[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey (OP)]

My belief, which is purely based on my own observations (and therefore unscientific) is that most people in the developed world do not really believe in God. I feel most people that "believe" in God suppress their own skepticism due to conformity and/or because of the terrifying fact that our consciousness completely vanquishes after our death. People in the free, industrial world can see the obvious reality of a godless universe.

[alancalverd]

Until recently most kids were brought up in an environment where, whatever arguments and accidents took place during the day, a Man with a Beard would appear in the evening and dish out comfort, admonition, punishment and wisdom about things beyond their ken. It would be awfully nice if there was an alpha male you could appeal to in later life, so Man invented God. Problem is, He doesn't seem to turn up quite as regularly or deliver justice quite as consistently as your dad did. 

[hamdani yusuf]

most people in the developed world

You'll have to be clear in defining the boundary of the developed world. Do you also count the immigrants?

[alancalverd]

One reason for leaving other parts of the world and coming to the godless UK, USA, Canada, Australia, or wherever, is to escape from a disgusting theocracy. 

The developed world surely means one that is not ruled by perverts and superstition.

[Europan Ocean]

There is the Hardy Question, in the UK giving that half have encountered the supernatural. Not ghosts. There are NDE accounts including from some who once were atheists and scientists. Taking on a duality of science and mysticism. It is a matter of the quality of preaching, literature, laying on of hands, and how open minded the people are.

I suppose some people don't like giving money in church, or, don't like Bible characters and stories in it... so whether they think there is a god or not, they decide to doubt. There are pressures on us not to believe, lust, anger, god is mostly untestable, fear of death, and faith without regular input diminishes. Why take in input? The music and teaching has to be good, but traditional church has been weak. Contemporary church is limited in appeal. People want to fornicate instead...

People worship pleasure, or money or their family.

People may be confused about gods plural or not want to consider life after death due to conscience or the mercy god shows wicked people.

If someone trips on a hose, they cuss or call on Jesus.

[Kryptid]

I feel most people that "believe" in God suppress their own skepticism due to conformity and/or because of the terrifying fact that our consciousness completely vanquishes after our death.

Although related, I feel that the question of the existence of a supreme being doesn't necessarily imply (or refute) the existence of an afterlife. If I'm not mistaken, Buddhism doesn't have a supreme being but does have an afterlife. Alternatively, you can have a god who simply doesn't offer an afterlife.

[Bored chemist]

god is mostly untestable

You spelled "completely" Incorrectly.

[Bored chemist]

If someone trips on a hose, they cuss or call on Jesus.

In my case that is true to the extent that Jesus has changed his name to "F**K!"

And it's absurd to imagine that, in the moment between tripping and swearing, you actually think about the words you utter.
There isn't enough time for that. Your choice of words is largely down to what you have heard other people say.

[jeffreyH]

If you can't observe god then you can't make any determination on god's existence. Anecdotal 'evidence' is not scientific and neither is blind faith. If god doesn't interact with the universe in an observable way then god is an irrelevance. The simplest and most plausible explanation for the plethora of gods is that man invented them all.

[alancalverd]

There's a difference between observing something (the sun), observing the effect of something (heat, tides), and inventing a useful concept that can't be observed but has consistent prospective value in your model of the universe (energy).

AFAIK no god has ever met any of the above conditions. Acts of god are ascribed retrospectively and tend not to be repeatable.

[Petrochemicals]

After the misfires of flat earth, geocentrism, God on clouds in the sky surrounded by winged creatures, Satan under foot, the entire of world historic religious madness, etc etc, most people would rather live for the present and hope for an afterlife rather than slaving to build churches for a few rich folk, live in pointless obedience to a doctrine only to die young in poverty and in misery.

[Europan Ocean]

The system of justice from Moses, Jesus, Paul and Rome when developed well, leads to a good business system and a reasonably safe society, and some value on peace. It caused good times, we still have some of now.

[Bored chemist]

The system of justice from Moses, Jesus, Paul and Rome when developed well, leads to a good business system and a reasonably safe society, and some value on peace. It caused good times, we still have some of now.

Unless, you are female, gay, left handed, a slave, a foreigner, an atheist, a Jew, a Muslim, anyone who likes shellfish, a hairdresser ....
Why do you post such transparent nonsense?

What actually caused peace and prosperity was overthrowing those insane prejudices.

