[sexdrugsmoney]

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As much as we debate religion here, it seems that the majority of the population refuses to discuss the possibility that god doesn't exist.

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1) FYP

2) Not the population of SMP. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

3) The masses have never been the most intelligent bunch.

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I have many very smart friends who will not even engage in a conversation about the existence of god. If I question the existence of god, they will usually get very defensive and say something along the lines of "There's gotta be something else out there bigger than us."

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Because it's a huge issue that is very deep. Most people have a hard enough time swimming in the 'shallow waters of society' and all the pitfalls that come with it (ie- the 'self', your job, relationships etc)

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People also get especially defensive upon questioning about specific aspects of their religion--such as questioning a non-orthodox Jewish person about why they ignore the strict dietary requirements of the Torah.

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Because when you ask a question like that your motive comes into play.

If your motive is pure, the other person has to give an explanation (which usually will be complex) and they may not feel like doing so.

On the other hand, if your motive is impure, the other person is forced to partake in apologetics, and not everybody wants to necessarily 'defend' their faith.

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My hypothesis is that most people want to believe in god, but they also want to believe in a version of god that requires as little effort from them as possible.

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It's "natural" that's why, humans are selfish by nature.

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Therefore they adopt the most watered down version of their parents religion and then avoid thinking about it because thinking about it will likely lead to one of two unpleasant conclusions:
1. god doesn't exist
2. if god does exist, then they are doing a really bad job of doing what god wants.

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Yep, Catch 22.

Being raised in a religion is a sweet deal.

You can say you are "something" while doing nothing (ie- "Oh I'm ... but not practicing"), you don't have to defend your beliefs as much (compared to conversion), and you can freely leave and come back without as much guilt as if you converted and then "fell away".