We all question things in life, some more than others, but people seem to have a difficult time question their own religion. They may say they do, but the fact is that most people will follow the same religion they were brought up in. If they really questioned it, we wouldn't see religions dominating certain populations around the world. Since religions shape the way people see the world, it is extremely important for people to question their ideas and beliefs. Ideas in life affect people in three ways, negatively, neutrally, and positively. So let's look into how these three affects change the way things are perceived.
When an idea appears to affect us negatively, we have no problem questioning it. We want what is best for us, which is why we will question something that affects us negatively, because if we can prove there is another way, it benefits us. For example when politicians discuss raising taxes, if we can prove the state/country can still operate and accomplish everything they need to without raising taxes, citizens can keep more of their hard earned money. So when something appears negative we question it and we will usually attempt to prove it wrong.
When an idea appears neutral and doesn't really affect our lives, we rarely give it much thought. However, some do in attempts to make a product or a situation even better. Sometimes those changes are improvements, but if the changes turn out to have a negative effect, guess what? We question it. We will argue for changing it back the way it was, or attempt to improve on it again. But for the most part, most of us don't even question ideas that affect us neutrally because we don't think about it.
When an idea appears positive and seems to improve our lives we rarely question it, and in fact hope it’s true. Why ruin a bad thing, right? Well that is why people rarely question their religion. It promises them great things, and in most cases promises a negative result if not followed. We like the thought of going to a "heaven" and not going to a "hell", being able to see our loved ones again who have passed, feeling like there is an ultimate plan for our lives, or a "God/the creator of everything" helping us in tough times. These ideas all seem to be positive and wonderful things. Plus not having these beliefs might seem scary to some. This is why it's extremely tough for people to question ideas that appear positive.
People fall for schemes every day for this same reason. It may appear to be the chance of a lifetime and they don't want to pass up a good thing. Not many want to volunteer for the "let me shoot this apple off your head" trick. Most realize this could end negatively, but when something appears to be positive they don't question it and don't realize that it could have a negative effect if not true. It is obvious that an investment that sounds positive but turns out to be a scam is negative. The same goes for believing something that isn't true when it appears positive.
Pascal's Wager which argues, "you should believe in God even if there's a strong chance that he might not be real, because the penalty for not believing, mainly going to hell, is so undesirable that it is more prudent to take our chances with belief." Pascal's Wager may seem like a good idea because it is basically an investment that cost nothing and we have everything to gain. However there is a hidden cost, when following a religion we are putting our intelligence and reality at risk. That may sound harsh, but believing something which is false will absolutely affect one's ability to make smart and rational decisions. This is hard to see for one's self, because it turns their reality into a false one. The easiest way to see this is by looking at those who have a different religion/belief than their own.
Those who invest in something and later fear that it could be a scam seem to be afraid to do the research afterward for fear of discovering that they have been duped. Their money is already invested so they just hope for the best. However, people who do their research first before investing and discover it would have been a scam are relieved they didn't invest. They realize that although it might have seemed like a great opportunity, the opportunity was really never there and was just an illusion promising great things. The same goes for religion. Believers once invested in a religion; have a hard time questioning it for fear that they may have been misled. They have invested their time every Sunday and have most likely developed many friendships within their religion and their social circle would be completely disrupted. They would not only be losing their hope of an afterlife but also losing what they know of their current life on earth.
People of all religions will say it is about discovering the truth. This could not be further from the truth whether they realize it or not. If the goal was to discover truth, they would not only study their own religion, but other religions as well. They couldn't possibly be so arrogant to think that the first religion they were taught was the correct one. At the least they would be knowledgeable about the top 5 to 10 religions and compare which ones make the most sense and are the most consistent. Many times the way a belief makes someone feel is their evidence for it being true, but they don't realize or want to acknowledge that people of different religions have those same feelings about their own religion. So the only thing proven is that people can become emotionally attached to their belief, which gives them the feeling that it is true.
The truth is religion is about making people feel comfortable and giving them hope, although it may be false hope, it is still hope. It is hard for people to come to grips with the harshness of reality, but facing reality makes us better and stronger people. We can make better decisions in our life when based on reality, because like Voltaire once said, "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." If this is the only life we get, let's hope people choose reality over fantasy.
