Religious beliefs are deeply irrational. The all-powerful and benevolent God is strongly disconfirmed for residents of earthquake zones like eastern Turkey, yet they continue to cling to the view that God is both good and all powerful.
As psychologists we must be struck by the depth of religious irrationality. After all, if you wanted evidence against a benign Providence, it would be hard to improve upon an earthquake or other randomly destructive natural disaster. Admittedly, a tornado did strike a church in Piedmont, Alabama whilst the congregation was inside actually praying. The church collapsed and much of the congregation was wiped out.
Theologians offer strange rationalizations for such absurdities. There is the appeal to incomplete catastrophe such as a lucky parishioner who developed pneumonia and stayed home, thereby avoiding certain death. In the same vein, there are the "miraculous" recoveries of earthquake victims buried in the rubble for days. Then there is the oft-repeated assertion that God works in mysterious ways. Plant an earthquake today and who knows what good will grow from it in the end.
As psychologists, we are struck by the irrationality of these ideas. Yet, as an evolutionist, one is struck by the tenacity of religious belief in the face of a natural disaster. It is as though religion serves as a security blanket that helps victims deal with the stress of a disaster.
Researchers find that religious people are more optimistic and hopeful and less vulnerable to stress and depression. This frame of mind means that they can mount a more effective immune response to disease-causing agents. Although there is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue, the balance of the evidence shows that religious people are healthier and more long lived compared to residents of the same country that are less religious (see Kindness in a Cruel World, pp. 321-326).
Much of the health benefit of religion may be due to the fact that religious congregations function as a social support system the need for which is magnified in the face of a natural disaster of epic proportions.
Observers of battle are frequently struck by the rise in religious temperature as soldiers anticipate fighting. Hence the exaggerated claim that there are no atheists in foxholes. Fear of battle motivates soldiers to seek various forms of security, including cigarettes, and alcohol. When allied soldiers in World War I trench warfare went over the top into a hail of German machine gun fire, these young men were as likely to call pathetically for their mothers as they were to call on God (Ellis, 1989).
Religious interpretations of natural disasters are deeply irrational. Yet, there is a strong evolutionary logic for preserving religious belief in a crisis both as a source of psychological comfort and as a mechanism for helping survivors to coordinate their activities. Indeed these advantages offer some insight into why so many societies around the world evolved religious belief systems in the first place. They also explain why religion is so important in poor countries where life is difficult and uncertain.
On the other hand, residents of countries in which life is more comfortable and secure, such as Denmark and Sweden, have turned their back on religion. They no longer require its security blanket to comfort their distress.
Ellis, John (1989). Eye-deep in hell: Trench warfare in World War I. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
