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You could also choose beliefs that cost you much more than most people are willing to endure, like being a Monk (personal experience with something similar) but that is your choice and doesn't affect the reliability of the beliefs or whether anyone else should agree with you. You can't buy reliability.
– Scott Rowe
Commented May 23 at 11:18
1

On the contrary, almost all religious beliefs do have costs. Some of them very significant costs. You think it's no cost to dedicate a section of your home to religious purposes instead of another bathroom? Or that there is no cost to giving up things you want to do like eat bacon or sleep with your neighbor's wife? Even simple superstitions have costs. You think there is no cost to the terror some people feel when they break a mirror?
– David Gudeman
Commented May 23 at 14:21
@DavidGudeman so what is the benefit of having crippling superstitions or giving up foods? They must be getting something out of it or they wouldn't keep it.
– Scott Rowe
Commented May 23 at 19:14
@ScottRowe ("Lotteries are a tax on people who are bad at math.")... one of my work-buddies resigned a few months ago because his parents won $5 million. And a few years ago the factory across the road from where I was working had 30 people in a pool each win a million dollar share of a $30 million dollar jackpot. They make me wish I sucked at math so that I would have a chance of winning too.
– Alistair Riddoch
Commented May 24 at 13:26
@AlistairRiddoch maybe you have other assets that are more worthwhile :-)
– Scott Rowe
Commented May 24 at 18:14

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