have a unified theory on how men and women behave when placed in a group setting, but all will note that in such circumstances, people can and do behave in surprising ways. When acting within a group, they loose their individuality and along with this, their individual qualities. Common sense gets set aside. […]
That which empowered a tribal shaman to cast out an evil spirit is in many ways the same force that Benny Hinn, Jimmy Swaggart, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, Jose Luis de Jesús Miranda and others wield over their audiences. The shaman was the tribal healer; with ritual magic to intercede with the spirit world. These […]
Feeling good about oneself is probably one of the most compelling reasons people hold onto their beliefs. In their search for a suitable religion, the religion that feels right is the one that people stick with. So many believers tell how their faith in God makes them happy. It makes them feel good about themselves. […]
When the facts don’t support the faith, and all arguments have been dispelled, when a person in 99% sure there is no God, there is still one last reason people want to believe. The 1% chance that hell is real. A hell where people suffer for eternity is too much of a terror, even if […]
We humans have certain psychological needs. The desire to fulfill these needs is deep within us all, and much of our motivation comes from our quest to satisfy them. Some needs we may be aware of, but others are subconscious. These needs and desires spawn the feelings we have. When we feel something is right […]
We are not always right. There are times when our minds play tricks on us, causing what some call “a religious experience”. We can be certain something happened, but yet it never did. We know what we saw, but yet we find out it really wasn’t quite like we remembered. We tend to place a […]
If all was well and good in the world, there would be no religion as we know it. If life were fair and just, if death did not await us all, if bigotry and hatred did not exist, there would be no religion as we know it because there would be no need for it. […]
