I am fairly confident that fear plays a major role, and I think the evidence is
so memetically engrained as "normal" in the way we see religion, as to seem as
though it is not there at all.
Sodom
Tim Rhodes wrote:
> Sodom writes:
>
> >I do think that fear is what keeps them (religious folk) from disbelief -
> this
> >is the only generalization I knowingly will go with.
>
> And one whose factual basis I simply question. You write:
>
> >I dont question their
> >intelligence, or capacity, or complexity. I would paint them as more
> fearful - a
> >judgement call which in debate and discussion, has mostly proven correct.
>
> Debate and discussion perhaps, but until I see some *hard scientific data*
> concluding the same (a survey with that as the only dependant variable, for
> instance), I will continue to put the <Religous people are so out of fear>
> meme in the same camp as the <Jesus loves me> meme--a comfort to the holder,
> but with no proven basis in fact or functional utility.
>
> -Prof. Tim