Fiction

[Satan]

So what makes people believe in fictious things like religion?

I've always kind of associated with the E3/E6/E9 fitting in thing. Like create a common feeling in order to feel included, and exclude others that may disrupt "comfortable" feelings.

I'm not as concerned about religion in general as it's usually reasonably benign - but I suspect the same thing leads people to believe in following those who are clearly wrong without having free thought, free thinking, and being their own person.

[Not A Communist Shill]

The reasons will be innumerable, and will of course heavily depend on whether the individual themselves believes what they are following to be fictitious.

I think the inheritance of memes must be the key reason for the continuation of a particular religion. I think in generally, those that are attached to conservative/traditional views are inclined to be themselves conservative//traditional in nature.

[Nicovali]

Validation in the subjective nature of things. Perhaps because validation is a subjective thing.

A sense, potentially artificial, of cohesion that brings inner peace. People really seem to like the idea of inner peace and some value result slightly more than process.

A belief that either road bears sacrifice and simply staking preference.

A sense of reward and superiority for feeling more enlightened than the rest. More of the domain of dogmatists though.