The Physiology of Faith by N. Fakhr - HTML preview

Reminding Believers of Invisible Gods

The gods of religions are usually invisible beings, and anything that remains unseen is liable to fade from our attention. Everyday life and its concerns occupy much of our mental capacity. Subjects we rarely think about, and people we neither see nor hear about, gradually recede from our minds and cease to figure prominently in our everyday calculations. Invisible gods, too, if they are not continually brought back to mind, may gradually disappear from our day-to-day considerations, even though we do not deny their existence.

Religious believers remind themselves and one another of their god in many different ways. Among these reminders are the observance of daily religious practices and rituals, such as prayers and acts of worship, as well as participation in religious gatherings.

Religious structures, such as temples, shrines, and tombs—especially when they are large and magnificent—not only remind believers of the existence of their gods, but may also convey the impression that they are in the presence of a being far greater and more powerful than themselves. Church bells, the Islamic call to prayer, and similar sounds and proclamations extend the reach of these reminders beyond the religious site itself.

The methods used for such reminders are numerous, and I will avoid dwelling on them further here.