Religion depends on a constant tension between cognitive rationality and intuitive faith, where faith is defined as belief in what cannot be proven and cannot be disproven; religion loses its power if the things one is supposed to have faith in are actually proven, as Jesus indicates by refusing to jump off the temple to prove his divinity to Satan.

definitionpending

Speaker

Robert Sapolsky

Evidence Quote

Faith is belief in what cannot be proven and what cannot be disproven...Religion loses all of its oomph if the things you're supposed to have faith in have been proven.

Source

31. Religious Belief by Robert SapolskyStanford School of Humanities and Sciences
Created: 8/12/2026, 5:59:56 PM

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