Why do people continue to believe in god?

[FatAndFaithless]

Lazy, comfortable, brainwashed, gullible, narcissistic-- take your pick.

Well I think that a lot of people just haven't examined those beliefs as closely as they should, or simply haven't heard the arguments against them. Many religious communities are pretty insular, and combined with the natural impulse to believe what your parents tell you I think that leads to just a lack of critical thinking.

Hell, up until I was about 18 or 19 I would've called myself a Catholic and said I believed in God and Heaven and Hell just beause...that's what I was brought up with. I hadn't attended church in years and was never confirmed (I didn't want their stupid bread anyway!), but I just thought that belief in God was the 'default' or 'normal' position for a normal person. When I finally realized I didn't believe, I also realized I hadn't believed since I was like 8 years old, I just had never been impelled to think about it much.

I think most people are smarter than most people think. Sure there are going to be the few knots in the wood that won't ever budge, but from my experiences it's just a lack of exposure to dissenting ideas at a young enough age that is the biggest reason for the persistence of a God belief.

That being said, the internet is a wonderful example of what happens when you give unrestricted access to the youth!