Everyone (except atheists and agnostics) have an imaginary god. Are there psychological benefits to having one? I'm going to list the pros and cons of having a god. I used to have one before I became an atheist, so I feel this list is relatively accurate. (The list of pros and cons is not in any particular order.)
Pros:
- Source of confidence.
- Increased sense of control over surroundings.
- Feeling of loneliness is less present.
- "Sinners" are punished (making it easier not to hold onto hatred).
- Fear of death is easier to overcome.
- Increased sense of purpose.
- Increased sense of order in the universe.
- Feel safer.
- "Someone" to talk to about problems.
- Increased sense of belonging.
-Easier to attain peace of mind.
Cons:
- Potential feeling of always being watched/judged.
- Potential decreased ability to distinguish between objective reality and imaginary reality.
- Potential fear of nonbelievers.
- Potentially manipulated by those that claim to represent your god.
- Potential fear of science.
Those are all the pros and cons I could come up with at the top of my head. If you disagree, or wish to add things to the list, put the addition into the comment section, and I'll consider adding it. I'm an atheist that believes in belief, sorry (not really) to those atheists that want a hate fest. I see the belief in a god as a useful coping mechanism. Some people's minds are more suited for utilizing this coping mechanism than others (to put it nicely)--and even though I don't share this "ability"--I do respect its usefulness.
Pros:
- Source of confidence.
- Increased sense of control over surroundings.
- Feeling of loneliness is less present.
- "Sinners" are punished (making it easier not to hold onto hatred).
- Fear of death is easier to overcome.
- Increased sense of purpose.
- Increased sense of order in the universe.
- Feel safer.
- "Someone" to talk to about problems.
- Increased sense of belonging.
-Easier to attain peace of mind.
Cons:
- Potential feeling of always being watched/judged.
- Potential decreased ability to distinguish between objective reality and imaginary reality.
- Potential fear of nonbelievers.
- Potentially manipulated by those that claim to represent your god.
- Potential fear of science.
Those are all the pros and cons I could come up with at the top of my head. If you disagree, or wish to add things to the list, put the addition into the comment section, and I'll consider adding it. I'm an atheist that believes in belief, sorry (not really) to those atheists that want a hate fest. I see the belief in a god as a useful coping mechanism. Some people's minds are more suited for utilizing this coping mechanism than others (to put it nicely)--and even though I don't share this "ability"--I do respect its usefulness.
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