Divine Inspiration

[Acrobat]

No ones religious, because they’re looking to acquire some quasi-scientific fact, but for something to live for.

In my religious view, the answer is something greater than oneself, a sacrificial love, that’s transformative and redemptive, and tragic in our world.

So if someone believes that Earth is 6000 years old he is believing in it because it is something he lives for? It fulfills his life? But the problem is that  it would be far more productive for society to devote yourself (or as you say "sacrifice") to science because that would be beneficiary to humanity.

They believe that not believing this, would undermine the meaning and fulfillment they get from their religion, that it would open themselves up to nihilism.

If you asked them more probing questions, it becomes evident, that they’re trying to avoid any sort of eroding doubts, that undermine the deeper elements of their belief, and participation in their communities. They fear no longer believing in anything, they fear meaninglessness.. Hence why for them, disbelief, and nihilism are seen as going hand in hand.

It’s not about not believing in this one thing about the age of the earth, but the other things it could lead them to not believing. They’ll say things like if this isn’t true, how can I believe any thing else it says it’s true? If the Flood isn’t a historical event, how can I believe that Jesus truly conquered despair, in the resurrection?

Someone could find fulfilling believing that Sleeping Beauty is real, especially if he lives near the woods. So he goes every day looking for house where Sleeping Beauty sleeps in the woods. He can't ever find her, but to him this is even more encouraging because he explains himself it is because the evil fairy is making him wander in woods in circles, distracting him so it is invigorating him even more to look for her (it proves there is magic). Sometimes he even finds chunks of wood for which he believes are parts of the Spinning Wheel and that excites him even more and he lives for his expeditions into the woods.

I think you’d have to dig a lot deeper, beyond the surface of such beliefs, to find out why they hold them. If someone were so out of touch with reality, it’s probably because the conditions of that reality, are something they want to escape.

But it would be far more useful for society if this guy lived in reality, maybe even took up science and invented some new batteries or became a doctor... So his beliefs are counterproductive.

It’s far more useful for a society for people to believe life possess some sort of intrinsic meaning and purpose, that nihilism is not true. The death of such beliefs, would diminish a great deal of motivation and passion.