If God exists then why so many religions have bitten dust since organised praying took roots? Also, inspite of so many religions met up with extinction still why around 4000 religious faith still exists
I am completely perplexed
You should be perplexed. All religions offer totally an illogical premise and conclusion.
The tendency to form superstitions is innately semi-"hardwired" into our psyche, and is an artifact of our mind's propensity to make sense of the world around us from scratch inorder to improve our chances of survival. And this tendency is not limited to humans. It can be observed in all creatues capable of learning, ours is merely more highly developed in keeping with our greater intelect. The good news is we can also learn to ignore it.
I think the fact that there are so many religions is proof in and of itself that it's all made up. If there were only one true god defined by one true religion then there wouldn't be all this room to just make up other gods and other belief systems to suit your preferences.
God works just like Santa Claus does: many people around the world have a Santa Claus myth but each is defined by the culture of its place of origin. For instance, the Norwegian Santa Claus isn't the same as the American Santa Claus nor is the Spanish Santa Claus the same as the Arabian Santa Claus. Since Santa Claus isn't a real person, everyone is free to make up their version of who he is and what traditions are attached to each country's version. If Santa were real, we'd all know the same things about him and be embracing similar traditions regardless of whatever country we're from.
God works in exactly the same way -- people make up their version of him and what he thinks, wants or expects of us based on the preferences of those who created the religion and those who choose to follow it.
The different religions and versions of religions is due to our imagination starting with different inputs due to random situations that initiate the superstition formation process and then its filling in the gaps in belief.
We can guess at why many religions have disappeared. I am inclined to think that it may be due a number of factors. The appearance of a charismatic preacher, a new version of a religion or a new religion superseded in popularity. A superficial desire to be different seems to characterize many religions today, essentially, the same product repackaged.
The continuation of religious faith persists because an afterlife rests on two false notions. Firstly, a notion of a reward and secondly a notion of continuity. The promised reward is contingent upon living in accord with religious precepts/prescriptions.
The notion of continuity is limited only by the imagination of the believer in which he or she each settles for a comfortable image. I doubt that beyond the realm of imagination that there is an afterlife because when dead there is no you nor I nor anywhere to go.
In the words of the late Dave Allen: "In the name of the father and the son and into the hole he goes."
Fools depend on faith. Reason and logic both hurt their brains.
Hmmm, it’s almost as if religious behavior is evolutionarily adaptive or something. Weird!
@creative51
It’s true - I prefer the scientific view. It doesn’t change with the wind.
Well the basic process is beneficial and aids in survival because it can link a sequence of events to an outcome without any additional information. And most of the time it "works" even if it is not true. However, it is also somewhat prone to mistakes.
@Reignmond
According to the statistics I’m aware of, about 80% of the human population claim affiliation with an organized religion, and quite a few of the remaining claim belief in or assumption of some kind of gods or spirits or an unspecified interest in spirituality.
I’m not ready to declare my whole species defective. It’s just how we’re built.
E. O. Wilson said “We’re a conflicted species… and our survival depends on it.”
@skado A lot of that religion is simply "inherited" from the parents and society. The same can happen to Atheists who were born into an Atheist family. I admit that I give more credit to Atheists that converted more than 25 years ago because they largely know why they are Atheist. They were mostly born in to religious families and religious communities, and so their belief is not merely the result of a fad.
@Reignmond
Inherent in the definition of a fad is the concept of briefness or temporariness. There has never been a time in human history or, to our knowledge in human prehistory, when there was no religious behavior.. It’s not a fad, but a feature of our species.
According to Pew Research, The percentage of global population involved in religious participation is projected to grow in coming decades, and the percentage of the non-affiliated to decline.
It appears to me that what’s driving that very persistent trend in human behavior is not as simple as mindless repetition of meaningless or destructive habits.
@skado "Fads" are also defined as a collective behavior rooted in emotions and popularity. Religions come and go. Some last awhile globally, but it is not uncommon for individuals to change their religions, sometimes drastically. So I hold that they are fads. I would also include that Atheism is going through a fad phase itself. Nowa days dome folks will declare themselves Atheist in an effort to set themselves apart from the more ubiquitous religious society. As Atheism increases, its "charm" for those folks will wane, but overall Atheism, and its various incarnations, will continue to grow becauseit is becoming so blodfy obvious that all supernatural religions are bunk.
@Reignmond
It’s also part of what makes them generationally transmissible.
[ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Atheism is not currently growing worldwide.
What’s to be perplexed about? There will always be ignorance, utter blindness, stupidity and delusional. As long as these exist so will religion.