[reagency]

The article takes a different tenor when you consider that is not a story about how the author came to logically prove that theism is more likely than atheism, but it is about how the author come to feel that being a theist is a better life than being atheist. Religion is a powerful idea, not because it is true (that cannot be proven) but because in its best form it is psychologically extremely useful.

[Retra]

Is it actually useful, though? Sure, people will say it is useful, but what can they do to demonstrate that?

[dagw]

From personal experience, very much so. I really miss the spiritual and mental calm and resilience that the faith of my youth brought me. I have several personal examples of where prayer brought me the calm and clarity I needed to focus my mind to get through tough situations.

Once I realize it wasn't true and stopped believing all that went away, and in some ways I still mourn that.

[Retra]

An anecdote isn't evidence. I was different when I was younger, too. One data point doesn't make a pattern. A bunch of data points don't make a pattern when you over-fit your description to match them. I'm asking for objectivity here.

You can't look at a bunch of planes, recognize that there are more dead people in planes lying on the ground than there are in those flying through the air and conclude that planes in the air are safer than those on the ground. What is unsafe here is a rapid transition, not the state of being. You can't ignore those kinds of possibilities and draw meaningful conclusions.

[NoGravitas]

Take up meditation. The best techniques were developed historically by Buddhists, but you don't need to be Buddhist to benefit from them. [Mindfulness In Plain English][mpe] is a good introduction.

[mpe]: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

[zbyte64]

Placebos are useful.

[renox]

The mechanism behind placebo can also create nocebo.

Whether religions are placebo or nocebo depends a lot on the settings, I hate the sexism&homophobia&children brainwashing that many religions have.

[wodenokoto]

And easily demonstrably useful.