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Does God Have To Exist To Be Real?
How religious beliefs result in real-world structures and relationships
I was recently at a wedding of some pious folk I know. Many references to god and the bible were made over the day — not just during the ceremony itself, but also the reception and the social interactions amongst guests afterward.
Not just by the bride and groom either, but the entire bridal party, extended family, and most of the attendees.
This made me wonder — while there is no empirical evidence for the existence of God, and that there are more people who do not follow a specific god than don’t (i.e. there might be 2 billion Christians, but there are 5 billion who aren’t; and the same could be applied to all other religions) — does that mean he was not real?
In short — no.
In certain contexts, a shared belief in god has flow on impacts and effects on people and their relationships; this then often spills over from people’s minds and friendships through human action into real world constructs and physical objects.
These can in turn effect those who do not belief in that specific (or indeed any) god.
Belief has impacts on the lives of religious adherents — making God part of their daily reality.
