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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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I think it's a mixture of environment and genetics, as most things are.
The question is...in a society where atheism does not exist, if that's possible, are there individuals who truly do not believe in a God or gods?
Obviously atheism exists - so one could say that yes, it's probably possibly to arrive at this conclusion alone (or some might say, through the deception of Satan).
I think theism - whether monotheism, polytheism or deism - is naturally wired into humans. Some believe it's 'taught' but i believe most humans are born with the natural conviction that the Earth, like themselves, must have a parent, a cosmic 'Mother' or 'Father' figure. When they're in trouble, they go to Him/Her/It. Whether this means such a figure truly exists is a matter that's for debate.
Atheists are those who think they are being pragmatic by eliminating any conscious creator of the Universe. I personally believe they do believe in a God - Chance (it can only be chance, despite what they say). I'm not saying Chance might not be our ultimate Deity, I personally don't hold this view, but I'm say 'God' is just a word and language is just one way at looking at the world. There are 7 billion different ideas of what God is.
When a premise is not provable, there will be people who believe it and people who don't.
Same thing when a premise IS provable.
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....maybe some people believe in god because they're the type of people that don't require proof for their beliefs, and maybe some people don't believe because they do require that proof.
Nothing to do with it.
Some people would refuse to believe in God if He was standing right in front of them.
OTOH, proof? Well if you have proof of something, you really don't have to "believe," do you.
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Indoctrination plays a huge role in the widespread belief in "God". Without childhood indoctrination, there'd be very few people who believed in "God".
So say you. "Indoctrination"....you make it sound like some sort of shady brainwashing......
Like with any rather involved and complicated subject believing in God has much to do about mentoring or non
mentoring parents, church,relatives,acquaintances coupled with an individuals search,desire (interest) ,availablity of
study (knowledge/ weighing evidence), faith . To an extent ethnic background (religious heritage) . Were you raised
in a pagan faith, agnostic/atheistic ,disfunctional, ignorant ridden environment?
I think that both religion and irreligion have a common motivation, and that each is simply a different way that motivation expresses itself. People want a sense of certainty and a sense of security that comes from the belief that they know how things work and can, to some extent, manipulate their circumstances for their own benefit.
Christianity (the religion with which I am most familiar) teaches that God controls things. If we pray, He may see fit to grant our request. If not, then we feel better knowing that it's His will. This is basically carte blanche to feel good about anything, since everything works out for the best.
Irreligion tends to link itself to science and logic. Again, we see the same motivation at work. For example, science teaches about gravity, so I know if I let go of a glass I'm holding, it will fall and may break. I feel good knowing that I can prevent the glass from breaking by holding on to it, or by setting it gently on a stable surface. Of course, this motivation has innumerable applications.
As for why some tend toward religion, I suspect it's mostly about teaching. People tend to inherit the religion of their parents. But I see both religion and irreligion as accomplishing the same purpose, giving people a sense of security. Some find that sense by believing in a God that controls things, and others find that sense in learning physical laws. Either way, some kind of deity, or a set of laws or principles, or some other such system, becomes a god and dictates a person's thoughts and actions. A god is really nothing more than a thing that sets the rules, and there's no such thing as being without one. Without some framework by which things are assessed, there's no logic or thought or reason. I suppose I would reframe the question such as to ask why people choose (or otherwise acquire) the beliefs and principles on which their thoughts are based.
Can we praise the systems and thoughts of some of the greats, and just use this in the same way as a religion?
For instance, my favourite is Nietzsche - can I praise him?
You can praise whomever you wish to. I don't see a god as a thing you express affection, or some other feeling, for, but as a thing that sets rules and standards. Paul, in the Bible, said you are slaves of the one you obey, making the obvious point that whatever you obey or follow you make into a master, or a god. Some people claim a person-type God, while others deny a god but follow some system of thought, making a non-person-type god. I don't see them as different. Praise is a likely outcome, since we tend to speak well of things we like and are likely to follow. Religion has many different meanings. I "religiously" cook meat before eating it, because I know if I don't it could make me sick. In this case knowledge is my god and cooking is how I relate with that god, my religion. I praise this knowledge by recommending against eating raw meat, unless there's reason to believe it's safe.
"Logic" has nothing to do with God so for some people it's just not gonna work. Their logic just prevents it. For others they don't care about logic. They go the "faith" route, expanding their senses to get there or putting aside logic.
Interesting way to look at it.
Indoctrination plays a huge role in the widespread belief in "God". Without childhood indoctrination, there'd be very few people who believed in "God".
I agree. From early childhood, I was raised in a baptist church, sang in the choir and attended every church event faithfully. I never questioned whether or not there was a God and continued this practice well into adulthood. As life has gone on and awful things happened and I continue to meet evil, dishonest people, my belief and faith has become minimized substantially.
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