What if the people who believe in God understand, on a rational level, that they are talking about imaginary friends? And they suppress this realization. With aggression towards those around them, aggression towards non-believers, aggression towards people of other faiths. After all, a believer is under significant pressure, one could say, from the propaganda of atheism. So much pressure that they might not even believe anymore, but again, they are under the influence of their fellow believers. Just think about it. Airplanes fly without the Holy Spirit, church miracles are all questionable, and Gagarin saw nothing in space. What is the “Trinity,” how can the world be created in a week, where are the dinosaurs in the Bible, and why do wine and bread represent body and blood? The mind refuses to accept this, and there is no logic in praying to the Almighty and All-Powerful—who are we to give Him advice and insist on certain actions?
The behavior of aggressively religious individuals is very similar to that of latent homosexuals who have feelings for men but, under societal pressure, aggressively suppress their true nature. The most fervent homophobes have often been those who are hidden or latent gays. In countries where loving people of the same sex is not shameful, homophobes have somehow disappeared. Latent gays have realized that everything is okay and have stopped displaying typically “autoimmune” reactions manifested in aggression.
Although it’s probably better to compare believers not with gays, after all, homosexuality is not supported by the majority of the population as a primary sexual behavior. I would compare faith to masturbation. Almost all teenagers know what masturbation is from personal experience. At the same time, they fiercely mock and openly despise and hate “masturbators.” If you ask whether they masturbate, aggression will ensue, which instantly dissipates if you mention that 97% of pubescent boys (and in more morally advanced societies, girls as well) masturbate, and most of those who don’t are either physically or mentally impaired. I had an experience in my life when, at the age of 14, I organized a collective “coming out” in my class. First, I “outed” my friend, and then the two of us, as a form of entertainment and armed with statistics from a book for teenagers, “outed” the rest of our classmates. Only one person didn’t get outed. The funniest part was that everyone understood that he continued to study in a regular school out of compassion, but truthfully, he belonged in a special boarding school. And what happened? The whole class of “masturbators” laughed at the one person who, as if with a stuffed mouth, due to the peculiarities of articulation in such individuals, insisted that at 14, he found sex more enjoyable and accessible than masturbation.
So, can we tell believers that having faith is normal and nothing to be ashamed of? To say that having faith is not a sign of an underdeveloped mind or a lack of proper education? Although there is a correlation, and it’s quite sad for those who are aggressively religious. Or should we say the opposite, that it’s all okay—most people, even those who fervently pray in church, do not rely on God in their everyday lives?
To say that everyone, even prominent scientists and astronauts, engages in a kind of ritualization that is superstitious in one way or another is to acknowledge a certain truth. And if they are not superstitious, it is not out of principle; rather, they are simply following another ritual. Or conversely, one could argue that the highest-ranking priests are all atheists and do not fear God at all.
To say that the tendency to find connections among unrelated events is a natural byproduct of our brain’s activity is akin to the ability to see animals in clouds. Our brains provide us with reasons to believe that rituals exist even among… geese, and this is mentioned in respected books. That believing in and communicating with imaginary friends is perfectly normal and not a sign of unhealthiness. That an innate tendency toward religiosity may have helped humans unite in the dawn of civilization, while those who lacked it simply died out. That our brains are capable of believing, for example, that after three tails, a heads must inevitably follow, and continue to try to construct behavior for an unknown future based on past experiences. Not efficient, but better than what a mouse or a gopher would manage.
You can say that it’s okay to relax and continue engaging in this mental self-indulgence. Moreover, it’s not necessary to be part of any club of enthusiasts for a particular imaginary friend and pay money to that club. No one will judge you for your beliefs, as it’s normal—everyone does it. In fact, everyone simultaneously believes in something and doesn’t believe in something else. That’s the truth. And what about atheists? Come on, admit it. Help the believers out.