Why and how do so many smart, intelligent people still believe in religion?

[KarlHeinrichMarx]

Even many people who excel in science still believe it

is there something i am missing?

 

[AtheistJohn]

Brainwashing family/friends/priests.

 

[AvidReader1]

Yes. You are missing out on the fact that spiritual decisions are not made in the same ways as are scientific decisions.

(And I say that as a Ph.D. scientist who is also an ordained minister Christ-follower who believes in the inerrancy of the Bible. The fact remains that the vast majority of the earth's population still "believes in religion" even while scientific knowledge spawned by Christians who pioneered the sciences continue to learn more and more. )

 

[BobbyBoucher]

For someone who has been told he/she is going to hell, it can be hard for them to think otherwise.

 

[KatyP]

my dad is extremely Intelligent yet still claims to be christian. I am atheist, however my mother and sisters are christian. I think my dad just keeps up appearances for them because they rely on christianity so much. (Ignorance is bliss i guess...) If my dad openly told my mom that he didnt believe, she would be devistated. I dont agree with that, but hey, they've been making it work for almost 35 years so who am i to judge?

 

[chris]

I WAS... BORNNNNNN IN THE USA!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIekamBDi…

 

[angel]

You are missing the plan of salvation which is a relationship, not a religion.

 

[JonathanKnowles]

Religion used to be more prevalent in most societies than it is today. Religion has nothing to do with intelligence, either.

 

[mike4]

Salvation and religion have nothing to do with one another.

 

[zoooooomttt]

It's the Koolaid I tell ya!

 

[NoChanceWithoutFSM]

Religion is pounded into all of us through our culture. Some of us, regardless of intelligence, are easily indoctrinated.

 

[TCCRevolution]

Yes and ???
GOD BLESS

 

[DoomShepherd]

No group or religion has a monopoly on intelligence. Nor does any one have it on idiot douchebags.

I'm an atheist, and even I know there are a whole LOT of us that are ignorant morons, and worse than the religious people they despise.

(And of course, believing that there may be some kind of creative force in the universe you refer to as "God" doesn't mean you believe in religion, or jesus, or any of that mythological stuff.)

But then, if you consider yourself one of the "intelligent people," you should know all this already, since your namesake and the socioeconomic pseudo-religion he inspired are ultimately responsible for more deaths than Hitler any other religion or philosophy.

 

[LoveMyHubby1]

Some people need a little faith. Science can probably prove in many ways that there is no religion, but sometimes people need a little bit of belief in something after death rather than just a decaying carcass in a casket. To each his own. I am intelligent - I dabble both in the theory of evolution as well as religion. I am neither here nor there - I firmly believe in evolution but I also like to HOPE that there is life after death, that it doesn't all just end one day. Maybe ignoring the signs is just easier for some people?

 

[t]

Yes. You are created with the purpose of knowing, loving and serving God. Anything else is a poor substitute.

 

[Dude]

EXACTLY.
Since so many smart, intelligent people still believe in a religion, there must be something you must be missing. YOU GOT IT at last. One atheist gets it.

 

[MaurogIII]

I wish I knew, this seems to be one of them mysteries of the universe.

Perhaps some supernatural being is involved? A god of superstition?