I agree with the original poster that most people who pretend to believe in a god do not really feel convinced. It is like some great game that people pretend to be a part of due to social pressures. Only the truly crazy really believe the nonsense 100%.
I like Joseph Smith's argument for polygamy as an example. There was a debate between himself and an anti-polygamist. Joseph Smith asked the man if it was okay for a man to re-marry when his wife dies. The man said, "Absolutely". Joseph then pointed out that when this man and his new wife pass away, he will find himself in heaven with more than one wife, and possibly children with multiple wives. He then reminded the man that Heaven was a perfect place, and if polygamy was good enough for heaven, it was good enough for Earth.
Here you have the reasoning of someone who truly believes his own hogwash. (Joseph was a known con-man, but perhaps he really did start believing his lies). The point is that the other man obviously doesn't believe in an afterlife, or he would KNOW in his heart-of-hearts that he should only marry once. That this life is short and ephemeral compared to the eternity that awaits. When you don't really believe, it is easy to never think these things through.
Another great example is the fact that the more religious people are, the more afraid of death they seem to be. If you REALLY believed, funerals would be a celebration, not a mourning. And religious people would not be the ones keeping vegetables on life-support. These contradictions scream to me the fact that not many people believe the nonsense they pretend to believe. Even my preacher admitted to me, when I was young, that he didn't believe in god, but still thought his job was worthwhile. I know for a fact that my own father and mother only give lip-service to religion, and my wife finally is able to admit that she is an atheist after many years of pretending due to peer pressure.
I like Joseph Smith's argument for polygamy as an example. There was a debate between himself and an anti-polygamist. Joseph Smith asked the man if it was okay for a man to re-marry when his wife dies. The man said, "Absolutely". Joseph then pointed out that when this man and his new wife pass away, he will find himself in heaven with more than one wife, and possibly children with multiple wives. He then reminded the man that Heaven was a perfect place, and if polygamy was good enough for heaven, it was good enough for Earth.
Here you have the reasoning of someone who truly believes his own hogwash. (Joseph was a known con-man, but perhaps he really did start believing his lies). The point is that the other man obviously doesn't believe in an afterlife, or he would KNOW in his heart-of-hearts that he should only marry once. That this life is short and ephemeral compared to the eternity that awaits. When you don't really believe, it is easy to never think these things through.
Another great example is the fact that the more religious people are, the more afraid of death they seem to be. If you REALLY believed, funerals would be a celebration, not a mourning. And religious people would not be the ones keeping vegetables on life-support. These contradictions scream to me the fact that not many people believe the nonsense they pretend to believe. Even my preacher admitted to me, when I was young, that he didn't believe in god, but still thought his job was worthwhile. I know for a fact that my own father and mother only give lip-service to religion, and my wife finally is able to admit that she is an atheist after many years of pretending due to peer pressure.
