I wish Tumblr allowed direct response to answers on “ask a question” posts.

Anyway, the answers to my last one (“Do you belong to a religion?”) were crystal clear:

Rational:

stevegraham answered: religion is a crutch for a feeble mind

pureblog answered: No reason to have a religion.

Irrational:

geaninna answered: cuz it makes the most sense to me. gives me more hope in life. benefits me & gives me some peace of mind amongst other things.

amponsah answered: technically i am a christian , i believe in a higher being but not really in the bible…

It’s mind-boggling to me how providing sense of security or hope can make people become immediate, unalterable worshippers of an organization. The two most poignant examples of this are, of course, universities and religion - both huge businesses.

My problem with this is that both examples promote false hope and an alternative to reality, which doesn’t exist. In education’s case, it’s the false hope that a degree will somehow land you an excellent job and life. With religion, it’s the false hope that by “doing good” you will eventually be rewarded when you die. Neither of these fallacies have a rational basis, yet millions and millions of people continue to be swayed by them.