I don't really like to argue the point, just because it seems to cause more pain than understanding, but that might just be my experience.
I see it sort of like this. At the Bronze, we had a regular named Penlind who made up a story about a dying child and her huge family.
She had no children. Ever.
Even after an exhaustive investigation wit proof laid out for all to see that Penlind's children and story were in fact, not the truth, people continued to believe and were very angry at the rest of us.
They had faith in her, and were also angry that the wool had been pulled over their eyes.
And that was just some crazy chick online. Religion is a huge part of people's belief systems, and mostly makes them feel safe in a world that often isn't.
Self-awareness is both a blessing and a curse, as we're aware of our own mortality. It's terrifying to think that there'll be a day when we'll just stop existing.
That's why I think there are so many jailhouse conversions. It's easy. All you have to do is believe hard enough and God opens the gates to heaven. How fantastic! I suppose, if one has no faith, and then is put in a box for the rest of their lives, they have to believe in afterlife. Otherwise, they've really fucked up their existence in a big way. You only have about 80 years. Better make the most of them and avoid the concrete box.