Why -are- so many people of Abrahamic religions?

Why -are- so many people of Abrahamic religions? [+ favourites]

This question was posed to me by my father (Not directly. He said "I would be more swift to brush away Christianity if there weren't so many people who believed in it," and I kinda derived the question from that.) after watching that new Ben Stein movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. I was discussing with him my beliefs and how I saw the movies and he was doing the same. But then he said that, I wondered to myself...Why DO so many people believe in this religion (and all Abrahamic religions, which amounts to about 3.8 billion people)? And I've been thinking about it for about a week now. And here's what I've got...

First let me mention that I'm an atheist with my own philosophy on morals and life in general and I -don't- like religion in any sense.

So, number 1. They're born into it. This is the biggest one. Most people are born into this religion (since it is the largest religion in the world) and they are taught from birth that it's the way to go and it's the only truth. In all honesty, brainwashed. But moving along...

2. It is widely accepted. Since Abrahamic religions ARE the largest in the world, they are accepted easily. It's easy to be of an Abrahamic religion, because it's almost expected and surely accepted.

3. It's traditional, we haven't done anything different for a while. We've been doing these religions for so long, people don't want to change.

4. People -need- a god. They need a religion. They need direction of right and wrong and they need answers to questions that can't be answered and they don't want to think too hard, so they run to religion.

Now, never have my thoughts of religion wavered as much as they have when I contemplated this. I couldn't find an answer to that question that satisfied me! (My typical "People are just stupid" wouldn't suffice in my mind. ) For once in my life, I almost accepted the idea. But I was taking a shower (in the bathroom is where I get most all of my deep thoughts done) and these hit me.

In the news, religion reigns superior. But everyone knows there's nothing good in the news. It's all bad news. The war in Iraq - Religion. And Sunnis and Shiites - Religion. The polygamist church thing - Religion. Terrorism - Religion. Isn't it time someone opens their eyes?

I understand these religions are typically teaching people to love their neighbor and all that shit and it's good, that's goooood! I'm not saying that's bad, because it's not. But here's what I say.

If you want to teach your kids morals, teach them what you're learned from YOUR mistakes over the years.

Don't bring religion into it, because I'm sorry, but Abrahamic religions are foolish.

Morals =/= Religion.

And for those of you opposing my thoughts, religious or not, don't change the subject. It seems any debate it get in with someone about this, they change the subject.

Thanks for hearing my opinion.

"Inspire."

A very good question. And your answers are good, but you yourself are not satisfied with them because they sort of answer it, but not definitely.

Here is the answer:

All of the points you brought up are good - that they are widespread, widely accepted, born into it, etc. But we also have to accept that Christianity and Islam are extremely new and modern religions compared to the old ones - yet they are so widespread. This means that them being widely accepted is a result of something else - the real reason why they are so popular.

And this is the reason: Guilt. It's not your job to know this, but if you explore Abrahamic religions and compare them to various other religions, you will see that the basic tenet of the three Abrahamic ones is guilt - ie, you are born a sinner, unworthy, and you must work to be approved.

Really empathize with the notion of this mentality - that every time you go to church or meet a missionary you are told that you will burn in hell as a sinner if you do not appease what you owe to Jesus and the Lord, because you owe them.

People are always prone to feeling guilty - it is one of the most basic feelings children and people feel. It is unique to humans as well, and is a very useful tool to aid us in learning how to better ourselves. But when others trigger this emotion in us arbitrarily, they use that same mechanism to control us. If we are sufficiently convinced that we should feel guilty for something, we will do almost anything to appease it.

Guilt is the most powerful psychological force that guides human behaviour. Guilt, falsely imposed, causes horrendous incalculatable results. Any group or person that is made to feel guilty unjustly will behave violently in the long term as they have two contradictory emotions running through their minds - self-loathing (the result of guilt) and a rebellion against it. Most people then feed their rebellion and anger towards the guilt through the guilt, and start attacking people who can be the result or source of the guilt. This is why as opposed to Christian morals many Christians are violently opposed to gays and abortions - this is their own self-loathing manifested violently and uncontrolled.

Therefore, the very potent emotion of guilt is what these three religions were built on - make people feel guilty, keep them feeling guilty, and they will constantly provide tithes to compensate and do the Church's bidding to undo their own self-loathing.

You can see the desperation in their eyes... in church, or when they are trying to convert you or defend their religion. It is all done to desperately appease guilt and feel loved.

A bonus point is this - lots of parents, communities, and people make people feel guilty for other reasons... dressing weird, being irresponsible, ugly, or even being a homosexual or thinking freely. Children are often made to feel guilty at a very young age by the people who are supposed to love them. When they grow older, they can often replace their parents with religion - their constant attempt at appeasing Jesus becomes a continued effort to appease their parents, just by proxy. And since Jesus can never be appeased (because you are born a sinner and will die a sinner)... they got you.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

Guilt...that makes a lot of sense. Jesus died for YOU because YOU are a sinner. And the whole 'God watches everything' idea would lead to not only a very guilty lifestyle, but one of a sense of RIGHT is RIGHT and WRONG is WRONG, thusly when someone does something WRONG, they are WRONG and TERRIBLE and a very very bad person who's going to burn in hell for all eternity.

Makes sense. Wonderful deduction, I can tell you've had the same questions as I have.

"Inspire."