[ptgatsby]

Originally Posted by Nocapszy

I told you to go away the way I did because if you're that interested in one-upping me, I want you to feel free, but this thread is not the place.

You do me great injustice. I only care to help you in your studies.

All I'm trying to get across is that you have placed religion in its own group, as if it is somehow different than other interests. It really isn't.

People are into religion because it is "the big question" their mind needs to wrestle with. Where you look at the world and see behavior and want to understand it, others look at the world and try to understand it. There may be some tendencies for religion to look at it through a more "what is the meaning" stance, it is often the same attitude as you do find in the hard sciences.

Why do people look for god? It is the universal framework in which to understand the world. It gives answers to the meaning of life, something nearly everyone struggles with. It gives you a code of behaviour, something we all need to learn. It provides answers, and security... it does just about everything.

That's why the majority of people look to god/religion to help them understand their world. It's the single thing that can help them understand everything that cannot be explained otherwise, give them what cannot be achieved otherwise.

I mean, what answer *are* you looking for?

Evolutionary reasons? Social norms? Biological influences? Personality preferences? Philosophy? Lazy thinking? Do you want to hear about group unity, filler for the need to understand, maybe about the preference for some to take on a problem just so their mind doesn't rest idle? Or others, that do the opposite, and attempt to fixate and resolve to remain idle?

There is no one answer. That's why the general answer is always going to be - to understand, to bring meaning. Once you come to grips with why we are all driven to understand the world, it answers almost all variations on why people embrace God and religion. It may not be an acceptable answer for your need to understand, but you've almost certainly replaced it something. The mind hates having a vaccum.

Edit: I'm not choosing to ridicule religion. Read more carefully please.

Sorry - not ridicule, mock.

Originally Posted by Nocapszy

Careful PT -- I might be trolling to get you to say something.

Pshhh. I'll help you despite your prickly attitude. I always give people the benefit of the doubt, so I figure you really are genuinely interested in understanding.