Religion
A sense of God, or whatever else we may call an omnipotent supernatural force, is a prime component of all religious beliefs. Since so many religions exist, perhaps a few of them don't involve a concept of God, or any concept remotely familiar to mainstream Western culture. In any case, despite the inadequacy of my title "religion" to convey the perfect meaning of what this essay treats, it seems the most practical title. The next best is theology, which is seemingly just a dressed-up version of religion.
Regarding terms, I choose for convenience to use "God" as a catchall word for some sort of positive force more powerful than any other. The Western stereotype of an old man in the clouds, wearing flowing robes, his hair long and white -- is lamentable, but the most concrete image to the majority of us. We'd be in better shape if we envisioned God as Mother Earth, and treated Her with proper respect.
Most people believe in God, or at least say so. Whether this is because they were taught to by example and upbringing, or because they sense a supernatural presence -- is worth determining. Certainly religion is an inherited institution. But is there a God-force which can be sensed even by people who might have been taught no religion as children?
Avowed atheists, just like devout believers, can eloquently justify their positions. I would suppose that atheists generally also disbelieve in human "souls," in "creation" of humankind, and in some cases even in any sort of phenomenon that science cannot clutch and explain. As it stands, since nearly all of us owe our religious beliefs (along with many others) to our upbringing and the culture in which we wre raised, then it is easy to understand how a person who embraces the scientific approach will discredit religious beliefs. For, to the scientific mind, a Buddhist is as off-track as a Jew, or an evangelical Christian, or a practitioner of Islam; all such faiths are equally based on ancient stories, not...
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