Most people in the world believe in a god, or gods, or a higher power. Even among scientists studies conducted over the past 100 years show that 40-50% of all scientists also believe in god or some higher power. Atheism has been in decline since 1970 and is projected to be represented by less than 2% of the world population by the year 2020.
That may be a good thing for many of today’s atheists. For one thing, another study shows that atheists consume more drugs than people who believe in god. On the other side of that coin, atheists may be more likely to see a doctor than believers.
In another recently published study scientists concluded that humans may be “predisposed” to believe in god. This research does not try to prove or disprove god’s existence. It merely seeks to determine if people believe because they are taught to believe or if there is something fundamental underlying that belief.
A few years ago some psychologists set out to learn if moral behavior (doing what is right by others) is hard-wired into the human brain. They found that we experience unpleasantness if we treat others badly. That study seems to confirm what is written in the epistle to the Romans, in chapter 2: “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” Those verses say we are hard-wired to do what is right.
But aside from doing right and maybe participating in a healthy relationship with god, science has learned that belief may help psychiatrically ill people. This is not a vindication for faith-based healing. It’s just saying that if you believe in god you may have more resources to work with when fighting mental illness. As the Bible says, faith will sustain you.
We still have much to learn about faith and god. I don’t think the final book has been written on the topic. Many people argue over the details but the facts are pretty straight-forward: belief in god has shaped humanity over the millennia and will continue to do so. Sometimes we plunge into darkness, following the wrong teachers, but overall belief in god or something greater than us has empowered the human experience.
Maybe the humanists would do well to remember that.