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Religious faith depends on a host of social, psychological and emotional factors that have little or nothing to do with probabilities, evidence and logic.
Michael Shermer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Religious faith is influenced by various social and emotional elements rather than rational thought.

This quote by Michael Shermer highlights that the foundations of religious belief are often rooted in personal experiences, social contexts, and emotional states, which may not align with logical reasoning or empirical evidence. It suggests that faith is a complex interplay of factors beyond mere rationality, emphasizing the subjective nature of belief systems.

Themes

FaithBeliefPsychologyEmotionSociety

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a debate on the nature of faith and reason in a philosophy class.

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Science operates in the natural, not the supernatural. In fact, I go so far as to state that there is no such thing as the supernatural or the paranormal.
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How can we find spiritual meaning in a scientific worldview? Spirituality is a way of being in the world, a sense of one’s place in the cosmos, a relationship to that which extends beyond oneself. . . . Does scientific explanation of the world diminish its spiritual beauty? I think not. Science and spirituality are complementary, not conflicting; additive, not detractive. Anything that generates a sense of awe may be a source of spirituality. Science does this in spades. (158-159)
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But because we live in an age of science, we have a preoccupation with corroborating our myths.
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I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.
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