The need to believe?

[Brian37]

The feeling you have many have felt. It comes from a lifetime of being told something flawed. Most humans adapt the religion their parents hand down to them. 

But it really should not be that hard to figure out.

Between these two examples, which do you think is more likely and which do you think is less likely?

1. There really is a super natural being by any name, pick one out of the countless claimed in human history?

Or.

2. Humans make them up and they are just a projection of their own qualities?

Also keep in mind our species is far older than any written religion or nation. Keep in mind that our planet is 4 billion years old. Keep in mind our universe is 13.8 billion years old.

Does it make sense to you that any type of super cognition would do all that and only wait until 10,000 years ago to finally say something? 

Many of us here took weeks, months and even years to go from the initial doubt to fully giving up on the idea. I remember the exact question a co worker asked me that got me to start to doubt, but it took me several more years to give up on it entirely. It would have happened a lot faster if I had my current knowledge back then. 

Your fear of "what if I am wrong, and there is a god" is normal, but that is not a good reason to cling to it.

Hedging your bets to be safe "just in case" is what is known as "the fallacy of Pascal's wager".

Trust us, nothing bad will happen to you, there is no sky hero there to threaten or bribe you. You will still have ups and downs in life. But you can view both the good and bad in life as being natural, not super natural.

I have tears in my eyes reading this, thank you for taking the time to post this. You have no idea how this has helped today. It just feels comforting to know I'm heard, that I'm making sense, and that I'm not crazy for feeling conflicted sometimes.

It is an unfortunate part of our species to hand down the ideas to children without benefit of critical thinking. While we will never 100% get rid of that flaw in our evolution, I am more upset with those around you that scared you so much to sell you the idea of being dependent on a utopia that does not exist. 

There certainly are liberal theists who don't scare their children like this. But far too many on the right, of all religions do. Trust me, you are not insane for accepting there is no God or that you are finite. 

Think about it, do you live in fear of your pre life when you didn't exist? So why would an after life feel any different? That does not make one fatalistic to accept the ride is finite. Atheists can and do find good even in a temporary blip. 

You can find good in life knowing the ride ends. You can be compassionate knowing the ride ends. You are not evil because you question doubt or simply do not believe. Our species behaviors both good and bad have always existed, long before someone planted that myth in your head. 

Thank you. for your kind comments.