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I don't think people believing fantastical notions without evidence is purely constrained to the religious. There are plenty of pseudo-religious belief systems

I don't think people believing fantastical notions without evidence is purely constrained to the religious. There are plenty of pseudo-religious belief systems within atheist thought circles - mostly consisting of political and philosophical conceptions (as well as the ever-pervasive scientism). And after all, isn't that what a religion is anyway? Most religious people I've met don't believe the bible in a completely literal sense.

thehardsphere 9y ago
Studies have shown that regardless of whether or not people start as religious or not, they hold irrational beliefs at same rate as other people with their level of education. The real interesting thing is that the irrational things that non-religious people believe in tend to satisfy the same psychological needs as religious beliefs. The Illuminati secretly ruling the world provides the comfort to people with an external locus of control that someone is in charge and they have a plan, just like God (or the Devil or whoever). The fact that most people are sheep who can't see the Illuminati's schemes but a few special people can reinforces the idea that some of us are special people, just like how the Israelites were chosen. Etc.
- beaconstudios 9y ago
  yep, we may live in an age and a culture where religion is rejected as irrational but our brain circuitry for faith and existentialism is still there. We all have deities whether they are conventional (God, Allah, etc), political (the invisible hand of the free market, social progress, individualism), spiritual (new-age-ism, karma, universal consciousness) or pseudo-scientific (utopianism, scientism, singularitarianism). We all feel a need to believe in something higher than ourselves and if it isn't an archetypal expression of our cultural values and lessons (i.e. a religion) then it'll be some other way to answer the hard questions of life like what is good, what matters, what should I aim for and so on.

thehardsphere 9y ago

Studies have shown that regardless of whether or not people start as religious or not, they hold irrational beliefs at same rate as other people with their level of education. The real interesting thing is that the irrational things that non-religious people believe in tend to satisfy the same psychological needs as religious beliefs. The Illuminati secretly ruling the world provides the comfort to people with an external locus of control that someone is in charge and they have a plan, just like God (or the Devil or whoever). The fact that most people are sheep who can't see the Illuminati's schemes but a few special people can reinforces the idea that some of us are special people, just like how the Israelites were chosen. Etc.

beaconstudios 9y ago
yep, we may live in an age and a culture where religion is rejected as irrational but our brain circuitry for faith and existentialism is still there. We all have deities whether they are conventional (God, Allah, etc), political (the invisible hand of the free market, social progress, individualism), spiritual (new-age-ism, karma, universal consciousness) or pseudo-scientific (utopianism, scientism, singularitarianism). We all feel a need to believe in something higher than ourselves and if it isn't an archetypal expression of our cultural values and lessons (i.e. a religion) then it'll be some other way to answer the hard questions of life like what is good, what matters, what should I aim for and so on.