[charles1948]

What caused peace and prosperity since the end of World War II, in1945, was the invention of nuclear weapons.
These weapons scared us so much, that we daren't start World War III.  Even though we really wanted to.

And if weren't for nuclear weapons, we'd have had World Wars IV and V by now.  And getting ready for World War VI.
Let's face it - we humans like fighting wars.  You can't deny it.  All history shows it to be true.

Only the H-bomb is holding us back.  How much longer can it restrain us, do you think?

[Petrochemicals]

The system of justice from Moses, Jesus, Paul and Rome when developed well, leads to a good business system and a reasonably safe society, and some value on peace. It caused good times, we still have some of now.

John locke

[Europan Ocean]

Unless, you are female, gay, left handed, a slave, a foreigner, an atheist, a Jew, a Muslim, anyone who likes shellfish, a hairdresser ....
Why do you post such transparent nonsense?

What actually caused peace and prosperity was overthrowing those insane prejudices.

It was not the bomb that somehow gave us good lives.

Some of Moses very old law is not applicable to todays' Christians and even Jews. It is in principle and it was like salt dissolving into water, but over centuries, it did works. We know we can't be of a high holiness and justice by trying to obey the law. But in England... the laws were appreciated and mediated upon for decades and so some people dislike the hardness of the laws and some of the ideas, are not considered so just. Like lamb sacrifice, because some people are just, at heart, because of Moses, with correction and exemplification from Jesus and the carrying of Jesus to Rome, with Rome taking Jesus message in.

Old fashioned people will tell their sons, if you make your girlfriend pregnant, you are obliged to marry her. This idea comes from Moses. Along with bones people having the idea of justice spit a lot out. Like if a man sets upon a young virgin, she must marry him. I don't understand why.

Revising Moses with Jesus is fine.

Children may complain about lamb sacrifice, having an immature sense of fair.

So also, if you answer a math question to a lecturer, you may have the right answer. The roots of English language thinking go far into the churches. Right means just.

I think there have long been mockers, even going back to the beginning of Britain taking up the Gospel. Inventing rubbish like, witch hunting, and sink or swim...

People overthrew those insane prejudices with Christ Jesus revising the law, that is the Gospel in practice.

[Bored chemist]

It was not the bomb that somehow gave us good lives.

Nobody said it was.

Christ Jesus revising the law, that is the Gospel in practice.

OK, let's look at what the Gospel says
Matthew 5:17 et seq

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

OK, So the gospel says that Christ said that the old laws stay forever.

That's actually the gospel in practice.
But it's very common for so called Christians to seek to pretend otherwise.
I expect you are about to try to do it.
Please don't bother.
We can read.
We know what the gospel says.
And it's not progressive.

[Bored chemist]

if you make your girlfriend pregnant, you are obliged to marry her. This idea comes from Moses.

That's a God-squad lie.
The idea predates Moses.

[Europan Ocean]

It was not the bomb that somehow gave us good lives.

Nobody said it was.

Christ Jesus revising the law, that is the Gospel in practice.

OK, let's look at what the Gospel says
Matthew 5:17 et seq

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

OK, So the gospel says that Christ said that the old laws stay forever.

That's actually the gospel in practice.
But it's very common for so called Christians to seek to pretend otherwise.
I expect you are about to try to do it.
Please don't bother.
We can read.
We know what the gospel says.
And it's not progressive.

Charles 1948 mentioned the bomb.

Progressive ideas can be rubbish, progressing into a ditch. There needs to be turning. The leading cause of death in the US last year was abortion. Euthanasia is rot too. What's the dream? Some families have one child, others have four. What will the people of the future want?

I agree with keeping all the law, on paper or monitor, but in text books for interpretation, literal interpretation is not correct. Referring to Gordon Fee. The law was under the old covenant. Jesus corrected Moses law regarding divorce, saying it was not this way at the beginning. Moses' law has principles that apply outside rural communities. Jesus summed up the law in two commands. Love for God and man.

The law can be fulfilled and the prophets said it would become obsolete, especially regarding the Ark of the Covenant.

[Bored chemist]

Charles 1948 mentioned the bomb.

Yes, he did.
But he didn't say anything along the lines you implied by this

It was not the bomb that somehow gave us good lives.

It was a straw man at the start, and you somehow thought it was a good idea to double down on it.

Why is that?

Why do you think that the best way to put your ideas forward is to lie about what others have said?
Is it because your ideas just aren't very good?