There are many reasons why a person turns to religion for their answers rather than science. I think the most obvious is they have been indoctrinated into a particular faith from an early age and the religion, rather like a parasite, has taken root.
From this position it must be very difficult to dismiss everything that you have been taught and know to be true. Especially when all of your questions are answered by you religious friends and family. The tribal instinct makes you want to be like everyone else in your group and even if you have doubts you don't want to make waves and be seen in anyway as some sort of trouble maker, especially if others have doubted before you and you have witnessed the results of their questioning.
Another reason is that humans are pattern seeking beings and can connect all sorts of disparate events and happenings and make conclusions. This is of course good, but the side effect of this is that they can also connect things together and come up with nonsense, which, without an alternative explanation, seems to them to be the truth. This is were the religion virus gains access to its host and spreads like wildfire, rewarding those who agree and shunning those who dismiss.
There is also a clear link between intelligence and education and a propensity towards religious and/or supernatural belief. It has been shown in many studies that the higher a persons I.Q. and level of education, the less likely they will be given to being religious and vice-versa.
Other people of course simply have a wild imagination. Couple that with a keen intellect and you again have a disposition towards some form of religious thinking. Bishop John Shelby Spong comes to mind, who's religious beliefs are so advanced as to be almost unrecognisable to the majority of those who call themselves Christian.
As far as those who have a limited ability to take responsibility for their own actions are concerned, what better position to find yourself in than having an all powerful Father like being watching over you every minute of the day with the promise of eternal paradise and a rather useful 'how to' book to tell you what to do in every part of your life. It allows you to abdicate all responsibility and take a submissive role akin to the lowest member of the pack. Every part of your life is taken care of and you can just lie back and enjoy the ride.
From this position it must be very difficult to dismiss everything that you have been taught and know to be true. Especially when all of your questions are answered by you religious friends and family. The tribal instinct makes you want to be like everyone else in your group and even if you have doubts you don't want to make waves and be seen in anyway as some sort of trouble maker, especially if others have doubted before you and you have witnessed the results of their questioning.
Another reason is that humans are pattern seeking beings and can connect all sorts of disparate events and happenings and make conclusions. This is of course good, but the side effect of this is that they can also connect things together and come up with nonsense, which, without an alternative explanation, seems to them to be the truth. This is were the religion virus gains access to its host and spreads like wildfire, rewarding those who agree and shunning those who dismiss.
There is also a clear link between intelligence and education and a propensity towards religious and/or supernatural belief. It has been shown in many studies that the higher a persons I.Q. and level of education, the less likely they will be given to being religious and vice-versa.
Other people of course simply have a wild imagination. Couple that with a keen intellect and you again have a disposition towards some form of religious thinking. Bishop John Shelby Spong comes to mind, who's religious beliefs are so advanced as to be almost unrecognisable to the majority of those who call themselves Christian.
As far as those who have a limited ability to take responsibility for their own actions are concerned, what better position to find yourself in than having an all powerful Father like being watching over you every minute of the day with the promise of eternal paradise and a rather useful 'how to' book to tell you what to do in every part of your life. It allows you to abdicate all responsibility and take a submissive role akin to the lowest member of the pack. Every part of your life is taken care of and you can just lie back and enjoy the ride.
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