Religion has certain self-reinforcing properties. Kind of like genes that make it more likely to propagate against other forms of information.
- Believing without question is better than questioning
- Not believing will be punished
- Virtue will be rewarded
- Spreading the belief is a virtue
- You should obey your parents
Combine that with young human brains being malleable, and religion tends to continue against all odds.
Childhood indoctrination is a big part of it. I have been told by my 8-year old niece that she’d like to save me from drowning in a lake of fire. She was genuinely scared for me. It’s literal child abuse followed by Stockholm syndrome.
there is a large correlation between atheism and IQ
stupid people are unable to discern whether science or The Bible is correct. This applies to other religious books as well.
One the one hand, 99.9 percent of scientists say the earth is round, on the other hand this really old book says it’s flat. If you are surrounded by believers and are stupid, you may actually lack the intellectual ability to discern which information is more likely to be true.
on occasion, intelligent people may be choosing to be delusional, letting these delusions protect them from the harsh realities of nature.
Religion works on emotions, which are easy. Knowledge works on thinking, which is hard.