ronburgundy
Contributor
First you have to ask, What are beliefs? How do we form them? And once formed, why do we defend them in the face of all logic?
My own experience and research show most beliefs form out of comfort, saving energy, and fear. All good survival reasons.
Except beliefs impact actions and reactions, so objectively wrong beliefs lead to actions and reactions that fail to achieve one's goals, which can include goals of avoiding threats, acquiring resources, mating, etc.. This is why beliefs based in emotional goals you refer to are most prevalent in contexts where being wrong appears to have minimal direct impact on survival (this is what I was referring to in my prior post).
This is reflected in the fact that most people become far more empirical and rational and far less faith based when their lives directly depend upon the efficacy of their decisions to get them out of danger. In these cases, fear serves its limited evolved function of motivating effort and preparing the body for action, but empirical experience and reason largely guides what particular actions are taken. Unfortunately, most people are also highly ignorant to their real numerous indirect impacts of their beliefs. So, such emotional/faith based beliefs heavily determine their public rhetoric and political actions which shape the culture in ways that make our "collective" actions and reactions largely emotional based and thus objectively wrong and ineffective, and a threat to our survival and well being.