Kneel Before Them

They come in many forms, and each has their own desires, but they are all worshiped. They seek to be praised, to set examples, to make rules, to help, to be entertained, to be loved, to be feared, to kill, and to protect. Millions of people live everyday life in accordance with the divine whims of their god(s), whose existence can be neither substantiated nor invalidated. This legend of deity has laughed in the face of time itself, and consumed the lives of billions, but why do so many people believe it? This legend may be held so strongly because people are primed to accept is and it satisfies the needs of the community.

God(s), and surrounding religions, have been passed down from preceding generations and children were raised to believe in the deity of their ancestors. In his article in the L. A. Times, "Truth Is In The Ear Of The Beholder", Gregory Rodriguez suggests that "Rumors can only thrive in the minds of people who are predisposed to believe them." (p.347) Because many people are taught the existence of deities from the time they are children, they are may be more likely to believe this legend as an adult. Another reason people can be predisposed to believe something is if it correlates to their point of view or offers something they need. Rodriguez concurs when he says "rather than our opinions being forged by whatever information we have available, they tend to be constructed by our wants and needs." (p.347). Psychologist Robert H. Knapp's Hypothesis, that "Rumors express and gratify the needs of the community" (p.360), agrees with Rodriguez's statement. While these statements support the idea that this legend thrives because of predisposition and fulfillment of needs, those predispositions and needs can be f...

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... peacefully. An article from the Monitor on psychology, by Beth Azar, suggests that “Religion is one of the big ways that human societies have hit on as a solution to induce unrelated individuals to be nice to each other,”(p.52) In other words, defeating outside dangers would not do much good if you had to worry about your society knocking itself off the grid. Religions can also provide a social life by allowing people of a common religion to be connected and have a sense of belonging, and with the presence of god(s) one is never left alone. In this way, the belief in deity can meet the need for companionship. Security can also be provided by the belief that a supreme all knowing being wants to protect and aid those that follow their laws. With all of these average wants and needs insured by the belief in this legend, it is not a surprise that many people do believe.