@NaturalMineralWater I can think of an infinite number of things that might exist but for which there is no evidence, so far. My personal favorite is an invisible pink dragon that controls all our spiritual experiences. You can’t prove it doesn’t exist. And if you deny it, then aren’t you just as close-minded as you accuse me of being?
I think it makes much more sense to look at it differently. The issue, for me, is not whether these things exist or don’t. The question I ask is what advantage could there be to such beliefs, for which I can find evidence. We could actually test my theory about the desire for answers, and the comfort provided by something that seems like an answer, even if it isn’t one, in the sense that there is evidence for or agin’ it.
I’m not saying anything as if it is the de facto explanation, although I’m sure I often sound that way. These are all theories of mine.
As to whether I’ve ever been religious—that depends on how you define religion. I do not have anything that I would call a religion, but I do have things that are similar to what others call religion. Certainly I have spiritual experiences. Certainly I have experienced a set of oneness with the universe. Certainly I participate in weekly rituals designed to give me access to the numinous. Certainly, I’ve been part of many organizations that contain a central myth that brings folks together. Taken together, it is pretty much the same as a religion. It’s just that, for me, the term “religion” is such a loaded and undefined term. I prefer not to use it.
I just don’t have the ability to believe in something for which there is no evidence. However, there are many religions that don’t require such a belief. So you tell me. Am I a religious person?